They Work Hard for the Money: Rewarding Middle School Students with a Token Economy

I love my kids.  I really do.  And I love working with them everyday.  But, if we can be honest for a minute, if something happened and I didn't get my paycheck one Friday, I would be finding a different job.  I'm not in teaching for the money; however, my paycheck that is used to buy me a Cookies-n-Cream milkshake from Chick-fil-a during a stressful week is my incentive to work really hard. Without it, I would definitely move on to something else that could bankroll my milkshakes.

While seeing my kids grow throughout the year is definitely a reward for me, so is my paycheck.  This is why I fully believe in rewarding students for their hard work.  I am asking them to think critically, dig deeper, and work hard every single day in my room.  I am pushing them outside their comfort zone, and because of that, they are growing so much, but that doesn't make the work any less challenging. Going to school is a job for our students, and while a good education is the outcome, they really need something immediate and tangible for their efforts, much like teachers get a paycheck for their work.

What the students earn, how they earn it, and what they can spend it on are the important concepts of an token economy system.  Hopefully this post will give you some ideas for all three parts.

1. School Money

When I first started teaching middle school, our 6th grade teams had team money that was used as an incentive.  The next year, that concept was incorporated throughout the whole school.  Our students can earn Raider Bucks (our mascot is a Raider) from any staff or faculty member in the building.  Raider Bucks come in $1 and $5 bills.  It is up to each teacher to determine what warrants Raider Bucks in their classroom.  I give Raider Bucks for sharing writing pieces, 100% on tests or quizzes, improvement on progress monitoring tests for reading, answering questions, as Reading Counts prizes, and doing anything "extra" (helping others when finished, proofreading papers for others, etc.).

2. Prize Wheel

The Prize Wheel is a big hit in our room!

Sometimes, just handing out the Raider Bucks gets to be a little monotonous.  To help switch it up, I bought this prize wheel from Amazon last year. (Click here to purchase it.) Kids love it - it really adds another "umph" of motivation.  For example, if we are working on Moby Max skills in class, I might say, "Okay, for 20 minutes, anyone who earns an 80% or higher on a skill will get to spin the prize wheel."  They go crazy!  Student show me their screen so I can see where they've earned it, and then they spin the prize wheel.  They can earn Raider Bucks or candy from it.  Another time we use it is when we play Kahoot!  Top three winners get to spin the wheel as their prize.  Nothing is more entertaining than first place getting $1 Raider Buck, but third place winning candy!  Their faces are priceless!

3. Prize Closet

Prize Closet visits happen once a month.

Students can use Raider Bucks at our school Success Store on items like pencils, calculators, notebooks, erasers, lanyards, hat passes, lunch level passes, and all sorts of other items.  It is a work of art!  Anyway, I wanted kids to be able to spend the money in my room, too, so I created a Prize Closet.

We do Prize Closet about once a month, and it usually takes between 15-20 minutes.  I sell mechanical pencils, eraser, posters, books, bracelets, nail wraps, games, craft supplies (tie-dye kits are really popular with my kids!), stickers, and anything else I think the kids will buy with their Raider Bucks.  The best part is that most of the items are free to me, or really inexpensive.  The books are usually free books from Scholastic orders, craft supplies and games are usually donated (one kid's

Inside of the Prize Closet. The lights mean it
is open for business!

junk is another kid's treasure), and the Dollar Tree is perfect for cheap, fun prizes.

4. Reward Coupons

The most popular items in the Prize Closet cost no more than the paper used for printing.  My students love purchasing different coupons I have created.  I have coupons for lunch in my room with three friends, music during writing time, 15 minutes of computer game time, no homework pass, extra time to work on an assignment, and a class game.  I make the cards about the size of a business card, and then I use library pockets to store them on the doors of the cabinet. (See the picture of the Prize Closet).

Click here to download the Reward Coupons from my TeachersPayTeachers store - for FREE!

5. Popcorn Fridays

A student enjoying popcorn
while reading.

Last school year, I really wanted to add another reward for students.  My students love food and will do just about anything for a food reward, but I didn't want it to be too unhealthy.  So, I thought a popcorn reward would be okay, and relatively cheap.  However, I wanted the popcorn machine to be in my room, so I wouldn't have to worry about getting popcorn from our concession stand to my classroom.  I put up a Donor's Choose project for a popcorn machine and it was funded!  Once a month, students can spend $30 Raider Bucks to buy a bag of popcorn to eat during Independent Reading.


These are just some of the ways I reward my kiddos.  What kind of rewards and incentives do you use in your classroom?  Be sure to share your ideas in the comments!

Love and Sparkle,