When the word “award” is mentioned, people often think of physical awards such as a plaque, medal, or trophy. However, awards can be more than these things. They are very nice to receive and also to keep on display.

A reward can be a lasting memory of all the hard work you poured into your project, and it can be a great reminder of that game you helped to win for the team. But an award can also be a fun experience, such as a trip to a water park, a movie with pizza and popcorn, or a game day where students spend the day playing their favorite board games with classmates.

There are so many ways to recognize the hard work of students, and it doesn’t always involve giving them a certificate or a more “traditional” award, although you can still do that as well.

In our modern world, there are more and more non-traditional ways to award our students for their achievements, but they still achieve the same results. An award is a great way to enforce positive behavior, teamwork, and hard work. An award is a great way to show the recipient that you have noticed all of the time and effort that they have spilled into their work.

Long after you have given the award to your student, they will still remember the day that they received it, and will continue to work hard for the next incentive.

One of the best ways to decide on what to award your students with is to ask for their input. You should ask them what they would like to do or what they would like to receive for reaching a goal. Also, this could be a classroom effort where if the entire class works together to reach a goal they get to enjoy an extra recess, a movie or pajama day. Providing these types of awards can be one of the best ways to get everyone to work together as a team, and to get everyone motivated to work hard on their schoolwork.

Individual awards are also great to recognize the unique qualities and hard work of each student. There are plenty of different types of award available at trophy stores or online such as what you will find at EDCO Awards & Specialties.

An award is a fantastic way to boost the confidence of someone who is struggling or who has low self-esteem,  especially if he/she has never received an award or recognition of some kind before.

Giving an award to a student is a great opportunity to tell them that you think they are doing a great job and will also show other students that if they work hard, they will get noticed and may get an award as well. You can even make it a really big deal and host an awards night where you give your students the night to talk about their projects-and provide a space for them to be in the spotlight for a moment.

There are limitless awards that you can give. You can give an award for teamwork, attendance, great attitude, being a hard-working student, or for being really great at sharing or for being especially helpful. You want your award to highlight the great qualities of the person receiving it and to give it a personal touch-so that it is meaningful to the recipient and so he/she will be proud to display it for many years to come.

You can even give out awards just for fun, such as funniest student or for saying the fewest words all year. You could even make it an annual tradition and give each student in your class the opportunity to attend their very own awards night.

You could invite parents and have everyone dress up formally and make it an extra fancy event. You could even roll out a red carpet and hang up gold stars to give it a Grammy like feel.

Whatever you decide to do, just remember that as an educator, you have a huge influence on your pupils and what you do, especially things that are “big” in their minds. Their memories will stick with them for a very long time and will influence them in a positive way.

Awards can also make learning that much more fun, engaging and exciting.

This is a guest post.