Virtual incentives take up no physical space in a classroom, can be awarded at any time, and are often always free.
Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
Prior to 2020, the coveted teacher’s prize box was what every kid wanted to get their hands in. No one at that time could have predicted what an important role virtual incentives for students would play in keeping kids engaged and focused on schoolwork. Like everything else, teachers had to get creative in coming up with ways to reward their distant learners.
While the vast majority of students have now fully returned to the classroom, the desire for virtual rewards has not waned. After all, they take up no physical space in a classroom, they can be awarded at any time, and in the case of the options below - they are all free!
In fact, there are some virtual incentives that provide you with experiences you would not normally be able to take advantage of in person.
Here is a list of some virtual incentives for students. Some ideas can be used for all grades, while others are more appropriate for a specific level, for instance, elementary or middle school.
Whether you buy or make them, these tried and true incentives are still very popular.
When students turn in work or complete an assessment online, consider putting a digital sticker on it and/or sending them a digital coupon or ticket.
They can then collect these and trade them in for another virtual prize or classroom reward!
Try this as a class, or help organize it for your school! It makes it more fun if you can do this after school hours, and invite students and their families to participate.
Everyone can wear their pajamas, grab their favorite snack, and enjoy watching from the comfort of their own home.
While this may cater more to the younger students, we can’t underestimate the impact that 1:1 time has on kids. It’s a perfect opportunity to work on relationship building.
This is a great activity for individuals or small groups. You can find plenty of free ones online that cover nearly every subject area, but it’s actually fun (and pretty easy) to create your own.
Creating your own allows you to make it more customized for your class. If your students are older, you can even have them attempt to create one for the rest of the class to solve!
This is pretty self-explanatory, however, it is important to keep in mind that this is about what the kids want to play - not what’s required of them.
Try to put as few restrictions on them as possible if you are using this as a virtual incentive.
Many teachers struggle to fit in what seems like “extras,” including things like SEL and STEM activities.
However, these are important to the development of the whole child.
Giving students choice boards with an array of activities to pick from, will not only ensure you are incorporating these elements, but also that you are providing “voice and choice.”
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology and VR, we are able to “visit” places all over the world that we normally wouldn’t be able to.
Discuss with your students where they would like to go! If possible, tie these virtual trips into books or stories you are reading, places you are discussing in social studies/history, or ecosystems you are learning about in science.
Having a social media account for your class is a great way to invite all stakeholders into your classroom, without actually physically inviting anyone.
Most students (and definitely their families) enjoy seeing themselves recognized in a public forum like Twitter or Instagram. Creating a post about a student is a great way to celebrate them virtually!
This idea serves two purposes: rewards students while also teaching them how to be good digital citizens. Allow one or two students at a time to take the reins over your social media account for the day. This can get tricky with regards to account privacy, so make sure you are monitoring this as it’s happening. But by allowing students to take pictures of what’s going on in class, and guiding them to create captions and use appropriate hashtags, you are helping them model responsible social media behavior.
This is similar to creating a social media post about a student, but really adds a more personal touch. In fact, if these two are used in combination, they can do a lot to boost a student’s self-esteem.
Too often we are only emailing or calling home with negative news. It’s a refreshing change to be able to change that narrative.
This is a great option for students who would love to have a relative or family friend come to read a book, but physical distance makes it difficult.
Have the person of their choice join your class via Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. Virtual visits can also be an option for school events like Career Day.
Include a write-up or interview with a student in a digital newsletter or on your school’s website.
These can be another great way to communicate what’s going on in your classroom with all stakeholders. Students can be the interviewer or interviewee! There are plenty of free platforms you can host your podcast on, and you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to create it.
While you don’t need to include all of these, you should have a choice of a few different virtual incentives for students. Not all students will gravitate toward the same ones. For instance, someone more introverted may not want to be in the “student spotlight,” but would definitely appreciate a phone call home.
With the rise in virtual schools across the US, and the uncertainty of where the pandemic will take us in the future, virtual incentives don’t appear to be going anywhere.
In fact, if anything, we will be adding more ideas to the list we have. This is a perfect opportunity for educators to push themselves outside their own comfort zone and try some new ideas in their classrooms can follow PBIS best practices or even create their own PBIS Store.
For instance, if you haven’t already tried them, research digital escape rooms, how to publish a digital newsletter, or even how to start a podcast. Asking your students to help you research these ideas can even serve as attendance incentives and is a good relationship-building activity. Want incentives more specific to your grade level? Try our resources built around elementary school incentives, incentive ideas for middle school students, or incentives for high school students.
