99 Free (or almost free) Rewards For Elementary Students Based on Function

Keeping young learners engaged and motivated can sometimes feel like a never-ending challenge, but the right rewards can work wonders! Whether it’s a simple high-five or a special classroom privilege, rewards help reinforce positive behavior, build confidence, and create a fun learning environment. But let’s be honest—kids can see right through meaningless incentives. That’s why it’s important to choose rewards for elementary students that are meaningful, achievable, and aligned with your classroom goals. 

Are Rewards For Elementary Students Really Worth It?

Classroom rewards for elementary students, whether we like them or not, work. Research shows that rewarding students for prosocial behavior does in fact lead to decreased discipline, better participation, more prosocial interactions, and better academic achievement. And, despite what many people believe, there’s not actually any research showing that external rewards decrease a student’s natural motivation to work hard or behave in class.  

We want to believe that they know how to behave already. And maybe they do, but a lot of the skills that go into behaving, like self-regulation and holding still, are skills our students are still building. And it’s hard to use new skills when the old ones work better. 

Think of self-control as a muscle. It’s hard work to build muscles. They get worn out. This is why they need a little extra motivation to keep practicing even when it’s a challenge. But every time they practice, the muscle grows. Once their muscles are strong, they don’t need the rewards anymore to use them for the whole school day. 

Take potty training for an example. Most kids are potty trained with some kind of reinforcement system (M&Ms, I’m looking at you!). When kids are first learning, it’s hard to stop playing and go to the bathroom. But, they’re willing to practice for a little something extra. And once they’ve mastered the skill, we stop having to reinforce them altogether. 

Why Use Function-Based Rewards?

Every behavior has a function. Meaning everything we do is either getting us something we want or helping us avoid something we don’t want. For students with consistent unexpected classroom behaviors, we must identify the function of the behavior so that whatever we offer as a reward will serve the same function. 

For example, let’s say a student gets up and starts singing in the middle of class. Some students might do this because they love to have all of their peers staring at them (function: peer attention). Others, because they know the teacher will remove them from class and they won’t have to do the work (function: work avoidance). And, some will do it because when they’re sent to the office, they get to see their favorite person in the world- the office secretary (function: adult attention) 

Now, let’s say we want to reinforce this student staying quiet during class. If we offer them a sticker for every ten minutes that they stay in their seats and use a quiet voice, it’s pretty likely that it will fail. Instead, we need to offer a reward that matches the function of their behavior. 

If they want to avoid work, we can allow them to cross off one math problem for every ten minutes they remain quiet. 

If they want peer attention, we can allow them the final three minutes of class to perform in front of the class if they meet the expectations. 

And, if they want to see the amazing office secretary, maybe she’s willing to stop by the classroom after he’s been quietly participating for half the class. 

All of these structures can be adjusted based on both the student’s needs and what’s reasonable in your classroom. But, the idea is to match the reward for the replacement behavior to what the student is getting out of the unwanted behavior. 

Making Rewards Work in Your Classroom

Rewards for elementary students work best when you’ve thought through a few things. Before reviewing the list below, consider the following:

• Not every reward will work for you as a teacher. Consider how things will play out in your classroom and with your teaching style. Only offer rewards that you can get behind. If you’re not willing to sacrifice the tiny bit of quiet time you get at lunch, then don’t offer lunch with the teacher. Your ability to recharge and function for th
  e rest of the day is vital! Remember to prioritize yourself!
• Consider a Preference Assessment or Reinforcement Inventory. These might sound like an extra step, but trust me, they can be so simple and bring so muchclarity to what you should offer. Here are some great ones: Praise Preference Assessments, Open-Ended Reinforcement Surveys, Forced Choice, and Ranked Preference Assessments. They’re easy t
  o administer, kids think they’re fun, and they give great data. And you can get them all at a discount with a bundle! I’d highly recommend not skipping this step if you’reworking on an FBA!

  

• Sometimes, students earn things in the middle of class or at inconvenient times. For example, you might have a structure where the student ends up earning a dance party right in the middle of a lecture. You could honor the reward right then, but it could interrupt your teaching flow. Instead, you could consider giving them a physical coupon that says what they’ve earned. It’s hard to wait to get your prize after you’ve worked really hard. Having a physical representation of it can be the next best thing. Here’s a free resource you can use to create custom coupons based on what your students want to earn! Just make sure they write their name on the back! 

11 Tangible Reinforcers and Rewards

We all know we could keep stocking our class treasure box. But honestly, that adds up quickly! And those cheap toys don’t last. They just contribute to the landfill after a day. 

So, here are some free or low-cost creative ideas for students who want to earn tangible rewards for elementary students without us constantly having to seek out new toys in the dollar section of Target. 

Instead of doling out tiny toys, students can “rent” items from a class library of things. This could be for a day or a class period, considering the student and behavior.

You can also use the Free Customizable Reward Coupons to allow students to bring in a preferred item from home the next day. This is great for comfort items, fidgets, or an extra snack.

Most importantly, if students are bringing or earning tangible items like toys and fidgets to class, make sure that you set your expectations for how they use these items! If you’re not clear from the start how you expect students to handle the tangibles, they can very quickly backfire.

Here are some ideas for what students can earn to rent or keep:

• Use a fancy pen for the day
• A fluffy friend (If you want to create a little library of friends for students to earn to sit on their desks, I recommend these little erasers.)
• Rent a fidget (not every fidget will work for every kid, I like variety packs like this one.)
• Rent a comfy chair
• Candy or a snack
• Hat for a day (Honestly, the sillier the better, like these!)
• Stickers
• Coloring page 
• Bring a toy to recess
• School Supplies (You can get these 150 erasers for just $8)

13 Rewards for Elementary Students Seeking Adult Attention

Students who are motivated by adult attention will often work hard to get it any way they can- positive or negative, they just want your attention. So, it can be hard to withhold attention for challenging behaviors, but putting reinforcers in place for positive attention can really motivate students to use positive replacement behaviors. 

