When it comes to encouraging good behavior, positive reinforcement is essential. And while there are many different ways you can reward your youngsters, we found some fun and unique strategies that will keep your kids on the positivity track.
Whole-Group Reinforcement
This is a great way to teach teamwork to your class. If they all work together, then they all get rewarded as a group.
- We all know about rewards charts where students get a smiley or sad face sticker at the end of the day according to their behavior. Why not take it one step further and turn it into a competition with another class at your school? At the end of each week, the class who has the most rewards gets a prize, such as an extra recess or lunch outside for a day.
- Create reward jars with the prize labeled on the front. Anytime a child shows good behavior, they can choose the jar they wish to put a pom pom or marble in. At the end of the year, the jar that’s filled up the most, is the grand prize the students get. This could be a pizza party, dance party, movie and more!
- Play Behavior Bingo. Your young students can pick a number to mark on a life-size Bingo card every time they show good behavior. When there are 10 in a row, the class gets a prize! Some fun prizes: Flashlight Friday, pajama day, and show and tell.
Individual Reinforcement
When students are rewarded individually, this gives them confidence, teaches them discipline and respect, and sets them on a great path for future positive behavior.
- Reward your student with a good deed punch card. Punch a hole in the card every time they display good behavior. When the card is filled up, they get a prize!
- Create a helpfulness necklace. When you catch your student being helpful, they get to wear the necklace for the day! Be sure to make it a fun one that stands out.
- Display a rewards box. This is a helpful tool because your students see all the prizes they can earn by showing good behavior. At the end of the week, count the amount of points they received. This will allow them to choose the type of toy they get. The bigger toys require more points. Some ideas for the box: spin tops, little Frisbees, bubbles, books, plush toys, pencils and more!