How do you celebrate good grades?

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17 responses to “How do you celebrate good grades?”

1. 

   Madalyn Prost

   October 13, 2018

   My family would let us bring a friend (if said friend got all A’s) and pick a restraint with just the person who got all A’s mom and a friend then the friend got to sleep over it’s less than taking the whole family out and your kids and their friend get rewarded

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2. 

   Lindsay

   January 27, 2011

   I never got paid for As but I got grounded for Cs! My parents knew I could get As if I put in a little effort and it was expected of me. I always got told “Good job” and was certainly given props for doing well – it just wasn’t rewarded in any tangible way. And I’m okay with that.

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3. 

   Serena

   January 22, 2011

   Growing up, one of my friend’s was paid for her A’s–I think it was $10 a piece. (So with our block scheduling in high school, that was $40 a semester if she did well!) I tried convincing my parents to do that too-which didn’t work too well. Their point was that they knew I could get A’s, so they expected me to get A’s, why would they pay me for that?
   I think when it comes time for my hubby & I to start doing something, it will really depend on how the kids are doing. I was upset if I got an A-, my hubby was happy when he was getting a combination of A’s & B’s. I definitely want to do SOMETHING to reward hard work in school… just don’t know what yet. :)

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4. 

   Somebody’s Mimi

   January 22, 2011

   I think both of our children knew we expected them to do the best they could when it came to grades. We didn’t pay them to get straight A’s we just expected them NOT to bring home any C’s because we knew they were capable of better. Our daughter didn’t need a “payoff” she was self motivated AND I think she wanted to please us with doing well in school. Our son was a different story… nothing would have motivated him… he was intelligent and knew it, he didn’t need grades to prove his ability. Both are doing very well today in spite of their parents attitude toward grades.

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5. 

   Missy @ It’s Almost Naptime

   January 22, 2011

   Well, shoot.
   Shep came home with straight As today, and we just told him he was awesome. Maybe we should have done more. But my problem is, he got all As without trying. I don’t know that this will be the case for all my kids. So I hate to make a humongous deal over As, when another child might have worked very hard for Cs.

   Beth Moore said report cards were never shared in her house. I don’t know how you congratulate your kids if report cards are never shared?

   My parents did not pay for grades, but starting in middle school, I guarantee you I would have tried harder if I had had a financial incentive.

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6. 

   Joy@EdgyInspirationalRomance

   January 21, 2011

   We pay for grades. One of my boys has ADHD and has to work really hard for good grades. So as an incentive, we pay for grades weekly. It’s actually how we calculate his allowance. He gets 75 cents for each grade of 87 or better. We do this weekly instead of around report cards because it’s immediate feedback. His allowance usually works out to be between $3-$5 a week this way.

   My other son finds school easy. So his pay threshold is higher. He only gets paid for grades of 93 or higher.

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7. 

   Susanne

   January 21, 2011

   My mom expected all A’s, no excuses, and didn’t really even praise us when we got them. Dad was very proud and told us often, as he does to this day. Mom does too, now that we’re in our 40s. I think she didn’t want us to get the big head?
   My little boy has Autism. Literal schoolwork (especially reading, science and math facts) comes easily for him, but abstract questions such as why? and how? are too much. I make a big deal about his report card and honor roll certificates, but it’s just a day in the life for him. I’d rather talk to him about his friends and social interactions than grades.

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8. 

   Rochelle

   January 21, 2011

   We trick the kids into thinking they are getting a special reward for getting good grades. When they come home from school with report cards full of A’s we say great job let’s go out to dinner to celebrate. Because we only go out to dinner once a month, we won’t go out to dinner again that month. So far the kids haven’t figured it out. It makes them feel special and we don’t spend any more than we’ve already budgeted. My guys are 9 and 12 so we’ll see if they ever catch on!!

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9. 

   Nancy

   January 21, 2011

   We really expected our boys to do well and praised them with a “job well done”…..no monetary reward. We always told them their reward would be to get into a good college. We were always very careful to tell them how proud we were of them.

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10. 

