Think back to when you were young and first had enough money to buy something in a store. Maybe you had saved up enough allowance or worked for your neighbor. When you finally were able to buy the thing you wanted, wasn’t it a great feeling?
There is something special about working hard to earn what you want. When we work for something, we value it more than if it was given to us for free. A school or classroom store is a way to teach this valuable life lesson of earning it yourself.
A school or classroom store is a way to teach the valuable life lesson of earning it yourself.
Whether your school implements PBIS, or you simply want to create a more engaging classroom environment, this guide is for you.
Who is this guide for?
Classroom teachers, grade team leaders, and administrators in PBIS schools, charter schools, and alternative schools that want to create a successful system for positive behavior reinforcement.
To purchase items in your store, students will need to earn points by meeting or exceeding the behavior expectations you set. This system, known as a token economy, provides a powerful tool to teach and reinforce the expectations that will make students successful. For instance, here are a few common behavior expectations that might be used to award points:
When a student is meeting or exceeding an expectation, an adult can award him or her a point that can be used at the school store. As students start to master your basic expectations, you can up the ante. You can start awarding students points for things that demonstrate learning and contribute to a great culture:
The rewards store is not open 24/7. In fact, most days, your store may not even be open. Most teachers and schools find that once per week is the perfect frequency for their rewards store. It keeps students excited to spend their points, but ensures that the store does not become a distraction.
Friday is a great day of the week for your classroom store. It provides students with something to look forward to all week. If you have store items that students should not have out during class time, Friday store means that students can take the items home to enjoy on the weekend. If you are running a team or school store, see our section of Team Logistics.
Like any classroom or school procedure, the key is to consistently communicate it to students. If students know exactly when your store is going to be, you will not have to field questions about when they can spend their points. Reminding students about the time and place for your store is also a form of marketing. It reminds them that the points they can earn have a real value to them!
Like any class activity, it is important to have procedures for how students enter and participate in the store. There is nothing worse than a positive reward time becoming a negative behavior issue. Before holding your first store, decide and teach students these key expectations:
Part of a rewards store is the experience of doing something fun in school. Use your store as an opportunity to build relationships with students that will help during the rest of the week!
Classroom Spotlight
Hear from Mr. Parsons, a teacher of 24 years who has used a school store to motivate students, build community, and engage parents. See Mr. Parson’s store in action and hear from how students about what the school store means to them.
The moment of truth has arrived. You announce your store to your students and explain how they will be able to earn points. Students look around at one another. Their eyes light up. “Oooh I want one of those!” Success. Your students are bought in.
How do you get there? It starts with selecting rewards that appeal to your students. Unsurprisingly, one of the best sources for rewards ideas is to simply ask your students. Just like adults, students love being asked what they would like to earn one day.
Ensure that your store includes intangibles like Lunch with the Teacher that build relationships with students.
A small budget – or even no budget – should not stop you from creating a successful rewards store. Remember, what matters isn’t the dollar value of a reward, it’s the value of the reward to your students. Some of the best rewards you can offer students are intangible rewards like a homework pass or extra computer time.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to reach out to parents or community members for help in stocking your store. You’d be amazed what you might get!
Tangible rewards are snacks, supplies, or toys that students can literally hold in their hands. They are an important part of most rewards stores because they provide immediate buy-in to your system.
Most tangible rewards cost money, but they can be very affordable. Below, we have collected some of the best tangible rewards to kick off your store. Each image links to Amazon.com, so if you’re interested in purchasing an item, just click on it!
Like any classroom or school procedure, the key is to consistently communicate it to students. If students know exactly when your store is going to be, you will not have to field questions about when they can spend their points. Reminding students about the time and place for your store is also a form of marketing. It reminds them that the points they can earn have a real value to them!
Privileges mean that a student has earned permission to do or use something special. Their big advantage: they are usually free. One of the challenges with privileges can be how to track who has earned and used a privilege. We recommend this simple approach:
It’s important to tell students when they can use certain privileges. For instance, a student can’t choose their seat in the middle of a lesson. However, with just a little communication to students, you can turn privileges into hot items in your class or school. Here are different privileges that you can use immediately:
Events are an important part of any reward system. Events are more than just rewards - they are opportunities to build positive culture in your classroom or school. Because events are bigger purchases, they can help students learn how to save up over time. Students who buy lots of snacks or supplies may not have enough points left over to earn the Dance Party!
Students can buy tickets to an upcoming event at your classroom or school store.
Normally, all students should be eligible to participate in your store. However, the store is a privilege, and if students don’t meet basic expectations they can lose the opportunity to participate.
Common reasons a student might be prevented from participating in store include a detention or suspension over the past week or more than three outstanding homework assignments.
Students will want to know what is going to be available in the store! Get ahead of the curve by “marketing” the items in your store by putting up a poster, announcing the items at morning meeting, and reminding students informally throughout the week.
Designate a specific area in your classroom or school where the store will take place. You can also set expectations for where students are expected to enjoy their hard-earned store items. For instance, students might be expected to only play with a new toy during recess or after school hours.
The “How" includes the procedures for how students make their purchases. We recommend having students visit the store in groups of 3-5. Have students select the items that they want to purchase and present them to you at the “cash register”.
A school store can be a powerful tool for teaching students the connection between hard work and having fun. You can create a system where students earn points for positive behaviors, hard work, academic projects, and more. As students accrue points, they can make purchases of fun items including tangibles (like snacks and supplies) and intangibles (like events and privileges).
At LiveSchool, we’ve created an app to help make the process of tracking points and rewards even easier. You can sign up for free to use LiveSchool in your classroom and connect the app to all the procedures and ideas in this guide.
At LiveSchool, we’ve created an app to help make the process even easier. You can sign up for free to use the app in your class.
Like any new system in your classroom or school, success depends on establishing clear procedures and communicating them to your students. We hope that this guide has helped you identify new ideas you can put into place with your students!
Good luck, and have fun!
