The Candle Technique -- Motivation

I need motivation but my students need motivation too and this is so much harder than finding my own motivation. I heard a fabulous idea in a K12 Speaker Series the other day... the Candle Technique. It's awesome! We did it for the first time yesterday.

I used a birthday candle at first. All you do is light the candle while the child is working. As soon as he/she becomes distracted and plays with legos or something, you blow out the candle. I loved my son's reaction. He wouldn't pay attention and started playing with something so I didn't say a word and just blew out the candle. His eyes went wide and he turned back around and started doing his school work again. There was no arguing or yelling of anykind. I loved it. So, why does the candle burn? Well, when it burns all the way down the child gets a rewards. It can be whatever you want... a mother-son date, a small toy, a trip out for ice cream, geocaching...etc. Whatever! The large the candle, the larger the prize. For the birthday candle, I let Collin choose something from the Smarty Pants. It really only lasts for about 30 minutes so I didn't think he needed something large, I just wanted him to understand what it was for. We went to a slightly larger candle but still not too large. I'll gradually work up to a larger candle. I don't want him to lose that motivation. But, I absolutely LOVE the Candle Technique. ;)