As a certified teacher, I’ve learned that classroom management is important to address. Behavior choices influence the dynamic of the whole room. Whether a classroom will be silly or studious can rely on a few individuals. Similarly, managing a household with two children requires behavior management. If one child acts up, the other can easily follow suit. Since I have two kids under age 5, managing my kids’ behavior is key. Positive reinforcement is an excellent strategy for managing children’s behavior. With positive reinforcement, children develop good behavior. When children know they can earn their way back from a consequence, they don’t become so scared of what happens if they make a mistake. Often, being afraid of a consequence can cause children to lie to get out of trouble. Since I’m a big supporter of positive reinforcement, I tried out the Bear on the Chair product. While testing the product, I discovered that my older daughter Samantha especially reacted with positive behavior, which showed the benefit of using the item with children ages 3+.

Bear On The Chair® Review

Reading the story that came with the product, my children and I discovered that the bear came to our house to help behavior improve. As a friend of the Easter Bunny and other fantastic creatures, the bear is a special creature who keeps an eye on how kids behave. The bear, who Georgiana named Bo, came with a cute, white chair. In the chair, Bo comfortably perched in different locations around the house. Bo constantly watched over the girls.

When good behavior impressed me, giving a reward was simple. Putting the smiley face on the bear’s tummy meant that the kids impressed Bo. Making the bear happy was a huge incentive for my older daughter Samantha. At age 4, Samantha understands emotions well. She has studied the meaning of happy, sad and angry in preschool. So when the bear’s tummy showed a happy face, she was thrilled.

Keeping the bear happy was Samantha’s motivation. She decided to eat yogurt instead of sugary cereal for breakfast. Later, she chose to finish all her eggs, even though she wasn’t thrilled that the eggs had vegetables in them. Picking up cardboard boxes and bringing them downstairs to the recycling bin was one of the many chores she was happy to do, to make Bo smile.

Another chore she did was to clean up her whole playroom. In the past, when I wasn’t cleaning with her, she refused to clean. I’ve tried other positive rewards, but giving something tangible can become a bribe. Instead of offering dessert or money, I felt good about providing a smiling friend in exchange for a good moment of hard work. When she received a smile from Bo, she became full of smiles herself.

Bo was eager to reward positive attitudes too. Friendly, respectful behavior received a smile. Learning to behave respectfully was easier to understand with the bear nearby all the time. The bear was a constant, visible reminder to Samantha that she should behave right. She loved impressing the bear.

Satisfying the bear’s wishes quickly became a fun game for Samantha. In the morning, she exclaimed that her new goal was to keep Bo happy for a whole day. As early morning food choices were making an improvement, I could tell that the goal was realistic for her. Making better choices was easy to do. Bo provided the incentive that Samantha needed to be the best kid she could be.

My younger daughter Georgiana was harder to influence with the bear. Since the product’s recommended age was 3+, I realized after using it, why it might not be ideal for a 1 year old. Georgiana didn’t seem to understand the difference between the bear’s emotions yet, and she cared less about impressing the bear. Her favorite thing about Bo was just that he was cuddly. She didn’t mind whether she was cuddling a sad bear or a happy bear. She just knew that Bo must love her for the great hugs he gave.

But in time, Georgiana began to show that her conscience was kicking in when she behaved poorly. As she tried to escape from her crib late at night, I explained that the bear would be so sad. She paused for a minute with a pensive look on her face. Learning empathy was new for her. Heading back to her crib, she gave a huge wave goodbye to Bo. She slept better in her crib that night than she had in the past.

With positive reinforcement strategies, the key is that kids can earn their way back from a consequence. When behavior was particularly bad, a consequence was necessary – the sad face. Even though many experts today praise positivity, recognizing poor choices can be necessary. Overlooking poor choices doesn’t leave a lasting lesson with my children. Using the sad face taught my children to think before having tantrums. Bear on the Chair is an excellent choice for managing behavior because children always can earn their way back into good standing. A sad bear is never permanent, and a happy bear is just around the corner.

After using the bear, Samantha explained her new point view. “Good behavior is good for the child,” according to Samantha. I have to say, I agree. Good behavior makes children as well as parents happier. I’m just happy that my child realizes that too now. In the future, I can’t wait to use Bo more often and I can picture so many more situations when he’ll be great to have in the home.

Check out my Instagram to see another picture of Bo with Georgiana.

To buy your own Bear in the Chair, visit the company’s website. Contact the company via Facebook.

Plan on buying a bear? Use promo code TODDLER for 15% off each Bear On The Chair®.

Disclosure

I received a free product to help inform my writing.

Drama Queen's Momma January 26, 2015

I think this is sooooo adorable! My five year old daughter would LOVE it! I wonder if it would get annoying to keep up with after awhile, though, like the whole “Elf on a Shelf” thing…. How long did you keep up with it? I would probably do it for a week and then start forgetting. I am awful about keeping up. Our tooth fairy is pretty forgetful too…. LOL

Britney January 26, 2015

So cute! What a fun little thing to play with!

Terri January 26, 2015

this little guy is adorable, my daughter would love it

Kungphoo January 26, 2015

Great review! I know some little ones that would enjoy this very much!

Alyssa from The Sparkly Life January 26, 2015

seems like a good idea! (also: really cute photo!) stopping by from blogger52.

Erin Paine January 27, 2015

This is absolutely adorable. I have got to get one for my daughter. Thanks for sharing!

Stephanie January 27, 2015

What a cute bear and idea. I’d love to hear how it is working after a month or so. My children seem to get all excited over something like this, but then after a while lose interest. Thanks for sharing!

theresa January 28, 2015

I love that the item is easy to keep up with, unlike behavior charts. One mention of the bear frowning gets my older daughter to do her work. The results are awesome so far. I’ll keep you guys updated later on in my review process too.

Christine January 28, 2015

my first thought on this was that it is just like Elf on the Shelf but sticks around forevvvver! I am glad that you told us about both kids and their reaction because I wonder what my 2 year old would think. She is just OK with emotion so I am not sure she’d pick up on it. Worth a try though!! Glad it worked for you!