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It can be challenging for educators to come up with ideas for Incentives. There are a million things you could use as incentives, and sometimes the more options there are, the harder it is to think of things! That’s why I’ve compiled a list of 20 Incentive Ideas for Educators!
I have made a few resources to go with some of these incentives and uploaded them to the free resource library.
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And without further ado, let’s go!
20 Incentive Ideas for Educators
There are three different kinds of incentives I deal in. Each subheading includes an explanation of their purpose and incentive ideas!
Incentives earned as a Group
There are incentives earned as a group. These are the awards that are earned as a group. They’re good for decreasing class arguments and having kids work together.
- Jolly Ranchers for Completed Lessons – I have lots of small groups and limited time. If everyone works hard and stays on task and I get through my groups, we all get jolly ranchers.
- Harmony Points – Points are earned for working in Harmony. We have to go a whole class without fighting to get a point. When we get enough points, we get our prize.
Click here to get access to the free printout!
- Puzzle Pieces – Students earn puzzle pieces for collective targeted behavior.
- Pom Poms – You put pom poms in a jar for collective good behavior. When the jar is full, there’s extra recess.
- Pizza Points – Earn points for good behavior and get a pizza party.
- Beat the Teacher – Students get a point when targeted behavior is displayed, and when it’s not, the teacher gets a point. Students get extra free time if they’re ahead at the end of the day.
Incentives offered to Everyone
Then there are incentives offered to everyone. These incentives are available to all students but earned individually. They’re good for classroom management.
- Class Dojo
- Top Point Earner – The top earner of Class Dojo Points gets an extra prize, a trophy, a crown, or whatever you think is best!
- Prize Bin – Everyone who meets a certain threshold of Class Dojo points gets to pull for the prize bin
- Sticker Charts – Students get stickers for targetted behaviors and earn extra class or school rewards
- Pizza Toppings – Students earn pizza topping stickers or checks and earn a ticket to a school pizza party
- Positive Call Home – Students can earn a positive call home for good behavior and grades
- Mountain Climber Clip – Students have a clip with their name on it and move it up the mountain for good behavior.
- School Bucks – Students get paper money to spend in the school reward store
- Stuffed Animal Friend – Student who behaves well or participate get to keep a stuffed animal with them for a class period or day, depending on your parameters.
Incentives for Individuals
Finally, there are individual incentives. These are more intervention-style incentives that are custom-made for one or a few students but that the rest of the class does not need to work on.
- Let it go Check Points – Students earn a reward for letting small things go.
- Hands to Ourselves – Students earn points for keeping their hands to themselves.
- Goal Graph – Graph how often a behavior happens and set a goal with the child to increase or decrease that behavior. Kids get a big prize when they meet their goals.
- Organization Star – Students can earn stars for keeping their desks or locker clean.
- Sticker Chart – Students earn stickers about their favorite topic for completed work.
How to Pick Effective Incentives
Remember, what incentives will work on which your specific students or student is very individualized. This is just a list of what I can think of but is in no way comprehensive.
Remember that you have to pair these incentives with targeted behavior skills in order to get the results you want.
For more tips on using Incentives effectively, check out this blog post!
Final Thoughts
Out of all of these, my personal favorite is Harmony Points. Before them, I was constantly interrupted while itching by small arguments or friends using unkind words.
To get access to this fun free printable, you can hang it in your classroom and join my email list! You also get the password to my free resource library, which is full of awesome resources for special education teachers!