Episode Details

When I worked in the school systems, rewards and behavior charts were a common practice. Even in my training to be a therapist, “positive reinforcement” was often a go-to strategy for managing behaviors and motivating kids to do “non-preferred” tasks.

The problem was that for a lot of kids it didn’t work. And what was even worse…sometimes it worked TEMPORARILY, but as soon as the reward went away, so did the motivation to do the task.

It left me wondering if relying on external rewards is really helping to build the skills kids need to be independent, intrinsically motivated, responsible people with a good work ethic.

I also found myself wondering if “motivation” (or lack there of) was really the problem in the first place.

That’s why in this episode I talk about motivation and positive reinforcement for kids who procrastinate, rush through work, struggle to stay organized, or who show impulsive behaviors (often associated with ADHD and related conditions).

Specifically, I share:

✅Why using rewards often doesn’t work when kids are procrastinating and refusing to do work.

✅Why “motivation” is often misunderstood, and why there’s more to the story when kids appear “lazy” or “defiant”.

✅The set of skills that are often the “missing link” when kids aren’t consistently responding to positive reinforcement.

If you aren’t sure how to support kids in completing homework assignments, chores, or other daily tasks; then you’ll get a lot of insight out of listening to this episode. If you’re a parent who wants to set your kids up for success as adults, then then you’re going to love my free parent guide, which I mentioned in this episode. In this guide, I share the set of skills that kids need in order to stay organized, focused, and motivated during their day-to-day tasks like chores and homework.

You can sign up for the guide here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/parentguide

The De Facto Leaders podcast was formerly the “Are they 18 yet?®” podcast. As of November 2022, the name of the show has changed, and we’ve shifted from a focus on parenting to a focus on supporting clinicians and educators to design effective services for kids (but parents are still welcome to listen). Episodes published before November 24, 2022 will still contain some of our old branding. 

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL and Renaissance:

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time.