Beyond Stickers and Rewards: Cultivating Intrinsic Motivation Through Natural Outcomes

Over the years, I have worked with families that have created incentive systems to help their child learn a new skill (for example, to practice an instrument) or complete tasks/chores at home. It isn’t unusual for them to tell me that the system was really helpful when they started using it. Until it wasn’t. Those kinds of systems can be really hard to maintain for a long time. But even more important, do we even want to be committed long-term to some kind of “work for reward” system. Of course the answer to that question is “no.” The goal should always be to avoid getting into a “what will I get if I do what you ask?” trap.

I am reminded of a child that I worked with some time ago. Ethan (not his real name, of course) was a very cool, upper-elementary-school-aged kid with many strengths; for example, he was a “master builder” with his Legos. But mornings were a challenge; getting dressed, brushing his teeth, and packing his backpack were daily battles. His parents, trying to help, introduced a reward system: if Ethan finished his morning routine without reminders, he earned ten minutes of Lego building before they left for school.

At first, it worked perfectly. Ethan breezed through his checklist quickly to get access to his Legos. Mornings felt smoother, he was ready for school on time, and his parents were happy.

But after a few weeks, the system began to fall apart.

One morning, Ethan told his mom, “I don’t want to do Legos today.” The thing that was motivating the completion of the morning routine wasn’t important that day. With no motivation to earn his morning Lego time, he had no reason to complete the steps. The natural outcomes (feeling ready, avoiding rushing, having a calmer start to his day) weren’t reinforcing to him yet, because the Legos had overshadowed them.

His parents tried increasing the reward. Then they tried adding bonus rewards. Then they tried taking things away. None of it worked for long.

The Legos had become the only reinforcer for the routine. When that external reward lost its value, the routine collapsed with it. This is the risk of relying too heavily on extrinsic motivation: the behavior becomes fragile, dependent on something “random” rather than connected to the natural outcomes of the behavior itself.

Ethan’s story is a perfect example of why understanding reinforcement, and how motivation actually develops, matters so much.

Understanding Motivation Through an ABA Lens

In ABA, reinforcement is anything that makes a behavior more likely to happen again. Some ABA strategies rely solely on reinforcement that is not naturally related to the behavior (extrinsic motivation). However, more successful ABA strategies look for ways to motivate behavior by highlighting the natural outcomes of that behavior (intrinsic motivation). You might think of it as “doing it because they 'want’ to,” or “because they like it.” The point is, the motivation to keep doing something comes naturally from actually doing it.

Both types of motivation/reinforcement have value. But they serve different purposes.

• Extrinsic reinforcement (motivation) (stickers, tokens, praise, screen time) is incredibly useful during early learning or when a task has no natural payoff.

• Intrinsic reinforcement (motivation) happens when the behavior itself produces something meaningful.

Extrinsic reinforcement helps a child start a behavior while intrinsic reinforcement helps a child keep doing a behavior. The sooner motivation can switch from extrinsic to intrinsic, the better.

Natural Outcomes Strengthen Motivation

Natural reinforcement, related to intrinsic motivation, is powerful because it teaches your child why a behavior matters in real life. Think about the natural reinforcement for these behaviors.

• Cleaning Up Toys. You can find their toys easily and has more space to play.

• Using a Calm Voice. Adults respond to you more quickly and clearly.

• Packing Homework the Night Before.  You avoid stress and feel prepared.

• Trying Something New.  You discover something enjoyable or feel proud of being “brave.”

• Practicing a Skill. Improvement feels good.

When children contact these natural contingencies, they begin to repeat the behavior because it works, not because someone is offering a prize.

How You Can Support Intrinsic Motivation at Home

You don’t need a formal program to encourage intrinsic motivation. Small, intentional shifts can help your child contact natural reinforcement more often.

• Highlight the natural outcome. Help your child notice the real‑life benefit of their actions.

• Emphasize competence. “You stuck with that even when it was frustrating.”

• “You figured out a solution that worked.”

• Let the outcome do the teaching. Whenever possible, allow the natural consequence to function as the reinforcer.

• Keep praise meaningful Praise should describe effort, strategy, or progress — not become the reason for the behavior.

• Offer choices. Choice increases autonomy and reduces avoidance or “escaping” tasks.

• Model intrinsic motivation. “I’m organizing this because it helps tomorrow feel easier.”

When Extrinsic Motivation Is Useful (and Necessary)

Before we throw extrinsic motivation out of our toolbox, I need you to know that there is nothing wrong with using it IF we use it strategically. When any of us is learning a new skill, it can be really helpful to add a little something “extra” to provide motivation. Learning new things is hard work and, because we haven’t gotten good at the skill yet, we haven’t experienced the natural consequence. Yet. 

And while it might be tempting to say “I want them to learn because they love learning,” that is us talking from our frame of reference, which is the result of a history of having positive outcomes after learning. I can guarantee that you didn’t feel love learning when you were younger (you might not remember those days, but they existed.  No one emerges from the womb just loving learning).

Extrinsic reinforcement (for example, stickers or earning toys) is most helpful when:

• Your child is learning brand‑new knowledge or a new skill. The natural outcome isn’t reinforcing yet because the skill is still too difficult.

• The task has no immediate natural payoff. Some tasks simply aren’t naturally reinforcing for children.

• You’re establishing a new routine. Rewards can help launch a habit that will eventually feel good on its own (but don’t forget to use the strategies above to help them also see the natural outcomes!)

The key is not to rely on extrinsic reinforcement forever. In ABA, we gradually fade this kind of reinforcement so the behavior becomes supported by natural outcomes.

Revisiting Ethan’s Story: What Changed When We Shifted to Intrinsic Motivation

As the BCBA, part of my role was to help Ethan’s family transition from the reward chart they were using for morning routines to the naturally occurring reinforcers. That can be a tricky process, and it will be different in each case, so I am not going to detail the steps we used. Instead, if you are in this kind of situation, please work with your Behavior Analyst to come up with the best transition plan. But what I can tell you is that a few months after Ethan’s family shifted away from reward‑based routines, his mom shared a moment that captured the power of natural reinforcement better than any chart or incentive ever could.

One morning, Ethan came downstairs already dressed, backpack zipped, and shoes in hand. When his mom commented on how great it was that he was ready, he shrugged and said, “I like when I’m not rushed. It feels better.”

Over time, Ethan had begun to notice the built‑in benefits of his routine: more time to play before school, even when it wasn’t Legos, less stress, and a predictable flow. These natural outcomes became reinforcing on their own. His mom later told me, “It’s like he finally realized the routine was helping him, not just us.”

This is what intrinsic motivation looks like in real life. It takes time to build. Contacting the naturally occurring positive outcome of a behavior repeatedly over time and recognizing it as a positive is a key part of the process. It is what transforms something from “work” to “I do this because I value it.” And as the adults, we play a key role in helping to develop those values. 

Want to learn more about cultivating intrinsic motivation? Bring it up with your Behavior Analyst at the next Family Guidance session!