What works: reward or recognition?

Sticker charts. Pocket money for chores. A treat for a good week at school. Rewards are one of the most common tools parents reach for, and it is easy to see why. They are simple, and they can work in the moment.

But what happens to a child's own interest over time? Researchers have been asking this for decades. The short answer: mostly recognition. Here is what that means and how to use it.

Do rewards reduce children's motivation?

The biggest piece of evidence is a 1999 review that combined the results of 128 experiments on rewards and motivation.

The researchers were interested in "intrinsic motivation": doing something because you enjoy it or find it worthwhile, rather than for a prize. They measured it in a simple way. After the experiment, did people carry on with the activity in their free time, when nobody was watching or rewarding them?

What they found:

• Expected, tangible rewards tended to lower interest. When people knew in advance that they would get a prize for doing an activity, they were often less keen to do it later by choice.
• This effect was stronger for children than for older students.
• Positive feedback did the opposite. Praise and positive feedback tended to increase people's own interest in the activity. This lift was clear for college students, but much smaller for children.

These were controlled experiments, mostly using activities people already found interesting. That is an important detail. The concern is greatest for things that are already enjoyable, or that we hope children will do from the heart, like being kind or helping.

Is praise good for children?

Praise can help, but how you praise matters.

A 2002 review looked closely at research on praise and children's motivation. It found that praise is most helpful when it:

• is sincere. Praise that feels automatic or over the top may ring hollow.
• credits things they control, like effort, a strategy or not giving up, rather than fixed qualities like being "clever".
• supports their independence, rather than steering them to please you.
• avoids comparing them with others. "Better than your brother" may backfire.
• sets standards they can reach.

So "You're so smart" is less useful than "You kept trying different ways until that puzzle piece fitted."

Do games and points help children learn?

Many learning apps now use points, badges and leaderboards, often called "gamification". A 2020 review pulled together the research on gamification in learning.

It found small positive effects on learning and on motivation and behaviour. But the effects on motivation and behaviour were less stable in the most rigorous studies. One interesting detail: a mix of friendly competition and working together seemed to work particularly well.

So games can give learning a small lift. They are not magic, and they do not replace a child's own interest.

So should I stop using reward charts?

Not necessarily. Rewards are not all the same, and the drop in interest was found for activities people already found interesting. A simple chart for a dull, everyday routine, like brushing teeth, is a different situation from paying a child to read a book they love.

A few principles that follow from the evidence:

• Recognise more than you reward. Notice and name what they did.
• Let them see their own progress. Colouring in a box each day keeps the focus on their effort, not on a prize.
• Celebrate together. Mark a good week with time together, like a walk, a game or baking, rather than a new toy.
• Keep prizes away from kindness. Helping and kindness are the things we most want to come from the heart.
• Avoid comparison. Each child's progress is their own.

The short version

Across 128 experiments, expected rewards tended to lower people's interest in an activity, especially for children, while positive feedback tended to lift it. Praise works best when it is sincere, credits effort and avoids comparison. Games can help a little. Recognition, visible progress and celebrating together help keep the motivation theirs.

TinyDeposits is a guide for parents that pairs its ten-minute activities with a printed weekly fridge chart, so children can see their own progress and celebrate it with you.

A summary of published research and guidance for parents, not medical advice. "Linked to" means a connection was found, not proof of cause.