Have I mentioned that I’m tired of all the junk food at my daughter’s elementary school? And I am not talking about what they’re serving in the cafeteria. I am talking about the junk food that’s constantly being used for rewards, parties and activities. Here are just a few examples…
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- “Box top” prizes where winning class gets a donut or cupcake decorating party
- Skittle sort (why not a button sort, which could even be reused the following year?)
- Cake for the entire class (from the cafeteria) almost every time a student has a birthday
- School “spirit” events at fast food restaurants and pizza places
- “Popsicles with the principal” for top fundraising students
- Celebrating the 100th day of school by stringing 100 fruit loops onto a necklace (cute idea, but I’m confident some healthier alternatives could be just as much fun)
But rather than just sitting here complaining about these issues, I thought why not do something about it instead?! As you may know, another mom and I teamed up to offer our school a healthier “nut-free” snack list so now we are doing the same when it comes to student rewards. And I’m finding that there’s no better place to brainstorm for ideas than my facebook page (thank you everyone for your wonderful ideas).
So without further ado here’s a long list of student rewards…that aren’t junk food! We plan to submit this list to our school administration and PTA and hope you’ll consider doing the same by downloading the printable version. And as always, please leave any additional ideas in the comments below.
Student Rewards...That Aren't Junk Food!
Group/Class Rewards
- Extra playground time
- Pick different seats to sit in for a day
- Teacher wearing a silly outfit or hat (let the class decide…one reader even said a teacher wore her wedding dress to school!)
- Afternoon movie (as an individual reward one student could be allowed to select and bring in the movie for the class)
- Lunch in the classroom
- Dress up days…let the class vote!
- Pajama day (can also incorporate sleeping bags/blankets)
- Crazy hair day
- Farmer day
- Stuffed animal day
- Backward day (wear clothes backward and even follow the class schedule backward!)
- Camp out day (kids bring sleeping bags and teacher brings a tent)
- Hat day
- Book swap party (each child brings a book they no longer want and “trades” with their classmates)
- An art or craft party
- A game the class plays together (like bingo or kickball)
- If it’s warm outside…water play in bathing suits
- Plant some flowers or plants together at the school
- Paint birdhouses together to put up at the school
- Dance party with music
- Film a short digital video/documentary as a class (for e.g. each student answers a question for the camera) then watches it together afterward
Individual Rewards
- Lunch or recess time with the principal
- Books donated to the school library in the student’s honor with a guest reader to read them to the class
- Extra computer time
- Go to “specials” (like gym or Spanish class) with a friend’s class instead of your own
- Sit with a friend from another class at lunch
- Gift certificate to the school store
- Lunch with the teacher
- Sit in the teacher’s chair or at their desk for the day
- Use a rolling chair/stool at your own desk for the day
- Sit next to a friend instead of in your own seat for the day
- Be the “special helper” for the day (running errands to the office, line leader, etc.)
- Name read over morning announcements
- Student asked to actually read the morning announcements
- Choose the story for story time
- Let a student be the “principal for the day” or the “assistant principal for the day” or even “teacher for the day” (or just for an assignment)
- “Stinky feet” which means you get to take your shoes off in class
- Pick something out of a treasure box with prizes like stickers, pencils, erasers toothbrushes, silly bands, etc.
- Give out “play money” to students that they can spend in a class-wide auction later in the year (auction items can include games, books, etc. and be donated by parents)
- If students wear uniforms a “no uniform for the day” pass
- “Family night” bags that kids get to borrow from the teacher for the evening including “lego night” and “movie night”
School Fundraisers
- Principal can be duct taped to the wall (our school actually did this last year – students had to buy pieces of tape)
- Principal can kiss a pig in front of the school if a certain amount of money is raised (another example that really happened at a reader’s school)
- “Teacher car wash” where kids can “buy” buckets of water and wet sponges that they can throw on teachers in car pool line
Birthday Celebrations
- Class makes fruit smoothies together
- Small goodie bags with stickers/activities given out to classmates
- Each kid is given supplies to a make small craft together
- Birthday card(s) made by the other students
- Popcorn birthday parties (popcorn is a whole-grain food) served in “popcorn cones” that the kids make themselves out of paper
- New book donated to class library by birthday student with their parent as the guest reader
Becky says
My children attend a private school that doesn't allow junk food. At first I thought it was odd because they are so strict about it and I was bummed my kids couldn't have cupcakes for there birthdays. Now I'm relieved they eat healthy all day!! We are much healthier at home now too.
