40 Student Award Ideas for Elementary School

Coach Bill McCartney once said, "The strongest form of motivation is encouragement." Encouraging positive behavior and celebrating goals in the classroom is a vital part of establishing and maintaining good classroom management. If you are looking for fresh ways to celebrate your students, this list of 40 student award ideas for elementary school students will serve to inspire.

Special Recognition

Cozy Pant Prize - If you have several students who have earned a privilege, they can wear cozy fleece or pajama pants on a designated day.
Letters Home - Make this note to parents extra special by using nice quality stationary and specifics about the student's positive performance or behavior.
Wearable Badge - Create a special badge to wear on a string of beads or pin it to clothes. You can also make a special sash to wear for the day when a student achieves a goal.
Weekend Reward - Present them with a board game (preferably one with the fewest pieces possible) to take home, or a special book to return on Monday.
Wearable Hat - You can make a cone out of paper with a special sticker and feather/flower taped on. This can be remade for different students if sharing a hat is an issue.
Whole Class Reward - If you are working towards class behavior goals, have a "my students are gems" jar where they can add gems and earn a movie day (choosing from a pre-approved selection).
Brownie Points - Create a token or ticket system where the students can earn homemade treats from the teacher or parents. Yummy!
Chalk Party - One more whole class idea is to have an outside chalk drawing party for students. You will probably need administrative approval and keep students in a designated area, but this would be a creative reward for the end of the day/week.
Catch Success Celebration - Keep a running page of sticky note successes for all your students (focus on small ones so that they see that even small successes get noticed) and host a twice-a-year recognition ceremony. Make paper plate medallions with their success written on them and they can wear them on a string around their neck all day.

Related Articles

60 Funny Office Awards and Trophies

50 Spirit Day Ideas for Elementary Schools

“I feel compelled to let you know how SignUpGenius has literally changed my life — even I can't believe what I said, but it's true! I am involved with scheduling food as well as activities several times a year for church-related business and fun. The amount of time SignUpGenius has saved me is huge. It's very user friendly and intuitive. Thank you.”

Carol Tisdale

Recent Resource Articles

mom and daughter laughing in front of Christmas tree

Funny Christmas Jokes for Kids

signupgenius-vs-rallyup

SignUpGenius vs. RallyUp: Which fundraising tool fits your group?

family eating Christmas dinner

Chew It Up - Allow students to chew gum for an allotted amount of time.
Hit the Snooze Button - Provide a one-time pass out of morning or opening seat work.
Feet Free - Give them a pass to take off their shoes during a certain time period during class.
Double Dip - Give a coupon that allows a student two chances to answer one test question on an exam and if one of the two is correct, they get full credit for that question.
Teacher Mini-Talent Show - The performance depends on the skills of the teacher (or co-teacher if you have one), but students can ask for musical, theatrical or sports demonstrations.
Fun Science - Have a jar of science experiment suggestions you are willing and able to do for the students and have supplies ready if they reach classroom goals.
Sweet Seat - Sit at the teacher's desk for a portion of the day.
Class Game at Recess - Have a small jar they can pick an activity suggestion from (like kickball, soccer, whiffle ball, etc.) where the whole class (or most of it) has the opportunity to participate.
Recess Upgrade - Keep a special jump rope, ball or outside toy in a closet to use for reward purposes.
Sharable Video - Students get to pick an approved-by-teacher, two minute or less video to share in class.
DJ Dance Party - The student gets to choose two songs in advance (to be approved by the teacher) for an end-of-the-day dance party.
Bonus Read Aloud Time - Either a class book that the teacher reads for extra time or a student-selected picture book.
Class Stuffie - If you have a classroom mascot or stuffed animal, allow the student to hold it on their desk or lap for an allotted time during the day.
Coloring Page/Poster - Allow students to color a page from a special coloring book or enlarge a coloring page to poster size and offer a reward of filling in a section of the poster.
Seat Switch - For one day they can switch seats with someone in class or if you are able, you can allow them to move their desk wherever in the room they'd like.
Art Protégé - Ask your art teacher if you can give a student the special privilege of helping during the art time of a younger class. Set out specific tasks that will be most helpful to the art teacher and this can be a win/win proposition. You can also do this with the media center.
Guest Reader - Reward students by letting them invite a guest from school (favorite janitor, cafeteria worker, principal or secretary) to read a few books to the class or with the student one-on-one.
Library Magic - Arrange with your media specialist a good time to send a student for a rewarding pass of 10 minutes on their own in the library. For some students, this will be a magical and special incentive.