Prizes that Don’t Pinch the Purse: Moooooo
For God loves a cheerful giver.
(2 Corinthians 9:8b NKJV)
Tip: Don’t reveal ahead of time what the prize is.
Mooooo: Believe it or not, this was a real, actual prize. The first student who finished her work brought it to me to be checked. I pulled the cowbell out of my drawer, handed it to her, and whispered, “Ring the bell three times and say, ‘Moooo.’”
When she did as told, the other workers sat up.
I announced, “Meggie is the first one to complete her work. Now she has free time.”
After the applause died down, (Yes, we celebrated) I had the busiest bunch of workers you ever saw. And that was the first year every single one of my students finished the project on time so each could say “Moo.”
The icing on the cake? Meggie was not an A+ student, but she was a hard worker. I wish you could’ve seen her glow.
You may not have a cowbell, but with a bit of creativity you can make up some wacko fun ways to reward your students. People like to be acknowledged for a job well done.
Fuzzy Friend Coupon: Congratulations ____ (Student's name)! Let's celebrate your gift of ____ (Character trait such as kindness, honesty, hard-working, etc.) Tomorrow you may bring a well-behaved stuffed animal to sit with you.
Prepare a coupon for each student. You will give the coupons publicly. Start with "This coupon goes to a person who is..." (Name the trait) Discuss or give an example, then name the student. Continue until all coupons are given.
--This activity boosts students’ self-esteem and classroom morale.
--As you announce the trait, give a comment or example. Everyone will be attentive, wondering who you are talking about. Then say the recipient’s name.
Fuzzy Friends (stuffed animals) Rules:
--Fuzzy friend must be smaller than a cat.
--Fuzzy friend always stays at the student’s desk. Cannot go to recess or lunch.
--Fuzzy friends who misbehave will sit at the teacher’s desk for thirty minutes. (Make sure you catch the first infraction so the rest of the fuzzy friend owners will know you mean business.)
--Teacher suggestion: Have a few fuzzy friends on hand to loan students who don’t bring one. Everyone should celebrate, even the forgetful people. I call this mercy.
--You might want to time this so you don’t have fuzzy friends in the room during test week. Or…you can purposely plan it during test week where students keep their fuzzy friends in their lockers and bring them out to snuggle during free time to relieve stress.
Dancing Bear Math Facts: When my first student finished his math facts memorization, I brought out the dancing bear, a battery operated, fuzzy, foot tall character. When someone pinched his toe he would wiggle and sing, “Staying Alive.” I let the honored student pinch the toe, and we all danced along with the bear. Sometimes you just gotta celebrate together. And we did this every time a student reached the goal.
Homeschoolers who finish hard tasks can be honored at the dinner table. Celebrate the victories.
More Coupons: Make a sheet of coupons on colored paper, three to a page, cut them up and use them as rewards. Here are some coveted samples that can be adapted to your situation:
For more coupon ideas, please contact me at [email protected].
I would love to hear from my readers with additional tried and true tips for this list.
For God loves a cheerful giver.
(2 Corinthians 9:8b NKJV)
Tip: Don’t reveal ahead of time what the prize is.
Mooooo: Believe it or not, this was a real, actual prize. The first student who finished her work brought it to me to be checked. I pulled the cowbell out of my drawer, handed it to her, and whispered, “Ring the bell three times and say, ‘Moooo.’”
When she did as told, the other workers sat up.
I announced, “Meggie is the first one to complete her work. Now she has free time.”
After the applause died down, (Yes, we celebrated) I had the busiest bunch of workers you ever saw. And that was the first year every single one of my students finished the project on time so each could say “Moo.”
The icing on the cake? Meggie was not an A+ student, but she was a hard worker. I wish you could’ve seen her glow.
You may not have a cowbell, but with a bit of creativity you can make up some wacko fun ways to reward your students. People like to be acknowledged for a job well done.
Fuzzy Friend Coupon: Congratulations ____ (Student's name)! Let's celebrate your gift of ____ (Character trait such as kindness, honesty, hard-working, etc.) Tomorrow you may bring a well-behaved stuffed animal to sit with you.
Prepare a coupon for each student. You will give the coupons publicly. Start with "This coupon goes to a person who is..." (Name the trait) Discuss or give an example, then name the student. Continue until all coupons are given.
--This activity boosts students’ self-esteem and classroom morale.
--As you announce the trait, give a comment or example. Everyone will be attentive, wondering who you are talking about. Then say the recipient’s name.
Fuzzy Friends (stuffed animals) Rules:
--Fuzzy friend must be smaller than a cat.
--Fuzzy friend always stays at the student’s desk. Cannot go to recess or lunch.
--Fuzzy friends who misbehave will sit at the teacher’s desk for thirty minutes. (Make sure you catch the first infraction so the rest of the fuzzy friend owners will know you mean business.)
--Teacher suggestion: Have a few fuzzy friends on hand to loan students who don’t bring one. Everyone should celebrate, even the forgetful people. I call this mercy.
--You might want to time this so you don’t have fuzzy friends in the room during test week. Or…you can purposely plan it during test week where students keep their fuzzy friends in their lockers and bring them out to snuggle during free time to relieve stress.
Dancing Bear Math Facts: When my first student finished his math facts memorization, I brought out the dancing bear, a battery operated, fuzzy, foot tall character. When someone pinched his toe he would wiggle and sing, “Staying Alive.” I let the honored student pinch the toe, and we all danced along with the bear. Sometimes you just gotta celebrate together. And we did this every time a student reached the goal.
Homeschoolers who finish hard tasks can be honored at the dinner table. Celebrate the victories.
More Coupons: Make a sheet of coupons on colored paper, three to a page, cut them up and use them as rewards. Here are some coveted samples that can be adapted to your situation:
- Free time at the computer, or Legos, or painting, or petting the dog, or . . . well, the list is endless.
- Fuzzy friend for a day. Allow student to choose a favorite stuffed animal. He may sit with the student at his desk unless the fuzzy friend misbehaves. Then the animal will sit with the teacher.
- Homeschoolers can earn an opportunity to bake cookies. (Which is science, fractions, following directions, etc. Don’t tell them it’s still school.)
- Do only half of a math assignment. When student is ready to use her coupon, help her figure out the halfway point of the assignment. (Oh, that’s math, too. Shhh. Don’t tell her.) Draw a line there, staple the coupon to the page, and let her go.
For more coupon ideas, please contact me at [email protected].
I would love to hear from my readers with additional tried and true tips for this list.