Looking for student reward ideas that will motivate your students to make the right choices? Then read on!
In a perfect world, students would all follow the rules and we teachers would never need any rewards and incentives for good behavior. But as a teacher myself, we all know that this isn’t the case!
So every teacher needs a bank of student reward ideas to help incentivize good behavior. In this post, you will find loads of great classroom reward ideas that you’ll want to start using straight away!
This post is all about student reward ideas.
The Best Student Reward Ideas:
Why you need to use a class reward system:
We all know that building good relationships with our students and mastering positive behavior management strategies is super important for us teachers. And, as we all know, good behavior doesn’t always just happen and a key part of our job is teaching students acceptable behavior.
A whole class reward system is one of the best ways to do this. Students have to work together to earn points towards a reward they will all get. Not only does this encourage all students to make the right choices, but it also gets your students working together as a team. Building a classroom community and improving behavior – what’s not to love?!
If you’re liking the sound of this so far but aren’t sure what rewards you could do, don’t worry! You don’t need to spend lots of money or spend hours thinking of fun student reward ideas because this post is a round up of the best tried and true ideas!
Also, get your students involved! They will honestly have some great ideas (as well as some pretty crazy ones you might have to talk them out of!) Plus, getting them involved in deciding on the reward will help motivate them to want to earn it!
[Related Post: The Best Class Reward Systems And Ideas That You Cannot Afford To Miss!]
Student Reward Ideas:
1. Choose your seat
Students will love being able to sit next to their friends for this whole class reward. Depending on your class, you could put a time limit on this, like allowing them to choose their seat for one lesson. Or, you could let your students choose their seat for a whole day!
If you have flexible seating in your classroom, this could also be a chance to choose a new seating option for the day. Additionally, if your children have carpet spots, they could choose a new carpet space as part of this student reward.
2. Extra recess/ play
This is such an easy class reward to do and is always a popular choice in my classroom! The only thing is that you need to choose a nice day to do this one – it’s no fun being out in the rain (at least for the teacher, aha!)
If you have a specific piece of equipment your students love playing with, you could also include this in the reward. For example, my kiddos love using a climbing frame we have so I always make sure to use that as part of the reward. Remember, the more your kids want the reward, the harder they will work to earn it!
3. Bring a stuffed animal
This might be a popular one with younger kiddos. Once they earn their reward, they can bring in their favourite stuffed animals from home!
I would have a couple of ground rules with this one. Firstly, I would say that the toy has to be small enough to fit in their backpack. I would also say it must have their name on and not have any talking parts. Lastly, I would have my students leave them inside at recess so they don’t get lost/ damaged.
4. Eat with the teacher
This is such a novelty for students and they will love spending their lunch with you! When I did this with my class, we had a picnic on the carpet and put on our favorite cartoons to watch. And it was honestly one of my favorite memories with that group of kids! So cute.
Just make sure that this will work with your cafeteria etc. I had all of students bring a lunch from home that day or order a sandwich that they could bring to the classroom – no hot food or drinks.
Also, be prepared for crumbs haha.
5. Wear slippers
Your students can bring in slippers from home to wear in the classroom. Just make sure they also bring shoes for outside too!
6. Virtual field trip
Take your students on a virtual field trip for their class reward. Explore a zoo, art gallery or museum without leaving the classroom!
Check out this post from We Are Teachers that has a great list of virtual field trips you could use.
7. Extra tech time
We all know kids love technology, aha. So use it to your advantage with this whole class reward idea! This might look different depending on what technology you have available in your classroom. But whether it be iPads, laptops or some time in the computer lab, your kids will love it all the same!
Some ground rules to consider…remind your students of acceptable use. I give my students a choice of 3 websites or apps they can use and I am very clear about the consequences for someone not following the rules. And I have honestly never had a problem.
8. No homework pass
I don’t really set homework in my class so haven’t used this one personally. But it may work great for you!
9. Dance party!
For the last half an hour of the day, have a dance party with your kids! Push all the tables and chairs to the side of the room and turn the carpet into a dance floor!
When I’ve done this before, I’ve asked for song requests earlier in the day and then checked they are suitable before playing them to the class. And it obviously goes without saying to play the clean version. Always make sure the lyrics are suitable before playing. We don’t want the dance party to end in disaster!
[Related Post: 11 Positive Classroom Management Strategies To Try Right Now!!]
