Reach Reading Goals with Incentives & Recognition
Table of Contents
Why Incentives?
Beanstack uses proven gamification principles instead of quizzes to motivate students to read more. Our data shows that challenges with rewards yield double the participation of challenges without rewards!
Here, we offer fun ideas to build on Beanstack’s built-in gamification features, maximize reading challenge participation, and grow your school’s reading culture. Not into handing out prizes? We’ve got you covered with ideas to reward students with visible recognition!
Best Practices
- Know Your Audience: Tailor rewards to the interests and age groups of your students. We’ve included suggestions for both primary and secondary students throughout this article.
- Inclusive Opportunities: Create reward structures, like drawings, that celebrate students with varying levels of participation - not just your top readers and typical high achievers.
- Mix it Up: Build in rewards throughout your reading challenges and programs to kickstart motivation and sustain it throughout the challenge.
Ideas for Incentives and Recognition
Recognition as a Reward
Not all incentives come in the form of physical prizes! These rewards motivate students to participate and engage them by highlighting their achievements for your entire school community.
- Create a regularly updated bulletin board featuring
- Top: readers, classes, grades, and teachers.
- Bonus: progress bar for school community goal.
- Tip: Quickly identify top readers, classes, and grades in your Insights Leaderboard.
- Give shout outs in morning announcements and newsletters.
- Highlight students in school assemblies and have them stand when their name is called.
- Offer certificates for challenge completions or certain milestones reached.
Incentives for Individual Participants
These prizes can be awarded to students who are the top readers for the entire challenge, month, year, or any parameter that you set.
Tip: These incentive ideas can also be applied to drawings! Drawings allow you to randomly pull winners from a sorted list of participants who meet certain criteria.
READING THEMED
- Graphic Novel or Comic Book Bundle: A set of popular graphic novels or comic books.
- Journal and Pen Set: A journal with a set of colorful pens for writing or doodling.
- Book Series Box Set: A boxed set of a popular book series.
- Pick a Book: The winner gets to select a book of their choice from a pre-selected collection at the library.
FOOD
- Library Cafe: Visit the library cafe and make yourself a coffee/tea/hot chocolate.
- Lunch with a Favorite Teacher: An opportunity to have lunch with a teacher of their choice at school.
- Lunch in the Media Center: Eat lunch in the media center with friends.
SOCIAL
- Principal for a Day: A student gets to act as the “Principal” for a day.
- Librarian’s Assistant for a Day: A student gets to be the media specialist’s assistant for a day (or class period).
- Claw Machine: Reach your goal or complete a challenge and get a chance at the claw!
- School Mascot Stuffie: Stuffies related to your school’s theme (eg a Cougar or Fox stuffed animal).
- School Swag / T-Shirt or Hoodie: School logo swag.
LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS
- Bookstore Gift Certificate: Donated by local bookstores or funded by the PTA.
- Experiences: Receive free lessons at a local martial arts studio or magic shop or tickets to a local amusement park.
- Sports Teams: Create a partnership with a local sports team. Challenge students to reach their goal and get a free ticket to a game.
Incentives for Classrooms
Classroom competitions are a sure-fire way to increase engagement and motivation for students. Run a classroom competition alongside a reading challenge (using the Insights Leaderboard!) with these prizes for the winning classroom.
FOOD
- Pizza Party: For an entire class, during the school day.
- Ice Cream Party: A fun ice cream celebration for the winning class.
- Coffee or Hot Chocolate Party: The winning class enjoys a festive coffee or hot chocolate celebration.
SOCIAL
- Roving Trophy: Traveling trophy or banner that passes from class to class.
- Makerspace time: Extra makerspace time in the library.
- Movie Party: For an entire class, during the school day.
- Extra Recess: Additional playtime during school hours.
- Outdoor Storytime Picnic: Arrange a picnic day where the winning group can enjoy reading their favorite books outdoors or storytime from a teacher.
Incentives for Teachers
At Beanstack, we know that teachers are the heart and soul of a school’s reading culture. They work tirelessly to motivate and inspire students every single day. To show our appreciation for all you do, we're giving you a fun way to earn some extra recognition.
To kick off the new year at each school, the first three (3) teachers who get 10 students actively logging reading in Beanstack win three (3) free Benny plushies! Learn more here.
Individual Prizes for Milestone Achievements
Attach a reward to a Beanstack badge that students can redeem when they reach a certain milestone, e.g., 30, 60, or 100 minutes of reading. Add rewards to both early and later milestones in your challenge to hook students in the beginning and sustain excitement throughout the challenge.
Tip: Reluctant to hand out prizes? Curate a prize list that keeps reading front and center: bookmarks, reading lights, and more ideas below!
Tip: Our research shows that between 1-5 rewards has the biggest impact on challenge participation.
READING THEMED
- Bookmarks: Colorful or uniquely designed bookmarks, possibly even student-designed.
- Notepad and Pencil Set: Small notepads with pencils for jotting down thoughts or book lists.
- Reading Light: Useful accessories for avid readers.
- Reading Timer: Small timers to encourage timed reading sessions.
- Reading Badges, Stickers, and Pins: Fun and collectible, these can be themed around different books or reading levels.
- Themed Erasers or Rulers: Fun and functional school supplies with reading or book-related designs.
GENERAL
- Homework Pass: A pass allowing a student to skip one homework assignment.
- Line Leader of Caboose for a Day: A student gets to be the line leader or the caboose for the day.
- Local Restaurant: Receive a coupon for a free donut, ice cream, slice of pizza, kids meal, etc.
- Snack Box: Pick a snack or candy from the classroom snack box.
- Treasure Chest: Pick a small prize.
- Special Library Privileges: Such as first access to pick a book during library time or extended borrowing limits.
Group Prizes for Milestone Achievements
Award these prizes for all students who read a certain number of minutes, or for reaching your school or district reading goal. All students who hit the milestones participate in these activities together!
FOOD
- Snack Party: Host a popcorn, hot cocoa, you-name-it party in the library.
- Popsicle Party: Have a popsicle party for the winning group of students.
SOCIAL
- Silly String Gauntlet: Participate in a silly string gauntlet with the Principal.
- Slime the Superintendent: See your superintendent get slimed if the district meets their reading goal.
- Movie Afternoon: Attend a movie screening in the school auditorium.
- Kids vs Teachers: Play in a friendly match (soccer, basketball, etc.) between students and teachers during school hours, or consider a fun competition featuring minute-to-win-it games.
- Take Your Parents To Lunch Day: Invite parents or caregivers to have lunch at school (in the cafeteria) with their students on a specific day.
- Glow Party: Turn down the lights, turn up the music, and hand out glow sticks.
LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS
- Magician or Science Show: Arrange for a local pro to stop by during class time.
- Animal Interaction: Bring in some cute animals for a bunny snuggle, therapy dogs, or partner with a local shelter to bring in puppies and kittens for students to play and interact with.
- Sports Teams: Create a partnership with a local sports team. Challenge your school to meet their yearly goal and get a motivational video from team players.