Rewards Menu for Elementary Students

The option of having choice is attractive to anyone, especially elementary students! For the sake of maintaining control and classroom management, students are given limited autonomy during a school day. 

Let’s face it, sometimes as teachers we have a hard time letting go or allowing space for student choice. We are truly masters at controlling chaos. It could be our insatiable desire to keep things in order so that we can remain organized or it could just be a means to ensure they complete the assignment like it’s “supposed to be”. However, a rewards menu allows for students to be given opportunities to use their voice along with personal expression.

Students who may struggle with behavior or academic issues often need small rewards in order to stay motivated to complete difficult tasks.  Reward Menus support this motivation tremendously.

What is a Rewards Menu?

It is a set of fun and tangible items that students can choose from after successfully completing an assignment or task.

The rewards menu encourages fairness and encourages student choice. 

A reward that may seem minute to some but can be used as a powerful tool for classroom management.

If you want to reward your students with some fun opportunities that are beyond the usual check out the menu below:

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Principal for the Day

How cool would it be to allow a student a day to be a principal in training! They could spend the day with their principal, visiting classrooms and rewarding their peers with sweet treats.

Classroom DJ‍

Lots of students LOVE music! There are a ton of ways to create an amazing playlist- youtube, apple music, spotify! Once the student has completed the playlist- allow them to play it during work time or have a brief dance break!

Sit in the Teacher’s Chair‍

It is something special about the chair that spins, looks super comfy and it is usually not accessible by students! The choice to see in the teacher’s chair is sure to give their peers a little bit of envy!

No Homework for not 1 day but 2!

Let’s face it… no student adores homework and is given the opportunity to skip out for not 1 but 2 nights! Try it! This is a sure way to bring excitement!

Treasure Chest Hunt‍

Create a treasure chest full of random goodies. It can be filled with kid toy favorites and treats from your area dollar store!

Fun Friday‍

Movie Day, Dance Party, Board Games galore or a gaming tournament? Whatever is chosen is sure to be a fun time!

Extra Recess Time‍

Time outdoors when everyone else has to be rushed inside can provide space for unlimited  exhilaration! 

Be a mentor in another class‍

Student leadership should be cultivated through a student's learning experience. What better

The Power of Student Choice

Although this list provides a short list of options for a rewards menu there are a plethora of ways for students to be rewarded for doing well. Not only does the ability to give choice empower students, it provides opportunities to sharpen leadership skills, mold students to embody traits of empathy and care. 

We have but a limited amount of time with our students throughout the year and a little dose of sunshine by way of reward menus can do a lot of good and continue our quest of creating transformative learning experiences.

Not working with a big budget? We put together 10 completely free rewards for your classroom that are sure to kickstart the engagement in your lessons.

Need more help constructing your incentive program or learning how to run your school store? It can be a bit overwhelming, so we created a complete guide to rewarding students so everything you need is in one convenient place.

Want to really improve behavior in your elementary school? You should start by evaluating your elementary behavior rubric.