Rewards and Cheers

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Celebrating Accomplishment

You don't need to offer candy or presents to reward accomplishment. With obesity on the rise it seems unconscionable to continue the practice of offering candy or even food as a reward in the classroom.

Teachers across the country are learning new ways to praise, reward and cheer their students without presents or food.

So let's all cheer!



Photo Credit: Clap Clap by Aplomb
Used under creative commons

Eureka! You got it!

Celebrate the moment and offer a reward

You Got IT

Photo Credit: From Photobucket
Used under creative commons



We might stop in the classroom to have the rest of the class recognize individual or group achievement, for example, if someone gives a particularly good answer in discussion or good grades on a test. If they work really hard to figure something out we stop the class and give them a Classroom Cheer. Use imaginative ways to celebrate.
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The Applause Book

Recording the Achievement

Left Hand Cookie Cutter



1. Trace around a hand to make a template.
2. Fold the paper at the wrist and cut it out.
3. Open the hands and trace around the hands onto a blank sheet of paper and then retrace with a black marker.
4. Duplicate the page to make books.

When a child or group does especially good work, reward them by taking their picture with a digital camera and writing a page in the Class Applause Book. By making it into a class book everyone can reread all the accomplishments over and over during the year.
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Hurray! Let's Celebrate!

Cheers for Learning


Jump for joy. Sing and shout. Celebrating with voices and hugs can make you feel the accomplishment more than material rewards.
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Classroom Cheers

Comedian Eddie Murphy Clapping Hands, Wearing Only Baseball Cap and Shorts

Comedian Eddie Murphy Clapping Hands
Buy at AllPosters.com



Whenever you want to reward a student or even the whole class, call out one of these cheers and start everyone smiling.

Write the names of the cheers on Popsicle Sticks and keep handy for whenever you need a new cheer.

Please add more cheers to the list so that we can all spread the joy.

Truck Driver Cheer

8 points

"That's the Way I Like It"

Sing the song.3 points

Kiss Your Brain

2 points

Rub Your Halo

2 points

Cheering Crowd

Everyone waves their hands in the air and makes the crowd sound, whispering the sound of the letter h.2 points

Roller Coaster

Hold your two hands together and "click click click" them up like you are a roller coaster going up. Then all of a sudden go "Wheeeeeee" and move your hands down like the roller coaster going down.2 points

Fireworks

1 point

Make Candy Making a Fun

Who Else Wants To Learn How To Make All Kinds Delicious Candy in 7
Days - Guaranteed?" http://www.mycandymaking.com/1 point

Candy or Hugs

What kinds of rewards do you give the people in your life?

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Candy and gifts.

Sara says:

I'm guilty of bribing with sweet treats or even video game time - need to learn how to offer words of praise more and of course give more hugs - HUGS say You are awesome and Loved without using a single word-plus they are easy on the budget.

mutter says:

We have found a bit of extra money has really helped our boys to get down to doing something useful, especially when they are bored.

alison says:

it depends on the occasion.

Cheers, hugs and words of praise.

mumsgather says:

Cheers, hugs and words of praise. Unfortunately sometimes the kids come home from school with candies and gifts from the teachers!

AndriyR says:

I try to be verbal as people have good memory for words they hear (just because the inner dialog in people's head is constantly going on, sometimes it is a part of thinking process, sometimes it is a part of a memory organizing process), so words people hear are very likely to flash in their minds from time to time.

lilPinkfairy288 says:

I actually I do both, but both is not an option, I will stick with cheers, hugs and words of praise. I did tell my son that if he gets above 90s for both state tests I would give him $50 and he can buy whatever he wants with the money.

JoyfulPamela says:

Positive words encourage people deep down. "Catch them being good!" with words of praise. :)

ronpass says:

Positive feedback and thanks that are specific, genuine and given with feeling and meaning.

 
view all 12 comments

More Cheers


Photo Credit: Shake Hands
on WPClipart


Sometimes all you need to do is shake hands. It can make a child feel very proud of an accomplishment. What other ways can you cheer on a child's accomplishments?
Sonja Dunn: Chanting: A Springboard into Learning
Chants provide a genuine opportunity for young readers to learn more about print. First of all, show the chant on a flip chart, on an overhead, or on the chalkboard. If your students are barely beginning to read, treat the chant as a rebus, substituting some words with pictures they can interpret.
Dr. Jean's Cheers
Cheers for Summer Celebrations!

Demonstration of Classroom Cheers

Sometimes words are not enough.
Firecracker from "Cheer Along with Dr. Jean" by Creative Teaching Press
by ctpinc123 | video info

3 ratings | 3,793 views
curated content from YouTube

Our Children Deserve only the Best!

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National High Five Day!

National High Five Day falls on the third Thursday of April each year
National High Five Day
The holiday originated at the University of Virginia in 2002, and has since spread across the nation, and around the globe.

Countdown to High Five Day!

High Five Day!: April 18, 2013

Rewards and Cheers

How do you praise a child and celebrate an accomplishment?

Hearty Congratulations, Children with Cloverleafs

Hearty Congratulations, Children with Cloverleafs
Buy at AllPosters.com



What are some things that you might give a child instead of food for a reward? What are some activities you could do with a child instead of rewarding with food?

Read a story.

1 point

Allowed to play a board game.

