The Benefits of Using Student Reward Coupons for Classroom Management

Have you considered using student reward coupons for classroom management?

Using student reward coupons in the middle school classroom can have many benefits, such as promoting positive student behaviour and boosting motivation.

The Benefits of Using Student Reward Coupons for Classroom Management

Rewarding students for good behaviour will encourage them to continue their positive actions. Students could get student reward coupons for following directions, actively participating in class discussions, or showing kindness. Plus, students are often motivated by immediate, tangible rewards.

When you offer student reward coupons to students that reward them with something they’d like (such as a computer pass, getting to chew gum in class, or an extension on a project), it can encourage them to engage more in the class and exhibit positive behaviour.

Other benefits of using student reward coupons include:

• Improving student-teacher relationships
• Encouraging classroom community
• Individualized learning and differentiation
• Providing immediate feedback
• Saving money on prizes
• Enhancing student focus
• Encouraging goal-setting

When you reward positive actions and effort, you create more opportunities to interact with students positively, strengthening your relationship with students. Not only that, but students feel recognized and included. When students know they’ll be recognized and rewarded for something they’ve done, the class can become more supported, respectful, and engaged, continuing to build community within the classroom.

Students have different preferences, so if you have one student you know will love extra computer time and another who would like to wear their hat during class, you can cater your coupons to their needs and learning styles.

When you hand out reward coupons, it typically happens during positive behaviour, which means students receive immediate feedback and recognition of good behaviour or achievement. Plus, you save money as the teacher as reward coupons can be for privileges or classroom experiences that cost nothing.

Lastly, you can encourage focus and goal-setting with students through student reward coupons. Students will be more focused on the material when you give them out to reward students for engaging with the classroom material (such as participating in discussions, completing a challenging assignment, or achieving a milestone). Plus, they can decide when and how to use their earned student reward coupon.

My Experience With Homework Passes

One year after returning from winter break, I surprised all my students with a HAPPY NEW YEAR homework pass. I rarely handed out paper homework passes because I was trying to reduce my class’s paper consumption. Students had received only three paper homework passes that year: Welcome Back, Happy Birthday, and Happy New Year.

Ultimately, I used a class list as my homework pass tracker. Next to the student’s name, I write HWP (short for Home Work Pass) in what would normally be the grade box. At least 10 or 15 boxes per student were on my class list, which saved a TON of little homework pass papers flying around. When the student used a homework pass, I diagonally crossed off one of their HWP boxes.

Students get so excited when they get a homework pass. However, the majority of my students do not use them. Instead, they like to collect them throughout the year to see how many they can collect and not use. One year, I taught some of the same students from the previous year and they asked me on the first day of school if their homework passes carry over!

I share more details on my homework pass program and other classroom management ideas in my guest blog post at The Resourceful Room.

Getting Students to Use Their Student Reward Coupons

In case your students are like mine and you want to get them to actually use their student reward coupons during the school year (because, no, they do not carry over), there are some strategies you can implement:

• Assign an expiration date for each coupon (to the end of the month, semester, or school year).
• Offer bonus coupons that can only be redeemed during a specific time frame.
• Have a day where students can cash in their coupons.
• Set a rule that students can only hold onto so many coupons before getting more (for example, once they receive four rewards, they must redeem two before getting any more). 
• Create a coupon wall where students can add their names once redeeming a student reward coupon.

When you ensure that the reward is something students will want to use right away, chances are they’ll redeem their student reward coupons as soon as possible!

Ways to Create Student Reward Coupons

Other ways you can use student reward coupons without using paper include:

Using a digital platform like Google Slides or Docs to create coupons. Share them with students via a class platform (Google Classroom, Canvas, etc.), and students can track them digitally.

Keep a digital or physical log to track which coupons students have earned. You can update it when students redeem rewards, and this eliminates the need for paper coupons.

Laminate a set of reward coupons that you can hand out temporarily. Students give them back after they use them to be reused by another student.

Create QR Codes. Instead of physical coupons, you could create a QR code for your coupons. Create unique QR codes that link to specific student reward coupons, and students can scan them to see what reward they’ve earned. Some students might enjoy the surprise.

This saves paper and adds a fun, tech-based element to your system – track which rewards are scanned by pairing your QR codes with a Google Form. Ask students to submit their names with the scanned reward, and you can easily keep track.

Try These Ready-Made Student Reward Coupons In Your Classroom

This Student Reward Coupons resource is a set of 12 different student reward coupons/reward passes that can be used alongside with your classroom management program to encourage and praise good behaviour, work completion, attention to task completion, etc.

Simply print the coupons, store them in a clear plastic bag and hand them out to students as needed. These rewards are free for the teacher to implement and maintain. Keep students motivated by using these engaging classroom reward coupons. Great for all students to keep them motivated and engaged in their learning.

To make printing more accessible, six passes of each student reward coupon are on each page. If you want to reuse the passes, laminate them and when students redeem them, they will be easier to use again.

Here’s what teachers have said about these student reward coupons:

“Students earn these by gaining rewards and they have been a great incentive in the classroom.” – Rachael G.

“This is just what I was looking for. They are just the right price and saved me so much time not having to make my own! Thank you!” – Emily W.

You can find these Student Reward Coupons / Reward Passes on Shopify CAD or Teachers Pay Teachers USD.

For more posts on classroom management, click the links below: 

• Top Classroom Management Tips
• Effective Middle School Classroom Management
• Great Classroom Management Strategies For Middle School
• The Importance of Effective Middle School Classroom Management
• Effective Middle School Classroom Management Resources for Teachers
• Classroom Management Routines and Procedures For Middle and High School Classrooms