Kindness Rock Experiment

After all of our adventures last week, we've been having a bit of an adjustment to being back home all together without the fun that comes from being on vacation.

The positive = Andrew has taken a 2 hour nap every day... which he didn't do the whole week before we left. Hopefully I didn't jinx that by writing this.

The negatives = Little dude has been on again/off again not feeling good (lots of stomach aches) and has had some adjustments to being back with his friends and being kind.

I think his behavior is pretty typical for a 2-year-old, but it doesn't mean that I like it. He got bitten by a friend yesterday... and in turn, chucked a train at the kid's head (leaving a good sized bruise). His toddler impulsivity trumps all the language that he knows sometimes... and he just reacts. Keeps us all on our toes... and as some friends suggested, I might need some armor to protect baby Caitlin and my belly sometime soon :)

Today we started a little kindness experiment... kinda like I used to do in my classroom.

Andrew got a little empty container and we filled a ziploc bag up with "kindness rocks." We carried our rocks and our little container around with us all day.

Every time he did something kind, he got a "kindness rock" to put in his container. Kind things he did included sharing toys, hugging or saying hi to friends, giving things to me gently (instead of throwing them), using kind words, listening, saying sorry if he did something he shouldn't, using good manners, etc.

It was pretty awesome to see the power of the rocks. At the beginning of the day I told him that when his container was full, he would get a special present for being such a kind boy. He ate it up.

The point of the kindness rocks experiment was two-fold:

1) It reminded me to look for his positive behavior... it is always easiest to focus on the negative... especially when I am busy.

2) It positively reinforced all his good behavior in a visual way that he could understand... and that was motivating and didn't revolve around treats.

The little dude LOVED the rocks and his behavior was remarkably better. He ran around the house all day finding things to "share" with me or help me with... and then he'd say, "I get a kindness rock? I'm a kind boy." My favorite part was when he found an entire cup of candy corn and proceeded to hand candy corn to me one by one... each time saying, "I'm sharing with you. I get a kindness rock."

I learned pretty quickly that I could use my new power for good or evil :) He would basically do anything for a rock.

After practicing being kind all day, we had a little Halloween party this afternoon where he got to try out his skills with his friends (much harder than just sharing with me). His behavior at this party was head over heels better than our last party where he was a MINE monster. He held it together till almost the end and earned several "kind rocks" during the party. I think it helped that I was trying to "catch him being good" the entire party instead of just responding to his negative behavior (thus positively reinforcing it). This did mean that sometimes I couldn't socialize as much as I wanted... but overall I was still able to have a lot of fun at our little party.

I love a good behavior experiment... and challenge. :)

He ended the day by filling up his container and earning a cool present.

He was very proud of himself and is excited to work hard to earn more kindness rocks tomorrow. I loved hearing him say, "I'm a kind boy." Such a cutie!

He really is such a sweetheart and overall is a very easy kid so it is fun to see how quickly he responds to praise and something as simple as rocks... and it is so good to remind myself to focus on the positive and remember what a special little spirit I have been blessed with!