1 point

Allowed to run an errand.

1 point

Allowed to sharpen the teacher's pencil.

1 point

Allow child to read to group/class.

1 point

Rent a DVD for the evening

1 point

Can Time Out be a Positive Reward?

Misbehaving Kids with ADHD: Try Positive Time Out | Homeschooling ADD Kids
Child Clinical Psychologist, Steve Curtis, PhD., NCSP, has a wonderful blog for parents of ADD homeschoolers.

One of his favorite strategies is to use the "positive time out." Positive time out is when you put your child in time out when he/she is being good as opposed to bad.

When a child is seen doing something desirable, he/she is told to go to time out. When in time out, the child is given a compliment for the positive behavior. Time out can still be used for more negative behavior, but the positive time out should be used far more frequently.

If used in the right way, positive time out will result in fewer tantrums and more positive behavior of the child.

Punished by Rewards

Punished By Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes

Punished by Rewards: A Talk with Alfie Kohn - FamilyEducation.com
Find out why rewarding your kids doesn't always work.

Question: If rewards are out, then what should we do when kids refuse to cooperate?

Kohn: I think we have to look at the deeper reasons why the child is not interested. In many cases involving school, the trouble lies not with the child's motivation, but with the task and the way it's being taught. That's why I spend a lot of time working with educators to rethink what they're teaching and how they're teaching it.

Rewarding a Child with ADHD

This is the book that Dr. Steve Curtis mentions on his blog.
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I am Special Literacy Bag

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You are Special Literacy Bag

The key to building teams and relationships is to smile and treat each person as if they are the most special person in the world!

Literacy Bags can be used to help build self esteem while connecting learning between school and home. The books in this bag are all about expressions of love.
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Tell us how you reward the children in your life.

Goodnight Hug

Goodnight Hug
Cassatt, Mary
Buy at AllPosters.com

  • mumsgather Apr 20, 2012 @ 10:13 am | delete
    "High Five!" Evelyn. You make wonderful educational sites.
  • AndriyR Apr 20, 2012 @ 4:31 am | delete
    "High Five!" nice lens! very educational! Thank you!
  • cruizor Apr 20, 2012 @ 3:08 am | delete
    When my child got a "A" in his exam then I will reword him what he like!!
  • DotComBusted Apr 19, 2012 @ 5:24 pm | delete
    "High Five" I love your Intro photo
  • Paris17 Apr 19, 2012 @ 11:50 am | delete
    Great lens! Hooray for healthy self esteem and healthy bodies at the same time.
    High five to you for bringing this information forward in such a creative way!
  • salsym Apr 19, 2012 @ 11:36 am | delete
    "High Five" I loved your suggestions of giving rewards..
  • jimmyworldstar Dec 3, 2011 @ 6:40 pm | delete
    When my children were younger, I gave them a piece of candy or take them out for pizza to celebrate depending on what they accomplished. The older they got, the less I rewarded them and they understood that being congratulated was it's own merit. I'm not sure how a positive time out would work though...
  • johnmarkusen Aug 8, 2011 @ 12:55 pm | delete
    I like the pic of eddie murphy
  • MomwithAHook Apr 9, 2011 @ 10:02 am | delete
    I love the idea of teachers using alternatives to candy. When my son was in school I always disliked the fact that they rewarded him with candy - it makes me [his parent] seem bad when I say he can't have it or even still I would have to say no to candy at home because he was given candy in the classroom.
    Another thing that irritated me was even when I discussed with the teacher his sensitivity to all things sugar they would still give it to him. [reducing sugar in the class room and even in the lunch program would decrease some behavior problems for those children who are especially sensitive to it.]
  • mutter May 5, 2010 @ 6:02 am | delete
    I love this lens! So positive to think of ways of telling our kids how great they are. Favorited and lensrolled to: The Huge Benefits Of Reward Charts
    Found you on google by the way.
  • ClaudeKinney Apr 28, 2010 @ 7:58 am | delete
    Hey, I discovered your lens while searching on squidoo, your article looks extremely important for me. I'll add a backlink and bookmark your web page. Keep up the good job!

    Raccoon Eyes
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  • GrowWear May 16, 2009 @ 6:31 pm | delete
    Very good lens! Saw the Tweet from ronpass.
  • a_willow Feb 15, 2009 @ 7:17 am | delete
    High five to you Evelyn! :)
  • tutor1235 Jan 15, 2009 @ 10:46 am | delete
    Devoted cheer fans might want to look up old Cub Scout Pack leader guides and suggestions. I remember when my brother was a member (um...nearly 40 years ago....), they had all kinds of unique cheers.
  • Dec 11, 2008 @ 1:32 pm | delete
    Wonderful len.
    5* and lensroll to Empower Your Children: Teach Them How to Set Goals.
    Bj
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Meet the Author of this Lens

Evelyn's Hands-On Learning Blog.

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I look for ways to reward my children every day. We cheer, hug, smile, praise and love eachother. From that core of love we go out into the world to spread love and caring to our community and the world.

Check out what else I'm up to:
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Rewards and Cheers in the Kingdom



Come write about rewards and cheers on Wizzley, a fun and easy place to express your opinion:
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Evelyn_Saenz

My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, creative ways. The unit studies I make on Squidoo reflect my view that learning... more »

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