Carmen Knight, M.A.T. Early Childhood and Special Education 

Everyone loves a reward! Everyone wants to be appreciated for their hard work. How do you reward your patients after a session of really hard work? As young children, our patients need encouragement to continue to work hard on their developmental delays. Speech Therapists, Early Interventionists, Occupational Therapists, and Physical Therapists are given the task to work on developmental goals with their young patients. In order to achieve goals, they must encourage children during every session with the hope that the outcome is more the focus than the process. The relationship and love that therapists give their patients is reward itself, but it always helps to leave a tangible treat behind.

I've found that a great and affordable reward to leave patients is a sticker activity (most children love stickers). SmileMakers has a Make Your Own Spud Mr. Potato Head  sticker that is a fun reward and can also be used as a learning tool until your next visit. This sticker (and other Make Your Own stickers) allows continuing learning opportunities with family members and makes a child feel special after all their hard work.

During sessions and continued learning with family, it lets the child work on cognitive skills by creating the traditional Mr. Potato Head including eyes, arms, feet, and accessories. Leave the child with a piece of construction paper and the sticker and let the fun and learning begin. Work on fine motor skills by letting the child take each sticker off the sheet and place them correctly on the Potato Head while using expressive language to explain each step. 

Afterwards, use as a reward to let the child show off their accomplishment or to just let them be silly and creative by placing parts in places they don't go. It's an inexpensive way to leave a lasting impression on the child and parent. Families that you work with will be thankful for your thoughtfulness as you reward their child and will also love a chance to bond with their child as they develop and grow.