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Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
While the vast majority of students have now fully returned to the classroom, the desire for virtual rewards has not waned. After all, they take up no physical space in a classroom, they can be awarded at any time, and in the case of the options below - they are all free!
In fact, there are some virtual incentives that provide you with experiences you would not normally be able to take advantage of in person.
Here is a list of some virtual incentives for students. Some ideas can be used for all grades, while others are more appropriate for a specific level, for instance, elementary or middle school.
Whether you buy or make them, these tried and true incentives are still very popular.
When students turn in work or complete an assessment online, consider putting a digital sticker on it and/or sending them a digital coupon or ticket.
They can then collect these and trade them in for another virtual prize or classroom reward!
Try this as a class, or help organize it for your school! It makes it more fun if you can do this after school hours, and invite students and their families to participate.
Everyone can wear their pajamas, grab their favorite snack, and enjoy watching from the comfort of their own home.
While this may cater more to the younger students, we can’t underestimate the impact that 1:1 time has on kids. It’s a perfect opportunity to work on relationship building.
This is a great activity for individuals or small groups. You can find plenty of free ones online that cover nearly every subject area, but it’s actually fun (and pretty easy) to create your own.
Creating your own allows you to make it more customized for your class. If your students are older, you can even have them attempt to create one for the rest of the class to solve!
This is pretty self-explanatory, however, it is important to keep in mind that this is about what the kids want to play - not what’s required of them.
Try to put as few restrictions on them as possible if you are using this as a virtual incentive.
Many teachers struggle to fit in what seems like “extras,” including things like SEL and STEM activities.
However, these are important to the development of the whole child.
Giving students choice boards with an array of activities to pick from, will not only ensure you are incorporating these elements, but also that you are providing “voice and choice.”
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology and VR, we are able to “visit” places all over the world that we normally wouldn’t be able to.
Discuss with your students where they would like to go! If possible, tie these virtual trips into books or stories you are reading, places you are discussing in social studies/history, or ecosystems you are learning about in science.
Having a social media account for your class is a great way to invite all stakeholders into your classroom, without actually physically inviting anyone.
Most students (and definitely their families) enjoy seeing themselves recognized in a public forum like Twitter or Instagram. Creating a post about a student is a great way to celebrate them virtually!
This idea serves two purposes: rewards students while also teaching them how to be good digital citizens. Allow one or two students at a time to take the reins over your social media account for the day. This can get tricky with regards to account privacy, so make sure you are monitoring this as it’s happening. But by allowing students to take pictures of what’s going on in class, and guiding them to create captions and use appropriate hashtags, you are helping them model responsible social media behavior.
This is similar to creating a social media post about a student, but really adds a more personal touch. In fact, if these two are used in combination, they can do a lot to boost a student’s self-esteem.
Too often we are only emailing or calling home with negative news. It’s a refreshing change to be able to change that narrative.
This is a great option for students who would love to have a relative or family friend come to read a book, but physical distance makes it difficult.
Have the person of their choice join your class via Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. Virtual visits can also be an option for school events like Career Day.
Include a write-up or interview with a student in a digital newsletter or on your school’s website.
These can be another great way to communicate what’s going on in your classroom with all stakeholders. Students can be the interviewer or interviewee! There are plenty of free platforms you can host your podcast on, and you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to create it.
While you don’t need to include all of these, you should have a choice of a few different virtual incentives for students. Not all students will gravitate toward the same ones. For instance, someone more introverted may not want to be in the “student spotlight,” but would definitely appreciate a phone call home.
With the rise in virtual schools across the US, and the uncertainty of where the pandemic will take us in the future, virtual incentives don’t appear to be going anywhere.
In fact, if anything, we will be adding more ideas to the list we have. This is a perfect opportunity for educators to push themselves outside their own comfort zone and try some new ideas in their classrooms can follow PBIS best practices or even create their own PBIS Store.
For instance, if you haven’t already tried them, research digital escape rooms, how to publish a digital newsletter, or even how to start a podcast. Asking your students to help you research these ideas can even serve as attendance incentives and is a good relationship-building activity. Want incentives more specific to your grade level? Try our resources built around elementary school incentives, incentive ideas for middle school students, or incentives for high school students.
Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
While the vast majority of students have now fully returned to the classroom, the desire for virtual rewards has not waned. After all, they take up no physical space in a classroom, they can be awarded at any time, and in the case of the options below - they are all free!