Our school has a special ceremony for each birthday child and that child brings in snack (usually a whole food). There are so many cute things you can do with their snack!
Our school also insists the kids wear tennis shoes and sun hats, which is much much better than trying to be stylish!
Chrissy says
What great timing for this post! My 3 yr old just started at a new preschool that we love, but I noticed this week they hand out a ton of candy for rewards.... All of her homework papers have a starburst taped to it, I think the teachers hand out "treats" at the end of each part of their day... Worse yet, no one even asked me if I was ok w her getting candy! My daughter is Very picky and already eats her fair share
Of convenient/junk food.... We don't need more!
These are all good suggestions, any ideas for way younger kids besides stickers? I'm nervous to say something I feel like everyone else must be on board w it and I'm the "new mom" on the block... Thx :-)
Theresa says
Wow, for 3yr olds??!! :(
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Chrissy. I have found that pencils go over well - you can usually get them in a big bag (many times at the Dollar Store) and often you can find them for whatever season you are in - I just bought some Halloween ones. For the girls, any of the plastic rings or necklaces are always a hit and again you can usually find them pretty cheap. I would just check out either a dollar store or even the Target $1 bins. Jill
Abigail's Mommy says
My daughter's preschool gave her soda for the first time without asking me. Luckily she did not like it.
Gayle says
Glad to see some alternatives. The sheer amount of candy given to my daughter (now in 4th grade) is stunning. She came home with her bag of counting M&M's just the other day. I don't know why even she would want to eat them after they've bounced around her desk and no doubt moved with dirty playground fingers. BUt still, reinforcing good behavior with food is a slippery slope. While I appreciate the intent, I think that good behavior should be its own reward and that if you must give "things" try stickers, recess, fun activities, whatever. But no more sugary, food colored foods please. I am a Farmers Market Manager and have volunteered to bring healthy snacks for the kids who don't bring them. The teacher buys chips and other non-healthy items out of his own money, I would gladly substitute some food for him. Thanks for the great list, I can definitely share this with my principal.
Lisa M says
My favorite reward I remember was way back when in 1st grade...we had a chart with foil stars each time we answered a question correctly or helped out in some way, and after about 25 stars we got to pick a prize from the goody box, which was full of fun toys and pencils and stickers. I remember how excited I was when I finally earned my time to rifle through it!
krystina says
I love *most* of these suggestions, but think the movie one is not a good idea. As far as I am concerned, screen time in school is just as bad as getting cupcakes full of junk!!
gbm says
TOTALLY AGREE. There is NO place for movies in school. I actually don't care for this list because I disagree with the notion that the kids constantly need rewards for doing what they are supposed to do and all of the parties take away WAY TOO MUCH instruction time. I mean I know your intentions are good, but we really need to start examining what we are modeling to kids about their needing constant parties and breaks from school and learning. LEARNING IS FUN! KIDS BRAINS ARE HAPPY WHEN THEY ARE LEARNING!!
Joy says
Great ideas here! Our kids' school is over 100 years old and they have an old fire escape slide (it's a spiral slide in a metal silo.) Classes can earn a ride down the fire slide as a reward.
My question is about "treats" for sports teams. We have kids playing soccer and football and are regularly responsible for bringing treats for the whole team to be given out after the games. It needs to be food, but I don't want to bring JUNK. Other than orange slices, do you have ideas for me? I really prefer easy-to-prepare ideas, as I work outside the home full time and don't have the time to spend hours making something from scratch. I am thinking about watermelon slices or fruit kabobs for tomorrow's game. Ideas, anyone? Thanks! I am sure this has been covered before, as I am new to the blog, so feel free to post a link to an older discussion. :)
Jessica says
I saw a recipe on another site called realfoodrealdeals.com for Mac and cheese baked in muffin tins so they end up in small individual servings that hold together. She would also hide veggies in the middle of the pasta ;-) Any kind of fruit is always good, nuts for protein, lots of choices!
