by Lisa Fillers

Created on: October 09, 2007   Last Updated: September 23, 2008

Lots of praise and the payment of report card money can be a wonderful incentive to a child to earn better grades. Those who argue against it may call payment for grades a bribe but a child needs to learn early to set goals for himself and be given opportunities to earn what they have. No truly successful person got where they are without having achieved a set of personal goals they set forth and worked to achieve.

All too often parents purchase yet another toy or item their child wanted just because they asked for it which has a very negative effect on the child. As a child becomes accustomed to getting much of what they desire with little or no effort on their part the more they want and the more they expect to be handed to them. The child does not learn to earn its way in the world and there is no incentive to excel at school.

When a child earns a set amount for their grades each grading period it brings a greater sense of self worth and pride in their accomplishment to a child. They have something physical they can see for all their hard work. It is very important the parent actually hand the child the money and let the child spend the money earned on whatever they want, within reason. It is usually going to result in a trip to the toy department or electronic department of a local store and that trip should be promptly made. Older children are going to want electronics, music, and the newest clothing trends. It is also good to let the child pay for the item at the cash register itself.

My granddaughter is a very intelligent child so we made her report card money a simple fee. In the beginning, much easier grades of school we set the fee at $10.00 for a straight-A report card. My mother matched the offer so my granddaughter earned $20.00 to go shopping with each grading period. She is now in the fourth grade and has never brought home less than a straight-A report card. As the school work becomes increasingly difficult and many new subjects are added to the cirriculum the fee has been changed to $15.00 per grading period from my husband and I as well as my mother.

We made the same offer to her brother, who is two years younger and a child who has had a disciplinary problem since a toddler. We made it perfectly clear to him at the beginning of each school year that the rules were the same for both children. His book grades as well as his conduct grade had to be an A or he got no money.

It did my grandson a world of good when he came home with a report card

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