You are curious about how to reward a student in the classroom? You are not alone; even veteran teachers seek new ways to reward their students. A reward is a motivator! A reward is a stimulus that drives an appetite to alter behaviour. Rewards typically serve as reinforcers. Rewards can help get your child to do more of the things you want her to do. Rewards that happen right after a behaviour are best.
Most schools view rewards for students as a means of motivating certain behaviours in students. Specifically, rewards are intended to motivate students to perform effectively and efficiently towards achieving school/class/subject goals. Irrespective of the school level, rewards for students play an important role in building and maintaining commitment, which in turn ensures a high standard of school performance.
The rationale for the use of rewards for students is to motivate or induce certain behaviours among them which are viewed as beneficial for enhanced performance while inhibiting other behaviours which they perceive as detrimental to student academic growth and performance.
Rewards For Students: Elementary Level
- Assist the custodian
- Assist with morning announcements over the PA system
- Be a helper in another classroom
- Be featured on a photo recognition board
- Be recognized during announcements
- Be the first one in the lunch line
- Be the leader of a class game
- Be the line leader or the caboose
- Be the scout (Person who goes ahead of class to tell the special teacher they are on the way)
- Be the teacher’s helper for the day
- Borrow the principal’s chair for the day
- Buzzcut a design in an agreeable male’s head
- Choose a book for the teacher to read aloud to the class
- Choose any class job for the week
- Choose music for the class to hear
- Choose the game during physical education
- Choose which homework problem the teacher will give the answer to for a freebie
- Cut the principal’s tie off and have your picture featured on a bulletin board with the neck part of the tie as the frame. Keep the tip for a souvenir.
- Dance to favourite music in the classroom
- Design a class/school bulletin board
- Design and make a bulletin board
- Do half of an assignment
- Draw on the chalkboard
- Draw on a small whiteboard at the desk
- Draw pictures on the chalkboard while the teacher reads to the class (illustrating the story being read)
- Duct tape the principal to the wall during lunch or an assembly
- Earn a free pass to a school event or game
- Earn a gift certificate to the school store or book fair
- Earn a pass to the zoo, aquarium, or museum
- Earn a trophy, plaque, ribbon or certificate
- Earn an item such as a Frisbee, hula hoop, jump rope, paddleball or sidewalk chalk, which promote physical activity
- Earn extra computer time
- Earn extra credit
- Earn free tutoring time from the teacher (spelling secrets, math secrets, writing secrets)
- Earn play money to be used for privileges
- Earn points for good behaviour to “buy” unique rewards (e.g. Autographed items with special meaning or lunch with the teacher)
- Earn the privilege of emailing a parent at work telling of accomplishments
- Eat lunch outdoors with the class
- Eat lunch with a teacher or principal
- Eat lunch with an invited adult (grandparent, aunt, uncle)
- Eat with a friend in the classroom (with the teacher)
- Enjoy a positive visit with the principal
- Enjoy class outdoors for the whole class
- Enter a drawing for donated prizes among students who meet certain grade standards
- Get “free choice” time at the end of the day
- Get a “no homework” pass
- Get a drink from the cold water fountain (There is always one fountain that is better)
- Get a flashcard set printed from a computer
- Get a video store or movie theatre coupon
- Get extra art time
- Go on a walking field trip (earn privilege for the whole class)
- Go to the library to select a book to read
- Have a drawing lesson
- Have a free serving of milk
- Have a teacher read a special book to the entire class
- Have an extra recess
- Have teacher share a special skill (e.g. Sing)
- Have the teacher make a positive phone call home
- Help in a lower level class
- Keep a stuffed animal at the desk
- Learn how to do something special on the computer- like graphics or adding sound
- Learn how to draw something that looks hard, but with help is easy
- Listen to music while working
- Listen with a headset to a book on audiotape
- Make deliveries to the office
- Name put on scrolling marquee with a specific message “Emily Jones says smile and eat your veggies.”
- Operate the remote for a PowerPoint lesson
- Pick a game at recess that everyone plays including the teacher
- Play a computer game
- Play a favourite game or puzzle
- Read a book to the class
- Read morning announcements
- Read outdoors
- Read to a younger class
- Receive a “mystery pack” (gift-wrapped items such as a notepad, folder, puzzle, sports cards, etc.)
