Is it OK to reward kids with food?
What should we give our kids in return for good behaviour - if anything at all, asks dietitian Michelle Butler.
Iam often asked how to approach food rewards. Rewarding children can be an effective way to encourage desirable behaviour. Most of us at some point have used food as a reward and the easy choice is often a less than nutritious option!
The first time I innocently fell into this trap was at the impulse aisle at the end of a supermarket shop. I say ‘trap’ as it quickly got out of hand with escalating demands for treats at every supermarket trip!
When treat foods are offered as a reward, children quickly learn to prefer ‘‘junk food’’ over nutritious food. Kids may associate junk food with being good or feeling happy and develop emotional eating habits.
With the high rate of childhood obesity in New Zealand we need to consider better options. Encouraging healthy food habits and behaviours will reward our children with health benefits now and in the future.
While this discussion is focused on children’s food rewards it may be worth considering how we reward ourselves as adults. Some of these ideas may be useful for improving our own habits and how we role model these to our children.
At times I believe there can be too much emphasis on rewarding. It’s important to scale the reward to the situation so that children don’t expect to be rewarded for everything and also that they learn the value in doing something because it’s the right thing to do or a kind thing to do.
Remember that a reward can be as simple as praise, ‘‘Well done, I’m so proud of you for tidying your room even though you didn’t want to’’.
Suitable rewards will depend on the age of your child. Brainstorm ideas as a family – letting your children come up with ideas will get them on board. Try and focus on active and social activities that will benefit the wellbeing of the whole family.
Some bigger rewards may need a sticker/tick chart so you can build up to the main reward.
Some popular and inexpensive ideas are:
❚ Family walks (see www.doc.govt.nz/kiwiguardians for walks in your area (including maps and medals available on completion!)
❚ Trip to playground/park/beach
❚ Camping out in the lounge
❚ Family movie night
❚ Trip to the pools
❚ Family bike ride (we have lots of great tracks in Taranaki, including the coastal walkway)
❚ Special privileges, such as a day of chores or being able to stay up and watch the rugby
❚ Regular chores could have a small monetary value that could be saved towards something; perhaps equipment that supports more family activity eg a beach cricket set
❚ Screen or device time is a popular reward but it also has a tendency to get out of hand. It’s rarely active or social, so best to keep it below the recommendations of less than two hours per day.
Food rewards don’t have to be excluded completely but try and avoid ‘‘junk food’’, instead choose nutritious options your family enjoy and involve your children in the preparation. One day you may be rewarded with them cooking them for you!
If you think this will be a hard sell for your family – remember it’s all in the marketing. Just look at Countdown – with the simple offering of free fruit they have become the supermarket of choice for my children.
I have included a couple of recipes that my family enjoy. Hands down, burritos are the most requested meal in our house and the oaty pancakes are a great weekend or school holiday breakfast.
When on the topic of food rewards I often hear concerns around grandparents and sport/ schools.
While this may warrant a future article, let’s just say it would be great to see a similar shift in behaviour here – towards rewards that support a healthier future for our children.
❚ Michelle Butler is an NZ Registered Dietitian