What are you talking about, Amy? Is this what you are thinking as your read this? You are probably not alone, let me explain what I mean by a “Praise Craze” classroom reward system.
I’ve said in my previous blog post, that I feel positivity is a HUGE key in a successful classroom management system. When students feel valued, when they feel successful, and when they feel happy, is when the learning/teaching “magic” happens.
One way I have found to promote this positivity in my classroom is through the use of Positive Postcards or what I call “Praise Postcards” as a way to reward students for outstanding classroom behavior and performance. When students have a fantastic day, I find a second of my day to fill out this postcard with the child’s name and my signature. That’s it! It takes 5 seconds, literally. However, it makes a HUGE impact on the child!
What I notice most when I give them their Praise Postcard is that their entire face lights up as I hand it to them! (Much more so than when they take a cheap toy from the classroom reward bin)! Some even do a happy dance (which I love!).
My students absolutely LOVE earning these Praise Postcards and they are even more excited to take them home and share them with their parents. They feel so proud and this encourages them to continue being the best student they can be.
What’s best about this incentive system is that it’s FREE! You don’t have to purchase anything! I print my coupons on colored copy paper, cut them apart, and keep them in a basket near my desk for easy access! They are SUPER easy and low-prep! All you busy teachers—yes YOU! Save yourself some time and money and give these a try!
Click HERE to download your FREE set of Praise Postcards!
One last thing before you go, here is a quote for you to remember:
“Sometimes the thing your students need most right now has nothing to do with what’s on the lesson plan.”
These postcards are not in the lesson plans but have lasting impacts on your students.