Theresa says
Maybe try some organic popcorn. I was "snack" mom once for my dd soccer game and brought sliced oranges for half time and packed organic fruit leather, natural fruit snacks (both of these from Trader Joes) and some organic "juice" that resembled capri suns. Normally we don't eat that stuff, it is what I call organic junk food, however, compared to what the other moms brought it was heavenly!! Also, like Jessica said, fruit and nuts (so long as no allergies) are great options! We dry our own fruit leather and make apple chips at home, but they don't taste like the sugary stuff from the store and altho my kids love 'em, some won't.
Laura says
When I was in elementary school we had a school-wide paper money "currency" called utils. We earned utils for good grades, helping, performing tasks, etc. All the kids had a checkbook that was a simple ledger that student bankers kept track of. There were bank days and "business" days that taught us about buying and selling (we could buy a bu siness license and on a set day sell our wares to the other students. I brought in my sno cone maker once.) It all culminated in a massive auction at the end of the year where we vould bid on all kinds of toys, games, even a pizza party over the summer with a favorite teacher. I learned SO MUCH from this. I even learned about protecting money from thieves because a classmate stole several hundred utils from me that I had carelessly left in my desk before a banking day.
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Joy. I find apple slices are usually a good option. If you don't have nut allergies, you could always try a Lara bar or Clif makes a similar one called Kit's Organic - they are bars as well. Good luck, I agree this is a tough one and something I struggle with as well. Jill
Rebecca says
Bananas. It's pretty cheap to buy even 12-15 of them and they're portable and easy.
Anna says
How about pineapple slices? Either get a fresh one or used the canned one without the syrup if you are in a hurry. I know they are expensive, especially if you are feeding a team. I think the fruit kabobs are a great idea!
Sandie says
As a newly retired teachert I am not a big fan of having sponges thrown at me. Our school adopted the no junk food policy years ago and our cafe has lots of fruit and veggies everyday. OUr school also has a grant and everyday the entire school gets a fresh fruit or veggie snack. It is not hard or rocket science. Teachers hand our rewards that are not candy,etc. Cakes etc are not brought in for birthdays and parties. Everyone is still alive and kicking !!! Oh,in addition,I was not a fan of kids bringing in movies. We did other things. Maybe a once a year thing and I would offer my choices to pick from. I am glad to see so many schools are getting on the wagon with healthy things. Also,our wonderful gym teacher teaches healthy eating to the classes all year.
Elle Fowler says
As a teacher, our school REFUSED to use food as a reward. We used several of these ideas. The activities worked best. Our students spent time every Friday outdoors doing team building activities and could earn extra time there. We did lunch with the teacher, we also let the kiddos pick the "clean up" songs or what learning song they wanted the class to sing. (We loved music). We'd even do the cha-cha slide sometimes. Movement and fun as a reward instead of sugar and fat.
Sara says
When I was in elementary school my principal said that if the entire school read 5000 books in a certain amount of time that she would eat worms at an assembly. Of course we accomplished it ;)
Janet says
A lot of these are good ideas/ But I'd be careful w/ the movie one. I'm super picky about what my kids watch and I know what some of my kids friends have seen and I would never allow my kindergarten aged child to watch many of those movies. So there would have to be strict guide lines in that case I guess about what kinds of movies could be included. Perhaps an okay list to pick from instead of just having a child bring one from home.
Julie says
While the elementary school my son is entering this year has a long way to go with food issues, I am hopeful that one family (ours) can help make a change. That being said, I really like most of the ideas on your list, but do agree with some others about using the teachers / principal in some of the suggested ways. Another fun fundraising idea that we did last May at our annual Fun Day (which included ZERO options for good food) was to have a "jail" set up and you could buy tickets to send people to jail. Most of the kids wanted to go there, so they would buy tickets to send their friends to jail. I'm not sure if parents and teachers went, but you could keep a list of those adults that would participate and then let the kids choose send their friends or someone from the list. The DJ pulled tickets throughout the day and called the names of those sent to jail. It was very well received.
Thanks for your list and your commitment to raising healthy kids!
Stacy says
My kids attend a school that does not offer birthday cake for birthdays (their teacher may give the individual child a tootsie roll or a small piece of candy but nothing substantial and not every day) and they only have about 3 parties a year. For the most part they have popcorn more than cake and the kids seem to like it that way. They even have a health and wellness club that meets after school. I love my kids school and their teachers.
