A few years ago during a trip home to Ireland I spotted some behaviour charts in Marks & Spencer. They covered the six weeks till Christmas and came with cute little elf stickers - smiling elves for the good days, sad elves for the naughty days. I bought one each for Number One and Number Two. They reacted really well to them, behaving really well in the run up to Christmas.
Since we don't have M&S here in Germany, we have made our own naughty or nice behavious charts the last couple of years. We had a lot of fun planning the design and colours to use and the charts worked just as well as the bought originals.
To make your own chart you will need:
Card in various colours
Glue
Scissors
Ruler
Felt tip pen
Optional extras:
Stickers
Stamps and ink
Washi tape
Cutting board
Scalpel
1. As the basis for your chart you need a rectangular piece of card. We use card approx. 20 x 40 cm. Allow the top third of the card for the picture and the bottom two thirds for the grid of days and weeks.
2. Mark the division of the picture area from the grid area. Last year we used a strip of card and cut a pattern into it. This year we used strips of washi tape.
3. Design your picture, cut out the pieces you needa and glue them into place. Last year I went for an elaborate scene with Santa, Christmas trees, presents, snow and stars wich the boys stuck in place while I instructed them. This year we simplified it and I let the boys design their own pictures.
4. Draw the grid for the days and weeks. You will need 8 columns (one for each day of the week plus a column on the left for the dates). Depending on how many weeks are left till Christmas, you can decide on how many rows you need. Last year we tracked the boys' behavious over 6 weeks. This year we're doing it over 7 weeks.
5. Write the names of the days in the top row of your grid and the dates of each week in the column on the far left. Now your chart is finished.
6. At the end of each day mark the square on the grid which corresponds to that day with a smiley sticker, a gold star, an ink stamp or a black mark, depending on the child's behaviour.