- Receive a 5-minute chat break at the end of the class or at the end of the day
- Receive a note of recognition from the teacher or principal
- Receive a plant, seeds and a pot for growing
- Receive art supplies, colouring books, glitter, bookmarks, rulers, stencils, stamps, pens, pencils, erasers and other school supplies
- Receive verbal praise
- Select a paperback book to take home to read from the teacher’s personal library
- Sit at the teacher’s desk for the day or a set amount of time
- Sit next to the teacher during storytime
- Sit with a friend at lunch, assembly, etc.
- Take a free homework pass
- Take a trip to the treasure box (non-food items such as water bottles, stickers, key chains, temporary tattoos, yo-yo’s, bubbles, spider rings, charms and pencil toppers)
- Take care of the class animal
- Take class animal home for school vacation time
- Take home a class game for a night
- Teach the class a favourite game
- Teach the class a math lesson
- Use coloured chalk
- Use the teacher’s chair
- Walk with a teacher during lunch
- Watch a video instead of recess
- Work as the Principal apprentice for 20 minutes
- Work in the lunchroom
- Write with a marker for the day
- Write with a special pen for the day
- Write with a special pencil for the day
Rewards For Students: Secondary Level
- Adult volunteers to write a job recommendation for the student
- All school parties on the weekend with different venues for all interests: (students with zero ODR’s get to come) Have parents sponsor and chaperone:
- Dance area
- Basketball area
- Game board area
- Conversation pit
- Graffiti wall (a piece of sheetrock painted white with sharpies of various colours)
- Karaoke area
- Computer animation area
- Assisting Coach for any sport
- Assisting PTO to develop ways to reward teachers who go out of their way to help students
- Chance to go to grade school and teach students about a topic of interest
- Choosing to do a PowerPoint for the class on a particular subject of interest
- Choosing what assignment the class does for homework
- Designing theme for the school dance, ice cream social, game night
- Dress as the school mascot during a game
- Earning the chance to be the water/towel person at a sporting event
- Earning the chance to do stagecraft for any school performance (lights, stage design, props)
- Earning the chance to scoreboard assist at a game
- Eating lunch with a preferred adult
- Free entrance to a dance
- Free entrance to a football, basketball, etc. game
- Free library pass to research a topic of interest
- Getting a postcard in the mail telling parents what teachers admire most about their child
- Getting to apprentice at one of the business partners with the school (grocery store, bank, etc.) on the weekend.
- Getting to buzz cut a design in the principal’s hair (custodian’s hair)
- Getting to cut the principal’s tie off (use loop to frame student’s face on a bulletin board of fame)
- Getting to duct tape the principal to the wall
- Getting to scoop food at the cafeteria for a lunch period (social opportunity)
- Getting to shoot a video about the school’s expectations to show on CC TV
- Hall pass to leave class 5 minutes early and go by the coldest water fountain
- Help from an adult of choice on a class they are struggling with (Free tutoring)
- Homework free night
- Learning how to do something of interest on the computer (animation, graphics, CAD)
- Learning how to play chess
- Learning how to play sports even if they didn’t make the team
- Learning how to run the light board or sound booth for a school performance
- Let students make a bulletin board in the front hall highlighting an event of choice
- Make the morning announcements
- Office aid for a period
- Opportunity to be part of a brainstorming adult team at the school
- Opportunity to eat lunch outdoors at a special table
- Opportunity to eat lunch with a parent or grandparent at a special table
- Opportunity to introduce the players over the PA during a home game
- Opportunity to shadow business owner for a day- credit for writing about the experience
- Opportunity to shadow the principal for an hour or the day
- Opportunity to take care of lab animals in Science class
- Opportunity to wear jeans instead of school uniform for a day
- Principal grills hotdogs for students who have 0 tardies in the month & this student helps
- The privilege of leaving a book in class overnight instead of having to lug it to the locker
- The privilege of seeing embarrassing photos of adults that no one else sees (Senior Portrait)
- Reserved seating at a school play for students and five friends
- Send home a postcard about positive things the student has done this week
- Serve as a student ambassador if visitors come to the school
- Serving as a “page” for a local politician for the day
- Serving as a door greeter for a parent night at school with a badge of honour to wear
- Singing karaoke during lunch (approved songs)
- Sit at the score table in a basketball game
- Sit in score box at a football game
- Sitting in the teacher’s chair for the period
- Special parking preference for a day
- Special recognition at any school event- Guest DJ one song at dance etc.
- Special seating at the lunch table with friends
- Student gets to pick which problem the teacher will make a freebie answer on homework
- Student plans spirit week activity for one of the days (hat day, sunglasses etc.)
- Teacher aid for special needs classroom
- Teaching special needs students how to play a game