I don't agree with things that will take away from learning, cost the teachers more money or degrades authority figures in anyway though.
Brooke Leys-Campeau says
I am a Fitness Instructor and I periodically go to my childrens' school and do Zumba with them at lunch. I pick very kid friendly songs, simplify the choreo and wear my brightest Zumba clothes. The kids have so much fun! I am going make an offer my services to the teachers this year if they want to use it as an alternative to a pizza party or similar food-centered treat.
Marisela says
This is a great article as kids of allergic kids will tell you. Can I translate it into french and post it on my FB page with full credit to you of course!! I live in Quebec and as the new school year begins I am certain it can help out a few other parents!!! Thanks for you blog!
Sue says
For birthdays, my 4th graders get to choose a whole class game or activity, but not just "extra recess". Sometimes the birthday girl/boy brings in a tshirt and fabric markers so everyone can sign. My school district of Lexington, MA has been food-free for ALL celebrations for a number of years. Wasn't popular at first but it's fine now.
Denyse says
It's hard to find a fundraiser that's healthy, fun and helps parents and teachers get to know each other. I had originally thought about booking with a fast food restaurant(at least it met 2 of the 3 criteria). After reading this article, I decided to call some bounce house places in the area. They basically offer the same deal (a cut of the profits on a particular night)while also giving the kids something active to do. BTW, we have several family members who are teachers, and I do think the above suggestions are demeaning. They might have been cute in an era that honored teachers, but now there's so little respect for the profession that I don't want to encourage the idea that we can make fun of teachers, even for a good cause.
Linda Riemer says
Our elementary school has cut out all food (outside of lunch time in the cafeteria) due to the number of kids who have food allergies. This past year was our first year in the district and it was refreshing to know that my kids would not be coming home from a party full of sugar. We DO tend to have some things to toss after a party (small things some parents feel the need to buy like pins, stickers, party favors, etc.), but it's still better than stockpiles of candy.
Ofelia says
Awesome! Thank you for sharing these great ideas :) Love them all!
Amy FJ says
The link to the printable format doesn't seem to work. This is great work!
Amy FJ says
(Those are two separate comments, btw!) I will be checking back to see if the print-link is back up. Thanks!
Melissa says
We did a fund raiser to raise money for the March of Dimes, where the kids got to smear s whipped cream filled pie plate all over the faces of the director, assistant director and two of the teachers. At least we were the only ones exposed to the food, and we were definitel not interested in eating any of it.
Debbie Resler says
As the parent of a child with type 1 diabetes, I absolutely ADORE this list of options. When there are food treats at my son's school, he either needs to:
** go through the effort of determining the carb count so he can calculate the correct dosage of insulin and "safely" eat the treat
** bring home the treat so I can help him with the carb estimation
** abstain from participating
Luckily, if he has access to the ingredient list, he often decides that it's not anything he really wantes to be eating. But kids are kids... A few years ago, one teacher had a treasure chest with prizes the students could choose. I bought a load of temp tattoos and other small, goofy things from Oriental Trading Co. I don't love the idea of perpetuating that sort of thing so much either, but it beats lots of highly processed, HCFS & GMO-laden yuck!
Thanks for the excellent alternatives!!
Jane says
I'd encourage parents to determine how many movies/videos/DVDs their kids are already watching at school before advocating for more to be used as rewards. My children were often shown movies for indoor recess in the winter months, more movies during (ironically) library time, and often watched a movie after the class had completed reading a novel. With the easy access of DVDs and cable, I don't think movies are the big treat for our kids that they were for us and screen time is becoming the new junk food in some schools - fast and easy.
Shocked says
I am a teacher and while I wholeheartedly agree that unhealthy treats should not used as a reward, I am shocked at these following suggestions...
"Principal can be duct taped to the wall (our school actually did this last year – students had to buy pieces of tape)
Principal can kiss a pig in front of the school if a certain amount of money is raised (another example that really happened at a reader’s school)
“Teacher car wash†where kids can “buy†buckets of water and wet sponges that they can throw on teachers in car pool line"
Since when is it ok to teach children to disrespect their principal/teacher in such degrading ways? I understand that it is meant to be in fun, but in a fairness, schools that give candy incentives are also trying to do so in fun. Kiss a pig? Get things thrown at them? Honestly! In this case, we are trading moral intelligence for nutritional intelligence and I'm not certain which is the lesser evil!