In fact, there are some virtual incentives that provide you with experiences you would not normally be able to take advantage of in person.
Here is a list of some virtual incentives for students. Some ideas can be used for all grades, while others are more appropriate for a specific level, for instance, elementary or middle school.
Whether you buy or make them, these tried and true incentives are still very popular.
When students turn in work or complete an assessment online, consider putting a digital sticker on it and/or sending them a digital coupon or ticket.
They can then collect these and trade them in for another virtual prize or classroom reward!
Try this as a class, or help organize it for your school! It makes it more fun if you can do this after school hours, and invite students and their families to participate.
Everyone can wear their pajamas, grab their favorite snack, and enjoy watching from the comfort of their own home.
While this may cater more to the younger students, we can’t underestimate the impact that 1:1 time has on kids. It’s a perfect opportunity to work on relationship building.
This is a great activity for individuals or small groups. You can find plenty of free ones online that cover nearly every subject area, but it’s actually fun (and pretty easy) to create your own.
Creating your own allows you to make it more customized for your class. If your students are older, you can even have them attempt to create one for the rest of the class to solve!
This is pretty self-explanatory, however, it is important to keep in mind that this is about what the kids want to play - not what’s required of them.
Try to put as few restrictions on them as possible if you are using this as a virtual incentive.
Many teachers struggle to fit in what seems like “extras,” including things like SEL and STEM activities.
However, these are important to the development of the whole child.
Giving students choice boards with an array of activities to pick from, will not only ensure you are incorporating these elements, but also that you are providing “voice and choice.”
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology and VR, we are able to “visit” places all over the world that we normally wouldn’t be able to.
Discuss with your students where they would like to go! If possible, tie these virtual trips into books or stories you are reading, places you are discussing in social studies/history, or ecosystems you are learning about in science.
Having a social media account for your class is a great way to invite all stakeholders into your classroom, without actually physically inviting anyone.
Most students (and definitely their families) enjoy seeing themselves recognized in a public forum like Twitter or Instagram. Creating a post about a student is a great way to celebrate them virtually!
This idea serves two purposes: rewards students while also teaching them how to be good digital citizens. Allow one or two students at a time to take the reins over your social media account for the day. This can get tricky with regards to account privacy, so make sure you are monitoring this as it’s happening. But by allowing students to take pictures of what’s going on in class, and guiding them to create captions and use appropriate hashtags, you are helping them model responsible social media behavior.
This is similar to creating a social media post about a student, but really adds a more personal touch. In fact, if these two are used in combination, they can do a lot to boost a student’s self-esteem.
Too often we are only emailing or calling home with negative news. It’s a refreshing change to be able to change that narrative.
This is a great option for students who would love to have a relative or family friend come to read a book, but physical distance makes it difficult.
Have the person of their choice join your class via Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. Virtual visits can also be an option for school events like Career Day.
Include a write-up or interview with a student in a digital newsletter or on your school’s website.
These can be another great way to communicate what’s going on in your classroom with all stakeholders. Students can be the interviewer or interviewee! There are plenty of free platforms you can host your podcast on, and you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to create it.
While you don’t need to include all of these, you should have a choice of a few different virtual incentives for students. Not all students will gravitate toward the same ones. For instance, someone more introverted may not want to be in the “student spotlight,” but would definitely appreciate a phone call home.
With the rise in virtual schools across the US, and the uncertainty of where the pandemic will take us in the future, virtual incentives don’t appear to be going anywhere.
In fact, if anything, we will be adding more ideas to the list we have. This is a perfect opportunity for educators to push themselves outside their own comfort zone and try some new ideas in their classrooms can follow PBIS best practices or even create their own PBIS Store.
For instance, if you haven’t already tried them, research digital escape rooms, how to publish a digital newsletter, or even how to start a podcast. Asking your students to help you research these ideas can even serve as attendance incentives and is a good relationship-building activity. Want incentives more specific to your grade level? Try our resources built around elementary school incentives, incentive ideas for middle school students, or incentives for high school students.
While the vast majority of students have now fully returned to the classroom, the desire for virtual rewards has not waned. After all, they take up no physical space in a classroom, they can be awarded at any time, and in the case of the options below - they are all free!
In fact, there are some virtual incentives that provide you with experiences you would not normally be able to take advantage of in person.
Here is a list of some virtual incentives for students. Some ideas can be used for all grades, while others are more appropriate for a specific level, for instance, elementary or middle school.
