6 Budget-Friendly Classroom Rewards & Prizes Your Students Will Love

Are you doing your class planning for the year and want to stock up on birthday items, holiday trinkets or other annual celebrations like field day? Or maybe the big class spelling bee is coming up? Perhaps you’d just like to have small tokens on hand to recognize students for achievements in the moment. Whatever the case may be, odds are you’re looking to stock up on a budget.

Rewards and prizes can provide a fun and inspiring incentive for students, but keeping costs in check can certainly be a challenge. The good news is, there are many creative options for budget-friendly classroom rewards and prizes your students will love!

6 Budget-Friendly Classroom Rewards & Prizes

As you search for appropriate rewards and prizes that are affordable, here are some fan-favorite, fun ideas that will also keep the budget balanced:

1. 1. Wearables
      Bracelets, keychains, sunglasses and wristbands are super fun wearable rewards and prizes designed to let students flex their style.

   2. Certificates
      Certificates are a classic way to honor or recognize students for achievements of all sorts. This reward can be at little to no cost for teachers, too, as templates can be found online, customized to suit the occasion and printed out for presentation to the deserving recipient.

   3. Character “merch”
      Themed-items featuring beloved brands such as Dr. Seuss, Pete The Cat™ and even NFL teams are a meaningful way to connect with students through favorite and familiar characters.

• Holiday items
  Prizes and rewards can also be coordinated to fit the season or holiday, with Christmas and winter-themed items, Halloween and fall trinkets and toys, and Easter and spring options.

1. Goodie bags
   Ready-made goodie bags are an excellent idea to have on hand as well. The convenience can save teachers time by purchasing items ahead of time and expense by buying items in larger quantities. Plus, these make for exciting prizes or rewards for kids because it feels like they hit the jackpot when they receive a bag full of goodies.
2. Coupon booklets
   A fun tradition for many kids when giving gifts to parents, this option can be tweaked to fit classroom purposes too. For example, teachers can make up coupon booklets filled with “coupons” that students can redeem for special privileges like being line leader for the day, earning an extra recess or even serving as teacher for a day. A bonus is that these are very cost effective to put together and free for students to redeem as well!

Find Inspiration for Classroom Rewards, Prizes and More

Incentives in the classroom can help encourage engagement from your students, serve as an ice breaker or provide added motivation when needed. Whether it’s game day prizes, rewards that have been hard-earned or recognition for random acts of kindness, sometimes it’s just nice to have a little extra boost when you least expect it. Even when searching for budget-friendly ideas, the sky’s the limit when it comes to finding classroom rewards and prizes your students will love and make learning more fun!

With over 90 years of experience, GEDDES has an endless array of creative items and school supplies to check off your shopping list. Browse our blog for ideas and inspiration, and learn more about the supplies and resources available from Raymond Geddes.