Venia says
I totally agree. I think teachers get little or no respect/back up from most parents as it is...and, that attitude gets passed on to the kids. Expecting teachers/faculty to raise badly needed funds for school by being degraded is inexcusable.
Robyn says
Degraded? Really? Calm down, it's all in fun. The principal at my daughter's elementary school offered to kiss a pig if they got a certain score on their yearly tests (his idea, btw). I'm sure no one is talking about making someone do something they aren't comfortable with. These are just alternatives. Let's trust the adults in these places to make decisions that aren't making people feel disrespected or degraded.
Tchrmomma says
I agree. I've been teaching for 13 years and although I do not allow junk food for parties in my classroom I do not agree with many of these suggestions. Many ask for more work for the teacher...like educating your child isn't enough work. Most suggested take precious learning time away or would create a distraction for the whole day. Again, not something a hard working teacher needs on their plate when engaging students isn't hard enough. I know you mean well, but if you want to change school policy you should consider the teacher perspective and not just your own.
Jen says
I have to agree that some of these require more work for the teacher and with all they have to do they should not have to do any thing else. Also with all the disrespect given to teachers it is important that we are not encouraging it in any way. Plus a reward should not be taking away from precious learning time. With all this said it is easy to see how so many teachers fall into just handing out junk food as a reward.
I must say that this is a good starting point at least you are trying something. Maybe with some more input from those teachers giving out the rewards it could be a wonderful list.
Thank you for working so hard to improve the health of families everywhere!
Lani H says
Our school has it's share of junk food but I am thrilled they also do some of the ideas here! Fundraisers include a fun run and a Kiss The Pig contest(the teacher with the most votes has to kiss - votes are 25Âc each). Thanks for sharing these ideas -I'm forwarding to our room mom now!
Jennifer says
Thank you very much for this list. Just last night I was reviewing a form for parents to review of food that would be given out as rewards. We were to mark out what were allergens for our kids. I wanted to mark out 20 of the 22 options just due to sugar content. The best one on the list was applesauce.
Birthday treats of food have been ruled out for out entire school, but apparently rewards are fair game!! As a parent trying to give my kids good food this is frustrating.
Thank you for these options! I plan on printing this off and giving to my son's teacher!
Julie says
Unfortunately, applesauce is not always an option. Most of the single serve applesauces are sweetened with high fructose corn syrup! So you even have to watch that! I only buy the natural variety. (Which, limits the list even more!!!)
Our school lets you bring in cupcakes / mini cupcakes for lunch for birthdays but asked that you also bring something healthier, like carrot sticks or grapes also. The teacher also gave the option of a longer recess for their birthday. That seemed to be pretty popular.
Stephanie says
I am so excited to see this post! As a teacher I dread all the junk that is brought in by parents especially around the holidays. I get flack from parents when I don't allow it in my classroom, but sorry that's my policy! Now here is a GREAT list of alternatives! Easy stuff that cost about the same as a processed sugar crazed sheet cake!
As a parent, I really dislike that food is used as an incentive or reward for my 4yo. We are at a Kosher, nut free school, but he still gets junk as a reward. I pride myself on the quality healthy food I provide my child only to have my child come home from school asking for junk. I politely provide healthy alternatives that I "HIGHLY" recommend they use instead! Being in a small religious school we have the opportunity to cook with the kids for birthday celebrations! (and no sugar and processed food required...lol!)
Thank you for commitment it is an inspiration!
Beth says
This is great! I tried this at our school a few years ago, but not much changed. It's unbelievable how much junk they get at school! When my 13 year old daughter was in third grade they got a treat reward everyday, she got chubby that year!! I then offered my kids $1 for every treat they brought home uneaten, that worked for awhile, but then they couldn't resist because everyone else was eating the treat.
Stephanie says
Free homework pass....can be used at own discretion...always a hit!!
