Have you ever had a moment when your child needed immediate re-direction of their behavior? However, at that moment you feel like you were just spewing empty threats that are going to have zero follow up and your child knows it? Let me introduce you to an easy visual tracker we are using!

A visual behavior tracker is an actual item that is used to tally the child’s consequences as a result of their behavior. It is a tool that allows the child to see their immediate consequences even when it cannot happen at that moment. It is a good reminder to the parent so they can follow up later.

I don’t know about you all but one of the struggles I have is keeping track of their consequences for those pesky behaviors and my children know it. And because they know this they tend to push it a little more than they should. A friend of mine noticed this and gave me this great idea and so let me introduce you to the Clothespin Tracker!

The Clothespin Tracker

Each child has their own individual set of clothespins and each clothespin represents a consequence for their behavior. In our family, the kiddos are assigned a color for everything they use like toothbrushes and drinking cups and so they are given clips with the corresponding color.

My friend (who suggested this method) painted ten regular clothespins each of my kiddos color for me. (A special thank you to her!) She painted ten clips for each child because then I could keep some in the van, RV, and the house for when I need them.

Here’s how it works:

1. Place the clips in a spot where the child can easily see them
2. Assign a consequence to the clip
3. When the child misbehaves, remove the clip and put it where you can remember to enforce the penalty
4. Enforce the penalty

Place the clips in an Area Where the Child Can See them

I post a visual schedule every day so the children know what is happening that day. This lets them know what kind of perks they could potentially earn as well. One of the advantages for us is we have a large family and there is always something going on so my kiddos do not want to miss out on anything and I definitely use it to my advantage.

If the child doesn’t know what they could lose then this isn’t going to work because they won’t care and they won’t have an incentive to keep their behavior on track..

Our clips are clipped onto our visual schedule in our kitchen for everyone to see. We do most of our work there so it is convenient for me too.

Assign a Consequence to the Clip

Right now, each clip represents 15 minutes lost during free time. Generally, they only get about an hour and a half of free time depending on the day. They are very careful not to lose too much of it.

I have them sit in time out or do extra chores for me during this penalty time. It really depends on the day and the kid.

You can customize the consequences to the child too. It doesn’t have to be the same for every child. Here are some examples:

• A certain amount of time in their room or at the kitchen table doing nothing.
• They lose a certain amount of time during their free time when their electronics are available and they are able to do activities of their choice.
• Three strikes and you’re out! Once they have gotten three strikes then they owe me something like a time out, their treat for the evening or their free time.

Unfortunately, in order for this to be successful, you have to impact something that is important to them so you can get their attention. One of our kiddos loves to read so sending him to his room where his library books are isn’t much of a penalty. That same kiddo also loves his electronics so taking that time away definitely gets his attention.

I customize it to the schedule for that day. If we are busy running around or on vacation the consequences probably look a little different.

I do communicate with the children at the beginning of the day what the clips are going to represent if it is something different than normal. This way I don’t even have to say anything, I just simply remove the clothespin for them to know they need to readjust.

When the Child Misbehaves, Remove the Clip and Put It Where You can Remember to Enforce the Penalty

With seven kiddos, it is always difficult to keep track of who had what consequence and how many they had. Most of the time, the kiddos are unable to pay for their penalties immediately because of our schedule. If I am teaching and a child is misbehaving, it is unrealistic to think that I can send them to their room for a timeout. It would disrupt our class and the plan for our school day. Would sending them for a timeout in the middle of their school work really be much of a consequence?

When they have incurred a timed penalty, I simply move their colored clip to the part of the day they will be paying their penalty. For example, each clip represents 15 minutes of penalty time. When the child incurs the penalty, I will move their clip to the “Free” part of our visual schedule. When we get to that part of our day, I can just look and see who owes me time and they have to pay before they get their free time.

For example, let’s say I have asked one of my children to pick up the living room and come to dinner. I look over at them, there is no response, and they are still sitting on their electronics. I will ask one more time, and if there is still no response then they will get a clip. Of course, this is a hypothetical situation and hardly ever happens around here. (Ha!)

Enforce the Penalty

This is probably the most important step. I want you to stop and think about how much effort you have done so far in setting up this program. In my experience, these things take time in getting the supplies together and then training the children in what is expected.

If you do not enforce the penalty then it is all in vain, the visual tracker is dead and all your time is wasted. Reviving something like this once you have not followed through is unlikely to happen. My child needs to know that I care enough to enforce the penalty.

Is it going to be hard? Absolutely! It will be very hard at first but they will get the hang of it quickly and understand they don’t want to be “clipped.”

Before I implemented this method it was stressful trying to combat behaviors and keep track of everything. It is much easier for me to be consistent with this. Not only is it the best thing for my kiddos right now but it is better for me too.

We Use It Everywhere

I use it everywhere! That’s one of the things I love about this particular method. Clothespins are very cheap and so it’s easy to carry them with you.

This has been a lifesaver when we go on vacation. When we are away from home on an excursion, the children are excited and tend to push things a little more. We are in a small space, with lots of new experiences and so it can be very hard on mom and dad.

I clip them to a clipboard and take them with us when we go out and about. Often times just having the clips with me is a detour to annoying behaviors because they can see their potential consequences.

We Use It For Everyone Age 4 and Up

We use this method on six of our kiddos. Georgie Lou is three and eventually, she will join the ranks but right now she needs to have age-appropriate immediate redirection because she can’t really understand what the clip symbolizes.

We use it for the rest of the kiddos, including our teenager.

I am always evaluating where I can make things easier for myself and my family. If I am stressed, it impacts my family and I am not being the best mom I can be. Are there going to be times like this? Yes! That is life and it is to be expected but my goal is to make those times a rarity. This visual tracker has helped relieve some frustration for me and has taken the emotion out of the situation. I still get frustrated but now I know they will be redirected in an appropriate way which gives me peace.

I have enjoyed sharing this with you! I hope you will give it a try. Thank you for reading and feel free to let me know what you think!