Whether you buy or make them, these tried and true incentives are still very popular.
When students turn in work or complete an assessment online, consider putting a digital sticker on it and/or sending them a digital coupon or ticket.
They can then collect these and trade them in for another virtual prize or classroom reward!
Try this as a class, or help organize it for your school! It makes it more fun if you can do this after school hours, and invite students and their families to participate.
Everyone can wear their pajamas, grab their favorite snack, and enjoy watching from the comfort of their own home.
While this may cater more to the younger students, we can’t underestimate the impact that 1:1 time has on kids. It’s a perfect opportunity to work on relationship building.
This is a great activity for individuals or small groups. You can find plenty of free ones online that cover nearly every subject area, but it’s actually fun (and pretty easy) to create your own.
Creating your own allows you to make it more customized for your class. If your students are older, you can even have them attempt to create one for the rest of the class to solve!
This is pretty self-explanatory, however, it is important to keep in mind that this is about what the kids want to play - not what’s required of them.
Try to put as few restrictions on them as possible if you are using this as a virtual incentive.
Many teachers struggle to fit in what seems like “extras,” including things like SEL and STEM activities.
However, these are important to the development of the whole child.
Giving students choice boards with an array of activities to pick from, will not only ensure you are incorporating these elements, but also that you are providing “voice and choice.”
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology and VR, we are able to “visit” places all over the world that we normally wouldn’t be able to.
Discuss with your students where they would like to go! If possible, tie these virtual trips into books or stories you are reading, places you are discussing in social studies/history, or ecosystems you are learning about in science.
Having a social media account for your class is a great way to invite all stakeholders into your classroom, without actually physically inviting anyone.
Most students (and definitely their families) enjoy seeing themselves recognized in a public forum like Twitter or Instagram. Creating a post about a student is a great way to celebrate them virtually!
This idea serves two purposes: rewards students while also teaching them how to be good digital citizens. Allow one or two students at a time to take the reins over your social media account for the day. This can get tricky with regards to account privacy, so make sure you are monitoring this as it’s happening. But by allowing students to take pictures of what’s going on in class, and guiding them to create captions and use appropriate hashtags, you are helping them model responsible social media behavior.
This is similar to creating a social media post about a student, but really adds a more personal touch. In fact, if these two are used in combination, they can do a lot to boost a student’s self-esteem.
Too often we are only emailing or calling home with negative news. It’s a refreshing change to be able to change that narrative.
This is a great option for students who would love to have a relative or family friend come to read a book, but physical distance makes it difficult.
Have the person of their choice join your class via Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. Virtual visits can also be an option for school events like Career Day.
Include a write-up or interview with a student in a digital newsletter or on your school’s website.
These can be another great way to communicate what’s going on in your classroom with all stakeholders. Students can be the interviewer or interviewee! There are plenty of free platforms you can host your podcast on, and you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to create it.
While you don’t need to include all of these, you should have a choice of a few different virtual incentives for students. Not all students will gravitate toward the same ones. For instance, someone more introverted may not want to be in the “student spotlight,” but would definitely appreciate a phone call home.
With the rise in virtual schools across the US, and the uncertainty of where the pandemic will take us in the future, virtual incentives don’t appear to be going anywhere.
In fact, if anything, we will be adding more ideas to the list we have. This is a perfect opportunity for educators to push themselves outside their own comfort zone and try some new ideas in their classrooms can follow PBIS best practices or even create their own PBIS Store.
For instance, if you haven’t already tried them, research digital escape rooms, how to publish a digital newsletter, or even how to start a podcast. Asking your students to help you research these ideas can even serve as attendance incentives and is a good relationship-building activity. Want incentives more specific to your grade level? Try our resources built around elementary school incentives, incentive ideas for middle school students, or incentives for high school students.
Becky Thal currently works as an edtech consultant in the field of marketing. Previous roles have included 5th grade math/science teacher and advertising executive. Becky is active in many online communities, as well as her local community. She is always open to collaborating on new projects! In her spare time, Becky enjoys trips to the beach, trying new restaurants, and attending her kids’ various sports games and events. She lives with her husband, three children, and Labradoodle, in New Jersey.
Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
Prior to 2020, the coveted teacher’s prize box was what every kid wanted to get their hands in. No one at that time could have predicted what an important role virtual incentives for students would play in keeping kids engaged and focused on schoolwork. Like everything else, teachers had to get creative in coming up with ways to reward their distant learners.
