Don’t get me wrong — I love candy. And, a jolly rancher, a tootsie roll, or a starburst can work wonders in the classroom for student motivation and enthusiasm. So can pizza parties, and cupcake days, and brunch, and…I’ve had so many types of food parties I can’t even keep track!
Recently, however, I’ve been concerned with using food in the classroom as a primary incentive or reward. I’ve struggled with sugar cravings and overeating my entire life, and I want to model and promote healthy eating whenever possible–especially in my classroom. Teaching my students to associate incentives and rewards with food is exactly the message I am trying to unlearn myself in adulthood.
While I’m sure I will still use candy or food on an occasional basis in my classroom, I want it to be the exception, rather than the rule.
Non-food rewards for the elementary, middle, and high school classrooms
I’ve designed the following list with secondary students in mind, but these activities can be used in any grade level.
1. Escape Room
Escape rooms are fun, competitive, and make a great reward for students — check out pre-made escape rooms at BreakoutEDU and TeachersPayTeachers!
2. YouTube video choice
Showing a trending YouTube video or even an old classic can be a great reward for your class. As always, preview the video to make sure it’s school appropriate!
3. Q&A with the teacher
Students are often so curious about their teacher’s background and personal life. Use their curiosity as an incentive by doing a 10-15 minute teacher Q&A! Have students write down questions (preview them first and eliminate anything too personal), and then you can randomly draw the questions out of a hat to answer them!
4. Board game time
Board games can improve communication, critical thinking, vocabulary, and more. They also make a great reward or incentive! Check out Apples to Apples
5. Decorate the classroom
Let students’ creativity shine while they utilize collaboration and team-building. Pick decorating ideas that relate to class content, growth mindset, learning styles, study skills, etc.
6. Open mic
Students can read a favorite poem, sing a favorite song, and show off talent for the class. To add extra ambiance, you could set up a microphone
7. Social media shout out
Most schools have a social media presence — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or all of the above. Arrange with your principal ahead of time, and tell students that if they hit a certain goal, their class will get a class shout out on social media!
8. New flexible seating options
9. Choose the teacher’s outfit
Pick 3 shirt options, 3 bottom options, 3 shoe options, and 3 accessory options and let students vote on your outfit. Make it fun and throw in a couple crazy options: pajama pants, tie die shirts, gaudy accessories, etc.
10. Outside time
Let students soak up the sun, get some fresh air, and let their toes sink into the grass while they work on writing poetry, stories, journals, skits, etc.
11. Late assignment tickets
Pass out tickets that let students turn an assignment in late. Put an expiration date on it, though, so you don’t end up with an assignment turned in in May that was due in September!
12. Comfy day
Let students bring in their favorite blanket, wear PJs, take their shoes off if they want — they earned a day of comfort!
13. Fidget toys
Purchase a variety of fidget items for students and let them pick one from your collection!
Related: Check out this article on 7 classroom fidget options for students
14. Music time
Let students vote on a Pandora station or Spotify playlist and listen to music while they work. You can also let students listen to music on their own devices as a reward.
15. Choose your own adventure
Select a list of reading options that would work with an upcoming unit, do a “lit talk” about each piece, and, as an incentive or reward, let students vote which they want to read in the next unit.
16. Joke time
Let students find and tell their favorite (clean, of course) jokes.
17. Extra credit opportunity
If you aren’t one to offer a lot of extra credit, you could use extra credit as a great incentive or reward.
18. Reduced HW assignment
Cutting an assignment back will definitely earn you bonus points with your students!
19. Teacher talent act
Do you have a special talent? Playing guitar, singing, saying the alphabet backwards, etc. Promising to showcase your talent as an incentive or reward is sure to get your students motivated!
20. Kahoot
Students don’t seem to tire of Kahoot, no matter how often they play! Make a content-related Kahoot or just a fun Kahoot to use as an incentive or reward for students. You can also have students create their own Kahoot as a reward.
21. Seating choice
If you use assigned seats, allowing students to choose their own seats can be a powerful incentive or reward!
22. Class raffle
Students receive raffle entries individually and as a whole class (rewarding behavior, etc.). Pick a day and do a whole-class raffle, giving away school swag items and other prizes you have collected.
23. 2-minute social time
Let students occasionally earn social time at the end of class to relax and talk with friends — It might be a break from the traditional exit ticket, but sometimes students just need some social time! Just make them earn it! 😉
24. Stickers
Who doesn’t love stickers?! You can get the classic, old-school puffy stickers
25. Class on the stage
Let students perform a skit, do a talent showcase, read through a play, etc. Getting out of the classroom and into a new environment can be exciting and memorable for students!
26. Extra reading time
If you use silent reading time in your classroom, allow students to earn extra reading time for good behavior, focus, etc.
27. New books for the class library
Have students make a class book wish list and let them work towards earning the books as an incentive or reward.
28. Debates
My students request debates all the time, but they want to talk about a heated issue without the constraints of a rubric or other “academic” requirements. As an incentive or reward, let them “just debate” for part of a class period about controversial topics they choose.
29. Administrator shout out
Invite your administrator to come in and give a verbal shout out to your class!
30. Assignment design
I would consider this a time-intensive incentive, but involving students in an assignment design can be a great incentive or reward! You can give groups of students a list of standards that they will need to show proficiency in at the end of the assignment, and students can decide how they will show what they know.
31. Invite a guest speaker to class
Bring the outside world into the class with a guest speaker. Compile a list and let students vote who they would like to speak to the class. Consider local motivational speakers, college professors, members of law enforcement, etc.
Thank you for a great list of ideas! Sharing with my PBIS committee…
That’s awesome! Let me know how they work out!