    Shirley Rempel

    January 21, 2011

    My girls are too young for report cards just yet at only 4 and 2.5 but when I was a child, we got a certain dollar amount for grades over a certain point. It was a small amount during the year, and than at the end of the year it was a larger amount and a bonus if we were promoted to the next grade. I think going into grade 12, I got $50 total at the year end report card.

    Not sure how I am going to do it with my girls yet. I like the idea of praising them for their work and teaching them that school is their responsibility but I also want them to know that hard work can be rewarded too. I think that using items that they “want” could be a reward for good grades/behavior in school too…..making a list of “want” items with a point system, and points given for each grade (A, B, C, etc) and then at report card time, they can “trade” in the points for the reward.

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11. 

    Kelleigh

    January 21, 2011

    I like Melinda’s idea! So far, school comes fairly easy to our son, and A’s are an expectation because we know he can handle it. At some point, we might reward him with more than a hearty Well Done!

    When I was growing up, my mom looked over our grades (which were always A’s) very quickly, but spent a lot of time discussing our behavior marks. She put a major emphasis on responsibility, good behavior and effort. Looking back, I know that I got good grades because I was internally motivated. My behavior grades were more externally motivated: I wanted to make my parents proud of the young woman I was becoming.

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12. 

    Sharmin Romero

    January 21, 2011

    First, we sit down and go over the report cards with each of our 3 children. We praise where praise is deserved, and talk about how they can improve the weaker areas. We also compare previous report cards to see improvements from last talk.

    Right now, the rewards are monetary (small amount), and only for As. We are rewarding the above and beyond. However, the kids are still young, so we haven’t hit bad grades yet. We may adjust as necessary based on each child’s ability. As they grow, the rewards (or punishments) may change with their current “currency,” such as driving the car.

    My parents rewarded As with money as well. I enjoyed seeing my efforts at school turn into something tangible. It is also a way to continue teaching fiscal responsibility (tithing, saving, spending) and is a reflection of the adult workplace (i.e. bonuses for good work). My kids appreciate the money, but know the real reward is in the time we spend talking to them and praising them.

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13. 

    Cassandra

    January 21, 2011

    Growing up, I received a “well done!” and “let’s see how much you can improve on that next semester!” Um, thanks Mom but I’m happy with my B+ (though I could have had straight A’s if I had applied myself better)! lol.

    My brother on the other hand… school wasn’t so easy for him so he got paid for each A & B. I thought that was highly unfair!

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14. 

    Missi McGavern

    January 21, 2011

    We always go to Chuck-E-Cheese’s. There is usually a half day on or around report card day, and we take advantage of everyone else being in school. Also, Chuck-E-Cheese’s will give the kids free tokens when they bring in their report cards!

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15. 

    Melinda M

    January 21, 2011

    So far, my boys don’t have to work very hard for good grades. So, a “well done” and a hug is what they get. I want the grade to be the reward – the satisfaction of a job well done. And I don’t want them looking for “something” every time they do what they are supposed to do anyway.

    When the time comes that they put in a lot of effort on a project or for a class and really have to struggle, then I’ll consider a little something special.

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16. 

    kari

    January 21, 2011

    we do a *little* monetary reward, because essentially, SCHOOL is their job, and let’s face it, we ALL like monetary rewards for a job done well. It’s certainly not much, but it’s fun for them. (we have a sliding scale—a’s and b’s get rewarded, c’s, d’s, and f’s they pay us…..)

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17. 

    Jamie (@va_grown)

    January 21, 2011

    I can’t wait to see some others answers on this one too. We celebrate good tests, projects, or report cards with special desserts, special movie nights, or special dinners. Usually something we’re doing anyway, but the awardee gets to be “king” or “queen” and choose. We’ve also let them “earn” certain special things, like an educational sticker book or magazine by showing us that they “take their learning seriously” and would appreciate it.

    I don’t see us ever adding (or allowing) monetary rewards. That feels all wrong to me, but I haven’t fully explored my thoughts on it in an organized way. And we’re still early in our parenting, so I hate to say NEVER to anything.

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