While the vast majority of students have now fully returned to the classroom, the desire for virtual rewards has not waned. After all, they take up no physical space in a classroom, they can be awarded at any time, and in the case of the options below - they are all free!
In fact, there are some virtual incentives that provide you with experiences you would not normally be able to take advantage of in person.
Here is a list of some virtual incentives for students. Some ideas can be used for all grades, while others are more appropriate for a specific level, for instance, elementary or middle school.
Whether you buy or make them, these tried and true incentives are still very popular.
When students turn in work or complete an assessment online, consider putting a digital sticker on it and/or sending them a digital coupon or ticket.
They can then collect these and trade them in for another virtual prize or classroom reward!
Try this as a class, or help organize it for your school! It makes it more fun if you can do this after school hours, and invite students and their families to participate.
Everyone can wear their pajamas, grab their favorite snack, and enjoy watching from the comfort of their own home.
While this may cater more to the younger students, we can’t underestimate the impact that 1:1 time has on kids. It’s a perfect opportunity to work on relationship building.
This is a great activity for individuals or small groups. You can find plenty of free ones online that cover nearly every subject area, but it’s actually fun (and pretty easy) to create your own.
Creating your own allows you to make it more customized for your class. If your students are older, you can even have them attempt to create one for the rest of the class to solve!
This is pretty self-explanatory, however, it is important to keep in mind that this is about what the kids want to play - not what’s required of them.
Try to put as few restrictions on them as possible if you are using this as a virtual incentive.
Many teachers struggle to fit in what seems like “extras,” including things like SEL and STEM activities.
However, these are important to the development of the whole child.
Giving students choice boards with an array of activities to pick from, will not only ensure you are incorporating these elements, but also that you are providing “voice and choice.”
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology and VR, we are able to “visit” places all over the world that we normally wouldn’t be able to.
Discuss with your students where they would like to go! If possible, tie these virtual trips into books or stories you are reading, places you are discussing in social studies/history, or ecosystems you are learning about in science.
Having a social media account for your class is a great way to invite all stakeholders into your classroom, without actually physically inviting anyone.
Most students (and definitely their families) enjoy seeing themselves recognized in a public forum like Twitter or Instagram. Creating a post about a student is a great way to celebrate them virtually!
This idea serves two purposes: rewards students while also teaching them how to be good digital citizens. Allow one or two students at a time to take the reins over your social media account for the day. This can get tricky with regards to account privacy, so make sure you are monitoring this as it’s happening. But by allowing students to take pictures of what’s going on in class, and guiding them to create captions and use appropriate hashtags, you are helping them model responsible social media behavior.
This is similar to creating a social media post about a student, but really adds a more personal touch. In fact, if these two are used in combination, they can do a lot to boost a student’s self-esteem.
Too often we are only emailing or calling home with negative news. It’s a refreshing change to be able to change that narrative.
This is a great option for students who would love to have a relative or family friend come to read a book, but physical distance makes it difficult.
Have the person of their choice join your class via Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. Virtual visits can also be an option for school events like Career Day.
Include a write-up or interview with a student in a digital newsletter or on your school’s website.
These can be another great way to communicate what’s going on in your classroom with all stakeholders. Students can be the interviewer or interviewee! There are plenty of free platforms you can host your podcast on, and you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to create it.
While you don’t need to include all of these, you should have a choice of a few different virtual incentives for students. Not all students will gravitate toward the same ones. For instance, someone more introverted may not want to be in the “student spotlight,” but would definitely appreciate a phone call home.
With the rise in virtual schools across the US, and the uncertainty of where the pandemic will take us in the future, virtual incentives don’t appear to be going anywhere.
In fact, if anything, we will be adding more ideas to the list we have. This is a perfect opportunity for educators to push themselves outside their own comfort zone and try some new ideas in their classrooms can follow PBIS best practices or even create their own PBIS Store.
For instance, if you haven’t already tried them, research digital escape rooms, how to publish a digital newsletter, or even how to start a podcast. Asking your students to help you research these ideas can even serve as attendance incentives and is a good relationship-building activity. Want incentives more specific to your grade level? Try our resources built around elementary school incentives, incentive ideas for middle school students, or incentives for high school students.
Explore 100+ ideas from schools like yours.
Explore school-wide behavior expectations from other schools.
The best Houses reflect your school’s unique culture. Browse examples from real schools and start brainstorming your House system!
Track behavior, motivate students, and promote a positive culture — all in one easy platform.
