Reward kids with stickers, not suckers

Just pulled an elementary school newsletter from my kid's backpack and as always, there's a blurb about health featured on one of the pages, not too far from the print-out of the cafeteria lunch menu, in all of its unhealthy glory -- corn dogs, country fried steak, and pepperoni pizza are some of the school's staples. I guess I can't have it all -- a healthy newsletter and a healthy lunch menu. At least some of what comes from school is nutritionally sound.

Don't reward kids' good behavior with food, says our school PTA -- especially not candy, soda, and other sweet stuff. These rewards produce short-term behavior changes and long-term health implications. The folks at the Action for Healthy Kids Virginia say to use the following prizes for your pint-sized ones -- they'll inspire good behavior over the long haul and might result in better school performance too.

• Read a favorite book together.
• Play a challenging board game together.
• Take a special trip to a museum or park.
• Listen to music of your child's choice -- and dance.
• Work together on a project of your child's choosing.
• Play an outdoor game together -- try a water balloon toss or snowball toss, hide-and-seek, or tag
• Create a treasure box of small items, like stickers, pencils, and sidewalk chalk, and let your well-behaved kiddo choose a token.

Or, you could reward your kids by allowing them to pack their own healthy lunches -- no corn dogs that way.