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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Health
Amelia Tait

‘I get a gold star when I go to the gym’: the adults using sticker charts for motivation

a to-do list in a spiral notebook with gold star stickers next to a list of three tasks : go to the gym, eat 3 fruits/veggies and floss
Adult sticker charts are rising in popularity. Photograph: The Guardian/Getty Images

There is a sticker chart on the kitchen cupboard in the Gray family home in Birmingham, England – the two Gray children, aged four and 10, get excited when it’s time to add another gold star. But they aren’t being rewarded for brushing their teeth or learning their spellings; this is someone else’s chart entirely.

“They know that mommy gets a gold star when she goes to the gym,” says Bek Gray, a 33-year-old healthcare professional who has been using sticker charts to motivate herself for one and a half years.

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