Prior to 2020, the coveted teacher’s prize box was what every kid wanted to get their hands in. No one at that time could have predicted what an important role virtual incentives for students would play in keeping kids engaged and focused on schoolwork. Like everything else, teachers had to get creative in coming up with ways to reward their distant learners.
While the vast majority of students have now fully returned to the classroom, the desire for virtual rewards has not waned. After all, they take up no physical space in a classroom, they can be awarded at any time, and in the case of the options below - they are all free!
In fact, there are some virtual incentives that provide you with experiences you would not normally be able to take advantage of in person.
Here is a list of some virtual incentives for students. Some ideas can be used for all grades, while others are more appropriate for a specific level, for instance, elementary or middle school.
Whether you buy or make them, these tried and true incentives are still very popular.
When students turn in work or complete an assessment online, consider putting a digital sticker on it and/or sending them a digital coupon or ticket.
They can then collect these and trade them in for another virtual prize or classroom reward!
Try this as a class, or help organize it for your school! It makes it more fun if you can do this after school hours, and invite students and their families to participate.
Everyone can wear their pajamas, grab their favorite snack, and enjoy watching from the comfort of their own home.
While this may cater more to the younger students, we can’t underestimate the impact that 1:1 time has on kids. It’s a perfect opportunity to work on relationship building.
This is a great activity for individuals or small groups. You can find plenty of free ones online that cover nearly every subject area, but it’s actually fun (and pretty easy) to create your own.
Creating your own allows you to make it more customized for your class. If your students are older, you can even have them attempt to create one for the rest of the class to solve!
This is pretty self-explanatory, however, it is important to keep in mind that this is about what the kids want to play - not what’s required of them.
Try to put as few restrictions on them as possible if you are using this as a virtual incentive.
Many teachers struggle to fit in what seems like “extras,” including things like SEL and STEM activities.
However, these are important to the development of the whole child.
Giving students choice boards with an array of activities to pick from, will not only ensure you are incorporating these elements, but also that you are providing “voice and choice.”
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology and VR, we are able to “visit” places all over the world that we normally wouldn’t be able to.
Discuss with your students where they would like to go! If possible, tie these virtual trips into books or stories you are reading, places you are discussing in social studies/history, or ecosystems you are learning about in science.
Having a social media account for your class is a great way to invite all stakeholders into your classroom, without actually physically inviting anyone.
Most students (and definitely their families) enjoy seeing themselves recognized in a public forum like Twitter or Instagram. Creating a post about a student is a great way to celebrate them virtually!
This idea serves two purposes: rewards students while also teaching them how to be good digital citizens. Allow one or two students at a time to take the reins over your social media account for the day. This can get tricky with regards to account privacy, so make sure you are monitoring this as it’s happening. But by allowing students to take pictures of what’s going on in class, and guiding them to create captions and use appropriate hashtags, you are helping them model responsible social media behavior.
This is similar to creating a social media post about a student, but really adds a more personal touch. In fact, if these two are used in combination, they can do a lot to boost a student’s self-esteem.
Too often we are only emailing or calling home with negative news. It’s a refreshing change to be able to change that narrative.
This is a great option for students who would love to have a relative or family friend come to read a book, but physical distance makes it difficult.
Have the person of their choice join your class via Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. Virtual visits can also be an option for school events like Career Day.
Include a write-up or interview with a student in a digital newsletter or on your school’s website.
These can be another great way to communicate what’s going on in your classroom with all stakeholders. Students can be the interviewer or interviewee! There are plenty of free platforms you can host your podcast on, and you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to create it.
While you don’t need to include all of these, you should have a choice of a few different virtual incentives for students. Not all students will gravitate toward the same ones. For instance, someone more introverted may not want to be in the “student spotlight,” but would definitely appreciate a phone call home.
With the rise in virtual schools across the US, and the uncertainty of where the pandemic will take us in the future, virtual incentives don’t appear to be going anywhere.
In fact, if anything, we will be adding more ideas to the list we have. This is a perfect opportunity for educators to push themselves outside their own comfort zone and try some new ideas in their classrooms can follow PBIS best practices or even create their own PBIS Store.
For instance, if you haven’t already tried them, research digital escape rooms, how to publish a digital newsletter, or even how to start a podcast. Asking your students to help you research these ideas can even serve as attendance incentives and is a good relationship-building activity. Want incentives more specific to your grade level? Try our resources built around elementary school incentives, incentive ideas for middle school students, or incentives for high school students.
All the behavior resources you need to create the positive culture your school community deserves.
