10 Student Rewards That Don’t Cost a Dime

Rewards are the best ways to motivate, encourage, and celebrate students’ achievements. They can positively reinforce students’ outstanding work and attitude in the class. Students must not only be rewarded for big achievements but for every small effort they make. However, many teachers abstain from the ‘concept of rewarding’ because they think compensating each student’s rewards every time will be a bit steep. Although finance management is a significant factor, it should never stop teachers from encouraging students to perform and behave well in the classroom. In that regard, teachers can look out for less costly or no-cost options to reward their students, which are as follows:

1.   Say their name aloud:

Nothing is more encouraging for students than getting their work recognized by teachers. The good remarks of the teachers boost the confidence of the students, no matter how old the students are. Students feel accomplished when teachers call out names of the best-performing students and add a compliment.  Many studies reveal that students who are scolded and bashed in front of the rest of the class have negative repercussions on their minds.  

This is because the students feel belittled among their peers, and they eventually lose their self-esteem. Moreover, the behavior of the rest of the class towards a student depends greatly on how the teachers talk and behave with them. Therefore, it takes no cost, absolutely nothing to recognize students’ good work in front of the rest of the class, which boosts their morale.

2.   Handwritten note:

The teachers can write handwritten notes on the assignments and papers that students have created. The handwritten assignments show the devotion of the teachers towards students to ensure they are learning and improving. On the other hand, the students perceive it as a kind and motivating gesture of their teachers to pen down a wholehearted note for the students. Handwritten notes are more precious than verbal compliments because the spoken words cannot remain eternal, but written words do.

3.   Healthy snack:

Obviously, students of all ages love eating snacks, so why don’t you reward your student with their favorite ones? In fact,  rewarding children with a healthy snack such as fruits or nuts would be a good prize. This reward may cost you, but it would be only a few pennies, which is completely worth it.

4.   Trophy:

The conventional way of rewarding someone is by giving a glittering golden trophy. You can incorporate traditional rewards by giving small awards or trophies to students who perform and behave well. You can use paper to make badges and trophies.

 

5.   Wall of fame:

Students will be highly encouraged if their photos are displayed in the hallway or notice board; after all, that is where everyone notices they are good performers.  Give the title of “student of the month” to students and display their photo on the wall of fame.  You can designate a portion in the classroom or outside the classroom to post pictures of a student of the month for a year. Students will strive to achieve the title of student of the month and get their picture exhibited in a prestigious space.

6.   Give a Shout out:

Teachers today can applaud their students online and give even bigger recognition. Posting a selfie with the child and giving a shout-out in your feed or story on social media can be a good reward in the modern age. For students who really want to increase their followers, this reward can be very special. It is yet another inexpensive reward that can be given to the students for their brilliant performance.

 

7.   Gift some flowers:

There was a time when getting a star on a notebook from the teacher was the biggest achievement for students. Nothing has changed today; students seek appreciation no matter in whichever way. Teachers can keep a bunch of flowers and give them to the well-performing children on a regular basis. Students will do their best to get flowers from their teacher for their classwork.

 

8.   Gift color pencils or paints:

Kids or adults, all students love getting funky rewards; you can, therefore, rewards them with pencil colors, brushes, canvas, or paints, etc. Any kind of stationary, like even a single pen or pencil, can be the best reward you can give to the students.

 

9.   Ask them to lead a group/ membership of society:

Giving an opportunity to lead a group or membership in society would be the best reward a student may ask for. You can divide students into groups, and giving the opportunity to well-performing students to lead them would be the best opportunity they may seek.

10.   Give them a book or magazine:

What else could be a more precious gift from a teacher to a student than a book? Teachers can reward their students by giving them a book with handwritten notes on its first page. The book can be an old, favorite book of yours or a course-related book that may help the student. For example, if you teach dental nursing, you can give related books. You can also give them access to your authentic & paid material that can provide help in writing essays or any academic writing help in general. But you can also give novels, magazines, and access to articles, etc.

Conclusion:

In sum, there are many ways you can motivate your students by rewarding them with gifts. If you, like many other teachers, think that you cannot afford to buy costly gifts, you need to know about rewards that cost a little or not at all.