Raise your hand if you’ve tried everything to motivate students! If this describes you, know that you are NOT alone. Determining what motivates students without spending a million dollars can be a challenge to say the least. What if I told you I had an easy and effective way to motivate ALL students to work together, make good choices, and go the extra mile? Would you believe me? Well, guess what… it isn’t too good to be true! We can ditch all the blurt beans and dojo points. Instead, I will introduce you to the Whole Class Reward System!
Important Starting Point
I want to begin by saying that I do NOT think there is any reward system that will effectively work UNTIL students have had time to learn about your classroom expectations. First, we must build their community. Students must understand that they work together as a TEAM to earn rewards. They need to know that each of them is a valued community member and that it takes ALL of them to earn the reward. Need some tips on building community and setting expectations? Check out the posts below!
How to Build Classroom Community From Day One
The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Classroom Procedures
I am also a BIG fan of keeping things simple and consistent. This means continuing with the same system all year, instead of bouncing around from idea to idea. While we may be frustrated with student behaviors and want to try out the “new shiny thing” we may see on Instagram and Pinterest, it doesn’t help you or the students. Instead, step back and reteach behaviors if students struggle to follow directions or come to the carpet quietly. Having high expectations and consistency is key. This system is meant as a reward, not a punishment. Spend time looking for the positive, and you’ll see it more. Even if you have to find the tiniest things students are doing right, make sure to praise, praise, praise! Save THIS post if students are struggling with expectations!
Here’s How Whole Class Rewards Work
The beauty of this system is that it is simple, easy, and can last all year! Begin by choosing a few rewards you wouldn’t mind participating in, such as extra recess or a pajama day. At the beginning of the year, you might want to start bigger to really motivate them at first, or maybe you start simple and work your way up as students progress through the year. I like to give students 3-4 options to vote on, then take a class vote, and the reward with the most votes wins! Students will then all work together towards that reward. This is a crucial piece to motivating students. They need to have a stake in this, so they want to work hard for the reward AND remind others along the way!
After you have chosen your reward, students start earning pieces to complete the whole class reward picture. This also motivates students because they can watch the fun picture be built as they get closer to their reward. You may want to start with fewer pieces at the beginning of the year as the class learns expectations. For example, we started with the set below. There were only 5 pieces to earn in total, each piece being the individual crayons, and they LOVED it. Most importantly, they all stayed motivated. We actually used it for quite a few weeks in a row to get them used to the process and simply changed the reward choice.
As soon as the class builds the entire picture, they earn their reward! I always send a message to the families to celebrate their hard work and complete the reward as soon as we can. Again, we want students to stay motivated, so timeliness on delivering the reward is key! As soon as they’ve earned their reward, you can start over with the same reward set or choose a new one.
Motivate Them All Year with Whole Class Rewards
These easy and fun rewards can last all year long. As we use new sets, I like to laminate them and add Velcro dots to each piece. This makes it easy to use the same set over and over again year after year. Like I said earlier, we used the crayon set many times in a row because that is what they needed at the time. The Velcro made it easy to re-build when they completed it! They are also easy to keep and store for years to come. Simply attach all the pieces and put them in a ziploc bag!
There are 12 great options included with more coming soon. Some included are fun seasonal options, like the Halloween set above, as well as a snowman for winter. There’s also options that can be used at any point of the year, such as a flower or popcorn option. This is the ONE reward system you need for the entire year! Want to give this system a try? You can grab the rocket ship reward FREE by subscribing below!
Easy and Free Whole Class Rewards
Fun rewards don’t have to cost a lot to be motivating either! Check out a few of our favorite easy and fun reward ideas included in the system! There are over 50 included with editable cards to add your own too.
Pajama Day
Crazy Hat Day
No Shoes
Class Outside
Extra Recess
Stuffy Day
Flashlight Friday
Grab this pack now and get started on what will soon become one of your favorite classroom systems. Be on the lookout for more fun options coming soon too!
I really hope you enjoyed learning all about the easy and effective classroom reward system. Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list! Not only will you get the most up to date tips, tricks, and classroom projects… and of course more fun FREEBIES including the Whole Class Reward FREEBIE! You will also have exclusive access to tons of digital how to videos! If you would like to learn about this and other things happening in my classroom follow me @sweetnsauerfirsties on Instagram.
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