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Classroom rewards can be a great incentive to give your students an added boost to motivate and encourage positive behavior. These rewards can create a sense of accomplishment and boost the self-esteem of your young learners, which is a great way to help create a positive learning environment in your classroom.
It’s handy to have a variety of reward options for students to choose from so they can pick something that motivates them. But you also don’t want to blow your whole classroom budget on a bank of rewards! So we’ve put together a list of all the free classroom incentives and rewards you can offer your students.
Academic Achievements Rewards
1. A homework pass for one assignment.
2. Choose a brain break activity for the class.
3. Pick an educational game for the classroom.
Creativity and Art Rewards
4. Art supplies for a special project
5. Opportunity to draw on the chalkboard or dry erase board
6. Design the class bulletin board
7. Choose the next art project
8. Lead a drawing or craft activity
Physical Activity Rewards
9. Pick the class warm-up activity
10. Lead a short exercise routine
11. Play a game of kickball or tag during recess
Collaboration and Teamwork Rewards
12. Partner with a friend for an activity
13. Sit with a friend during group work
14. Choose a group activity for the class
15. Help organize a class event of party
Responsibility and Leadership Rewards
16. Take care of the classroom pet for a day
17. Lead the morning classroom routine
18. Water the classroom plants for the day
19. Help organize the classroom library
20. Lead a rhythm or clapping activity.
Special Privilege Rewards
21. Choose the book for classroom reading time
22. Be the classroom helper for the day
23. Sit at the teacher’s desk for the day or for a period of time
24. Be the line leader for the day
25. Choose a class reward (movie time, game day, etc.)
26. Lunch with the teacher
27. Listen to music during independent work
28. Bring a stuffed animal to class
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Rewards
29. Be the tech assistant for the day.
30. Extra chromebook or tablet time.
31. Lead a short science demonstration.
32. Pick a math problem for the class to solve together.
33. Pick a Kodable activity for the class or group to play.
Kindness and Empathy Rewards
34. Positive note home to the parents.
35. Write a positive note to a classmate.
36. Get a thank you card from the teacher.
37. Help a classmate with a task.
It’s important to tailor your rewards to your students’ interests and personalities so they are motivated to get certain rewards. You’ll also want to tie rewards as directly as you can to the desired behavior so that students clearly understand what they are being rewarded for!
Having a laundry list of reward options is important for you to have options for your students but too many options will likely overwhelm them. Getting to know your students is a good way to be able to offer suggested rewards for them.
We know from experience that students love Kodable and that it makes for a great individual or group reward in addition to being a fun and engaging classroom activity to teach K-5 students the basics of coding. Our standards-based progress reporting will help you see how your students are performing against computer science standards and where you need to intervene to help get students back on track.
