Sticker Tracking to Encourage Your Child’s Face Care Routine

Sticker charts have long been used to modify behavior and encourage the odds of that desired behavior happening again. As you formulate your child’s skincare routine, the desired goal is to have them take the behavior from being extrinsically motivated (outside factors) to being intrinsically motivated (inside yourself). When they do this, they are far more likely to take on good skincare habits (or any other behavior) for a lifetime.  A sticker chart can help facilitate this. Here are some thoughts on how to use the sticker chart we provide.

• Make it Fun- Let the child lead the behavior and try not to be too rigid or regimented. Make it a fun activity that you get to do together. My children have a portable mirror that they routinely bring into my restroom and do their face routine beside me as I get ready in the morning. We are more inclined to do an activity when it is enjoyable or when others do it with us.

• Offer Verbal Encouragement- Catching our kids when they are “getting it right” is often out of the norm for us as parents. It is much easier to point out where they are falling short and correcting than seeing what they are doing correctly (even if briefly) and building on that. We all love to be caught getting it right and this is a powerful tool in a parent’s toolbox when we can encourage the behaviors we want to see more of.

• Track Progress- The main reason to use this sticker chart is to encourage the building of healthy habits and have your child take it on as their own. We are all more likely to increase a behavior when we track it. Don’t necessarily connect the chart to bigger rewards systems as this can infer that every activity must have a “reward” attributed. Let the sticker, the verbal praise and the clean, moisturized face be the reward.

• Visual Reminder- Having a visual reminder, whether it’s having your floss by the sink, or a glass of water by your nightstand, makes it much more likely to follow through with good habits. Having the sticker chart readily accessible as a morning and evening visual cue can increase the likelihood of washing and moisturizing.

We all build habits, good and bad throughout our lifetimes. Setting our kids off on the right foot from an early age will see rewards throughout their lifetime. We wish you healthy skincare habits.