Sticker rewards - not working or working too well?

I started sticker rewards for Jonathan to encourage him to do things on his own. The original reward tasks were eating meals by himself, brushing his teeth, doing his homework (tracing, assigned by me), and getting up by himself. He started asking for stickers for everything.

Today he got out of bed by himself. He walked to our room and the first thing he said was: " 我自己起来了 (I got up by myself). Can I have a sticker?" I said yes. When it was time to help him change from his pajamas into play clothes, he insisted in taking off the pajamas by himself, and he did it with the slightest help. Then he insisted in getting the play clothes on by himself, including putting his socks on. He needed a little bit of help in getting the socks on. After he was done, he asked with a smile "Can I get a sticker?" Of course I said yes.

Then I tried to help him count by asking how many sticker he had earned. I prompted him by starting off with one for getting out of bed. When I asked him what else he did to earn a sticker, he thought for a bit and said:"I say to Daddy, 'Good morning Daddy. I love you.'" He didn't actually say that. So I pointed it out to him that he didn't do it and it was a lie. I would subtract a sticker. We went on to finish counting.

A little bit later I asked him to wait outside my room while I brushed my teeth. I heard him go down stairs and said to Albert, "Good morning Daddy. I love you. I miss you." Before Albert could reply, he said, "I need to go to Mommy now." He came up to me again and said, "I say to Daddy good morning, I love you and I miss you. Can I have a sticker now?"

Lately when he goes to potty, he deliberately puts his hands on his knees and leans forward so that he doesn't fall into the toilet. He makes a point to say:" 我没有摸东西 (I didn't touch anything). Can I get a sticker?"

Today he memorized Genesis 1:1. I was very happy and promised him 3 stickers. He said:"I want 4 or 5 stickers." He would recite it over and over. Each time after he was done, he asked for a sticker.

He went to church nursery and came out very happy. " 妈妈， 我没有哭 (Mama, I didn't cry). Can I have a sticker?"

He likes the concept of getting a sticker but doesn't usually follow through with getting them. Today he had already earned 5 stickers before he got down stairs. Once he came down, he got busy with playing with his Thomas train and didn't even ask for the stickers he earned. Later on he did get a few stickers. He brought them upstairs and put them in his drawers. After another recitation of Genesis 1:1, he asked for a sticker. I gave him back one of the stickers he brought upstairs, he was just as happy. I am glad he doesn't mind re-rewarding.

Numbers

8/30/11
Jonathan probably has a sense of the numbers in terms of its relative value.

Sometime last month, I tried to teach him manners about interrupting parents talking. My example was:"Excuse me Daddy, I need to talk to Mommy. Please stop talking for 1 minute." When it was his turn to rehearse, he said:"Excuse me Daddy. I need to talk to Mommy. Please stop talking for 5 minutes."

Today he was eating dinner, not liking what was served. We coaxed and played with him the whole time to get him to eat. At one point, he looked at his left wrist as if looking at a watch, and said:"Mom it is 5." I went along, "It is 5 already? Well it is time for dinner." He then looked at his wrist again, "Oh, it is 4."

There was another time I told him that he could watch DVD for 5 minutes. He said he wanted to watch for 10 minutes.

If I ask him which is longer time, he is not able to tell me. But intuitively he knows that 10 minutes is longer than 5 minutes and 5 minutes is longer than 1 minute. He seems to know also that 4 o'clock is before 5 o'clock in time.

9/2/11
Jonathan recited Genesis 1:1 by memory. I was very excited and promised him 3 stickers. He said, "I want 4 or 5 stickers."