Making slime was a HUGE success in my third grade classroom this year. Earning the right to sit in a rolling chair was another fave and being able to write with a pen ( a big deal for a little) .
The biggest hit in my classroom whenever a student reaches the rainbow (and chooses a reward) is choosing a game that the entire class has to play for the first half of recess, including the teacher! They absolutely LOVE it, especially those kids that struggle to make friends on their own at recess in the beginning of the year, or for those kids that need very structured rules when playing with the other kids in the class. It helped build community within the classroom, and it gave kids other options of games to play outside at recess!
Forts by putting blankets over desks. Electronic day.
I use coupons. A lot choose to eat lunch in the classroom with a friend. I do this on Mondays only. Another is to sit with a friend in class for the day. They like moving to a new spot. These are the two favorites that students love to earn all year long! The whole class incentive is to earn extra recess time. We spell out the word “Compliment” one letter at a time when any adult -not including me- gives us a compliment. When we spell out the word, we go outside or have indoor recess. I personally don’t like “giving stuff away” so this is what I do instead.
I give out coupons for turning in homework for the week. The coupons are for things like, go to recess or lunch first, line leader, free raffle pick, free pick from the sticker drawer, free pick from fancy pencils, use a pen, draw during read aloud, play a board game at recess with a friend, and 15 minutes of a computer game.
GEE whiz this is applicable @ any educational level. I have a home preschool, 1st/2nd gr academic/after school support (mostly science/art/homework) and I’m always using skittles!
thanks bunches!
Thanks for the great ideas! I will use some with my older students. I teach art, and I do “Choice Days” as class rewards for students. Each art-class they can earn a star… once they have 5 stars, their “smART Choices earned a Choice-Day”!
I set up different creative centers around the artroom that they can choose.
The only time students can use these items is on a Choice-Day, and they LOVE it! Some of the choices are “Free-Drawing”, Beading Bracelets, Kinetic-Sand Sculpting, Legos, K-Nex, Community Cars and Roads, Puppetry, and lots more. Most of the items were given to me after I put out a call for donations on social media. It’s been a WIN-WIN!!
My students enjoy glow dances. I purchase glow necklaces, bracelets, and glow sticks from the dollar tree. I pull up just dance or the clean version of their favorite songs on the projector screen. I even have some disco balls. They love it. Turn off the lights and party!
Best list I’ve found! Thanks so much.
A reward my students love is being allowed to read or work in the school library. It has a cozy atmosphere and flexible seating.
I agree with a YouTube video or showing a movie is just as much fun.
This would be a great list to share with new teachers at the beginning of the year (and veteran teachers as well). I’ve used a few of these over the years – Board Game time and choosing music were always favorites. I’d love to have a group of kids to try assignment design with!
My students love choice time….they get 20-30 mins to draw, talk, create something with left over art supplies, etc.
These are great! I love how the focus remains on the child.
Brag tags & bracelets, also lover class coupons. Students but reusable coupons for different things (lunch with the teacher, extra recess, fancy writing utensils etc) with classroom currency.
Awesome ideas! Some incentives I have used are: Kindergarten Helper, Assistant Principal/Principal for the day, Library Aide for the day, Teacher for the day, sit w/a friend @ lunch.
Love these ideas. Thank you for sharing.
These are great ideas
I love the late assignment idea! I plan to use that this year. Thank you!
I am going to share this with my school colleagues.
Our middle school library has a Giant Word Winder Game and a Giant Math Winder Game obtained from the David Hoyt Foundation. Teachers may give students a pass to come to the library and play the games as a reward /incentive. These are not your normal board games. They are 9ft. x 9 ft. strategy games that have intrigued our 7th and 8th graders.
These are all great ideas! Thank you for sharing!
Paper Sand Dollars
Reinforce the students’ concept of money by earning sand dollars for following directions or for rewarding good behavior, or for winning in class contests, either individually or as a team. Whatever sand dollars they’ve earned can be used to purchase privileges such as: line leader or teacher’s helper for the day, lunch with teacher, choose a job, etc.
This are awesome ideas, that can be used to help our students in the classroom.
Great ideas…thank you!
These are great ideas! While we aren’t teachers, we love creating puzzles that support teachers — and integrating some rewards into our puzzles is something we love! Thank you!
Mine love picture with a friend. I take their picture then print it on the color copier, or you can have them printed for cents
Wonderful and creative list. Sharing with my husband who is a first year teacher in a rough school. I hope we can implement some of these ideas to calm the class!
Thank you!
A great list of ideas. I have used many of them myself. I teach in the middle School and use coupons. My students earn tickets for which they use to buy privileges for many of the things you mentioned as well as a bottle of water (very popular with my Kiddos after PE ,) skip to the front of the line restroom pass, use teacher’s chair for one class period, 12 minutes of free read, 10 minutes to do another teacher’s hwk (instead of my hwk in class), etc. Each semester I take suggestions from the students.
I’m creating lottery tickets where the students have a 50/50 chance of winning a prize when I catch them being good. Some of the prizes include: play Kahoot, whole class chooses seats, gum day, late assignment accepted, missing assignment magic (just enter N/A), snack in class, free pencil, free pen, treasure box grab, seat swap, choose your neighbors, choose your science group, music during warm-up, teachers chair, and I’m trying to come up with more. Thanks for this post. It helped!!
My high school students like to do silly team building activities as an incentive. It started with just the yearbook staff, but my other classes caught wind. Their favorite is making playoff brackets for things from their childhood. Disney movies, Pokémon, children’s books, TV shows, toys… They can get intense about it, too.