Keep in mind that when students are motivated by adult attention, it’s important to give them positive attention along the way, not just when they’ve made it to the big reward at the end. It can be hard to hold out on the promise of a big payoff later. If you find that students aren’t able to meet the expectation long enough to earn the reward, try increasing the praise you give and your physical proximity to the student while they are working on the positive replacement behavior.

Remember to reinforce anything you want to see them do again, and withhold that attention as much as safely possible when they aren’t meeting the expectations. 

• Errand runner
• Walk of fame
• Sit at the teacher’s desk
• Lunch with a preferred adult
• Phone answering duty
• Teacher has to clean your desk
• Phone call home
• Phone call to principal
• Positive note home
• Play a game with the teacher
• Teacher’s helper
• Teacher on your TikTok (Older students love this)
• Front office assistant

16 Rewards for Elementary Students Seeking Peer Attention

Whether they’re the class clown or like to be the top student, peer attention is one of the strongest reinforcers we have for many students. The vast majority of behavior in K-12th grade is socially maintained. This means students repeat or stop behaviors based on the responses of their peers. Kids want to be accepted and feel like they have a place in their peer group. 

These rewards for elementary students can be particularly helpful for students who aren’t always seen in a positive light by their class. Kids who are generally disruptive or have been physically or verbally aggressive in the past can find it hard to integrate back into the social structure of the group. Having them earn positive attention from their peers, and even earn rewards for their peers, is a great way to help them build back up their social standing.

• Read to the class
• Stand-up comedian
• Show and tell
• Hang work on the wall
• School-wide shoutout
• Share with the class
• Class high five
• Standing ovation
• Talk on the announceents
• Read to a younger class
• Draw on the board
• “Star Student” sign on desk
• Wear a medal/crown for a day
• Greeter
• YouTube tutorial (Click here for a great example!)
• Math star

12 Rewards for Students Who Want Independent Free Time

For many students, the social demands of the classroom can be a strain. Often, these are students who we might see trying to escape from social demands and the classroom setting. They may avoid group work or be introverted. But, even our social butterflies like some time to themselves sometimes! 

• Computer or iPad time
• “I’m on Break” card
• Art project
• Walk by myself
• Reading fort
• Puzzles
• Paint a rock
• Explore the classroom
• Crosswords & word searches
• solitaire
• Time on Google Earth
• Listen to music

17 Rewards for Students Who Want To Engage in Activities with Peers

A little different from just peer attention, these go above recognition of the student and are more about the social activity and relationship building that they provide. These activities also make great class-wide rewards for when you need to motivate the whole class! 

When you have an individual student working for activities with peers, keep in mind that some of these activities will work better for the whole class and some will work better for a small group. You can offer options for either depending on student preference.

Earn it for the Whole Class:

• Dance party
• Lunch and a show
• Science experiment 
• Wordle
• Pajama day
• Hat day
• Teacher hot seat
• Outside class
• Trivia game
• Earn it for you & a friend
• Lunch bunch
• Art project
• Board games
• Freetime in gym
• Design a bulletin board
• Flag duty

12 Rewards for Students Who are Work Avoidant

Work avoidance behavior is very difficult to break, and along with academic support, incentives are a major tool we can leverage to help students build stamina to complete work. It can be a hard pill to swallow, but allowing students to get out of work to do something is how we build their skills over time. 

Plus, a little work is better than no work. And if we can get them to comply enough to get themselves out of work later, we can avoid an escalation and a major class disruption. Which is still a win! Here are some ideas for ways students can work for less work:

• Homework pass
• Teacher does half your worksheet
• Rip up your worksheet
• Pick your problems
• Skip the rest
• Break card
• Work with a partner
• Pick a different worksheet
• Extra credit poiunts
• Teacher writes your answers
• Reading assistant
• Extra review time before the test

19 Rewards for Students Seeking Sensory Experiences or Increased Movement

Meeting sensory needs is very important for kids to be regulated enough to behave in class. It’s important that we don’t withhold any specific activities that help students feel more comfortable in their bodies. And, many of these activities can help kids prior to the difficult tasks they have to complete.  If students are continuously selecting the same options, it might be a sign that they could benefit from some sensory accommodations or a sensory diet.  

But, extrasensory experiences can also be offered as rewards. And lots of them are just fun!

It’s also important to note that sensory needs are very complex. If you suspect that a student’s behavior is a result of some unmet sensory needs, ask an occupational therapist for support. 

• Pajama day
• Take a walk
• Rent a fidget (Here’s an example)
• No shoes break
• Smellies
• Music during independent work
• Quiet lunch
• Sensory bins
• Listen to nature sounds/crackling fire
• Make a sensory bottle
• Chew gum for a class
• Crunchy snack
• Time on the playground
• Slipper or socks day
• Sime time (I find that fluffy slime is a less sticky option. But if your kids can’t resist a taste, you can opt for an edible slime.)
• Times run
• Meditation or yoga 
• Roll on an exercise ball 
• Animal walk

Trying to reinforce positive classroom behavior but getting nowhere with the rewards you have to offer? It can be frustrating when students don’t seem to be motivated by… anything! Get to the bottom of it with a print-and-go Preference Assessment or Reinforcement Survey! 

Choose from four types of easy-to-use assessments that quickly identify what students are most strongly motivated by. Perfect for enhancing your data collection for an FBA or updating an IEP!