Pick the behavior to be reinforced before deciding on an activity. The activity must reflect the desired behavior to be modified. If an intended behavior for a classroom is to color a picture within the lines instead of scribbling throughout the page, reinforce students who are coloring within the lines with a positive remark like, "well done Karen" or giving a small token such as a sticker, the Special Connections website suggests. According to B.F. Skinner, rewarding desired behaviors is known as positive reinforcement and will increase the likelihood of that behavior being repeated in the future.
Choose an age-appropriate activity to address a behavior. Nancy Mather and Sam Goldstein suggest on the LD Online website that teachers select "reinforcers that are age-appropriate and not necessarily time-limited." Both the activity and behavior to be modified should be within the realm of a child's physical and mental abilities to serve as an effective reinforcement.
Pay attention to likes and dislikes of students to create natural reinforcements. Kareen Smith of the University of Minnesota writes that "it is very important to move from less natural reinforcement (tokens, tangibles) to more natural reinforcement." Natural reinforcement includes intangible objects such as free time and positive praise from an adult.
Avoid bribing students. While it is easy to confuse bribing and reinforcing, Skinner states the reinforcing happens after a behavior occurs, not as a reward to perform the behavior. On the FamilyEducation website, Brenda Gargus suggests that teachers "not offer extra treats, money, or gifts" for tasks that are already expected of children and suggests rewarding only behaviors that are not already expected of students.