10. Arts & crafts
This one requires a little more setup but I’ve always managed to use resources I had at school without buying anything in particular.
Either choose one art project for the whole class to complete or set up different stations around the room. Some activities that work really well are:
- coloring
- make a bookmark
- cotton bud painting
- paper mosaic
11. Lego time
If you have lego in your classroom, this is a great no-prep student reward. Simply get the lego boxes out and let them go!
12. Movie time
Have a movie afternoon with your class. Choose an age appropriate movie, turn off the light and settle in for a great afternoon. You could even get a few snacks for your kiddos to enjoy whilst watching the movie if you want, but that is totally optional.
13. Picnic lunch
Depending on where you live, and the season, you may be able to do a picnic lunch outside as a reward for your students.
14. Board games
I was surprised by how much my class loved this one! I had a good selection of games which I’ve collected over the years. But you could always have your kids bring in their favorite game from home. And it’s nice to have a non-screen option too.
15. Free choice
Let your students have a bit more choice when it comes to their reward! I find this works well when your class can’t decide what they want for their reward.
I do put some limitations on this though because it has to be practically possible. So I give the students a limited number of options, usually 3, for them to choose from.
16. Karaoke time
Put on the lyrics version of your students’ favourite songs on YouTube and have a karaoke party together! I always use SingKing on YouTube but make sure that the lyrics are appropriate before playing them.
17. Directed drawing
This is a great one for your class to do together. There are so many great directed drawing tutorials out there but we always use Draw with Rob and my kids love it! And so do I actually, haha.
18. Crazy sock day
Let your kids come to school in either their favorite pair or socks or their most fun crazy ones! Your students will love it and it is literally the easiest class reward ever!
19. Hat day
Similarly, let your students wear a hat to school. iI’s so cute to see them all in their favorite hats! And there’s always a couple who wear the most crazy hats which is so much fun!
20. Popcorn party
Let your students choose their favourite cartoon to watch or listen to an audiobook or podcast whilst enjoying some tasty popcorn!
21. Read to a buddy
For this student reward idea, let your students choose a partner to share a book with. You’ll be amazed how much they love this! I also have reading buddy teddies in my classroom and so I let children choose one of these too. I love making reading a reward!
22. Pajama day
Any excuse to wear something comfy to work, right?! But your students will love coming to school in their pyjamas! Definitely a core memory! But just be sure to let your admin and senior staff know that it’s happening haha.
23. Bring a book
Another reading related class reward idea – let your students bring in their favorite book from home. They could share it with a friend and spend some time enjoying reading. You could even have each child tell the class about their book and why they think it’s the best!
24. Show and tell
You may already have show and tell as part of your weekly teaching but it isn’t something I routinely do in my classroom. So this is definitely a treat for my kiddos! Everyone can bring something in from home and then throughout the week, everyone gets chance to share what they have brought.
25. Special snack
I don’t know about you, but at my school the kids can only bring fresh fruit or vegetables for their snack. But if they choose this class reward, I let my kids bring anything they want for the special snack!
I do limit it to one item and it obviously still has to follow our allergy rules. Make sure to communicate this very clearly with parents if you choose this reward.
26. Positive note home
Every child in your class gets to take home a positive note for their teacher for this reward. You could either type a note and print it off for your students to take home. But I love to take the opportunity to handwrite a card for each child. It takes a bit of time but I honestly think it’s worth it.
27. Listen to music
If my students choose this reward, I let them listen to music when they are working for that day. They love it!
28. Extra brain break
One of the easiest student reward ideas is an extra brain break. We always have at least one brain break a day, but on this day, we get an extra one too!
[Related Post: The Best Brain Breaks: 37 Amazing Ideas Your Students Are Guaranteed To Love!]
29. Surprise
This is a great class reward because the kiddos love the mystery of it all! You can choose something extra special that you know your kids will love. It could be a special visitor, a little prize for each student or anything else you can think of!
30. Story time
My kids love it when I read a story to them – it’s so cute, they always groan when I tell them we have to stop! So this makes a great class reward. We turn the lights down, put a crackling fire on the screen and get cozy for a story session. So simple but so fun!
31. Job Swap
If you have classroom jobs, you could do a one day classroom job swap as a class reward!
32. Prize box
If you have a prize box, you could let each child choose something. Here are some great inexpensive prize ideas:
This post was all about student reward ideas.
