Isn’t it nice to be praised? Kids seem to thrive with positive reinforcement. We as adults even appreciate it when we still get it, right? I surely do. Here is a tool for children of all ages, Awesome Deck of Awesome.
The Awesome Deck of Awesome Credo
I believe that a child’s awesomeness needs to be rewarded. Often.
I believe that positive reinforcement is more productive than negative reinforcements which is itself more productive than punishment.
I believe that motivating with money or candy may lead to values or behavior which distract from the positive message I’m trying to instill.
I believe the smile on a child’s face when you tell them they’re awesome is big enough for both of you.
-Dr. Awesome* (*no, I’m not really a doctor. But I am pretty awesome)
I was sent the Boys ‘N Girls Awesome Deck of Awesome. There are packs available separately for boys or girls too. The Boys N’ Girls cards are a deck of 70. The gender specific cards are a deck of 35. The pack came in a plastic case, but it did not hold up in shipping.
The cards themselves are thick and seem fairly durable. The cards can be collected, traded, displayed, or just played with as the child likes.
Awesome Deck of Awesome does not come with instructions since positive reinforcement is handled differently by each teacher or parent. Ideas on how to use the deck are included or it is suggested to come up with your own ideas and see what works for you and your family.
Since my children are still fairly young, we tried Random Acts of Awesome. I stuck them in my daughters’ backpacks when they went off to school. They would come home and tell me details about the card they had received with a smile. The images are colorful and fun.
Another suggestion is to give a card when a child completes a set of tasks and a reward program, like 5 Awesome cards is worth a sticker, 20 are worth a toy of their choice, etc. and tally weekly or have them save up for a grand prize. Cards can also be taken away if a task is not completed also.
The information with the cards explains that small kids enjoy just getting something neat from you versus older kids who will outgrow the cards alone as an adequate reward. They will often need to reinforce the Awesome Cards with a redemption program. A freebies page is included on the product website, which enables you to print off an Awesome Rewards Contract and Awesome Chores and Tasks Contract to use with your family.
It took us a while to figure this out, but the back side of the card are done in blacks, grays, and whites with parts of an image. The deck created two of these images. My seven-year-old thought this was a fun puzzle to do together.
Awesome Deck of Awesome for the Boys ‘N Girls pack retails for $20.00. The Boys or Girls pack are $12.50 each and all are available on Amazon.com.
To learn more about Awesome Deck of Awesome, please visit their website.
Awesome Deck of Awesome on Facebook
Disclosure: I received a deck of Awesome Deck of Awesome for this review. No other compensation was received for this post. The thoughts and feelings expressed are my own.