Angie says
I taught first grade and found that pencils and smelly stickers did wonders as rewards! Also, I would buy lots of crayons and markers at the beginning of the year and hand those out as larger prizes for reading achievements. When I did food prizes, I did grapes or string cheese and the kids were super excited. Our school for prizes did a weekly, "Eat with the principal" where kids sat at a special table and ate their lunch with the principal. All of these were cheap and affordable ideas that were also healthy!
Kira =] says
I tried printing the list, but it gives me an error that it can't find the link =\
sarah says
Thanks for sharing these ideas. My husband and I teach a Sunday School class for preschoolers and I've been trying to think of ways to encourage good behavior and participation other than candy rewards. Giving a child candy for doing something right always makes me think "Good doggy, here's a treat!" LOL One thing I've noticed about our kids is that they always want to be first in line, so I decided to make that a reward. I'll definitely be considering some of these things to use in our class!
Kate says
This is a great list and should be shared with all schools! You need to team up with Jamie Oliver and get this message out!!
But I have to say, it can be done with out treats and kids don't mind.
The school my son attends celebrates birthdays with fruit and they promote healthy eating all around. It's wonderful!
Michelle says
I just found this blog and I am enjoying reading it. As a teacher I will say that you will want to be very careful about suggesting these ideas to teachers. Teachers have a hard job and really just try their best everyday. By handing out treats they are not trying to harm your child. For every parent that hates treats, there are other parents that love that teachers give treats. It's hard to please everyone. Also, if you are requesting that teachers not give treats, you should not be giving treats at home either. Sometimes parents will get upset with teachers for doing something that they do at home. I do not give treats because I have had diabetic students in the past, but I understand why other teachers do.
LSW says
My son is pretty excited that for his birthday I'm sending in fruit kabobs (plastic skewers for some degree of safety) and he gets to choose the fruit. Each parent sends in one "healthy" snack a month and I am constantly amazed at the stuff he tells me they get: fruit rollups, chewy granola bars, Sun Chips (better than Doritos), etc.
Llama Momma says
Our school, like Debra's, also doesn't allow food in the classroom, due to allergies. At first it seemed harsh, but now, five years in, I love it!! If kids need a snack in class, they can have fresh fruit or raw veggies. :-)
On birthdays, the kids get to pick a "birthday book," which is funded by the PTA. For rewards, teachers buy cheap little toys or bookmarks, have a pajama day, or my boys' personal favorite -- extra recess!
During class parties they do crafts and play games. Because they've never had or gotten junk food at school, they honestly don't expect it. Valentine's day cards include tattoos, stickers, pencils...one girl even made homemade heart shaped crayons. Picking out valentines is the one time they say, "Oh, I wish we could give out these sucker valentines."
I'm grateful for parents who went before me willing to speak up and demand change and a healthy learning environment for their kids.
anna says
It's been a good 20 years since I've been in elemantary school but I still remember getting to cut off a piece of our principal's tie as a reward for having read a certain number of books over so and so time period in 3rd grade.
Debra says
Due to allergies, our elementary school does not allow food in the classroom, so there is no food at parties and no food as rewards. I love it. The kids still have fun at the parties - we do games and a craft, sometimes stories or songs. They do not miss the treats. We are also not allowed to send in treats for birthdays or parties, even if they are packaged. It took a couple of years to get people on board, but now it is a very popular policy. Once a year, on valentines day, the school hosts (with pta help)an ice cream social in the cafeteria for all grades. It is really special because that is the only treat they get all year.
For things like boxtops, they do a contest and you can "snowball" the other classrooms. The winning class will get story books or board games or something of the like. They also get pj parties as rewards, where they can bring a stuffed animal and their robe or pjs and have stories and watch a movie or play games. My kids love food but they get just as excited about that kind of stuff. For fundraiser type things such as filling a bus with food donations or the jump-a-thon to raise money for american heart association, they don't get a reward for raising the most money. They get the knowledge that they do something wonderful for someone else. That in itself is an important lesson. For the math-a-thon, held to raise money for make a wish foundation, all who donate get their name in a drawing to go on the radio to present the check. They get super excited about that.
It took several years to get the parents on board with the no treats, (it was handed down by the school administration) and every year there are a few people coming in to kindergarten that are not in favor, but for the most part, it is a popular policy. Good luck to you in your attempts to get your school to do something similar, and email me if I can offer any help.
Danielle says
I love this. It reminds me of how I can be handling things at home. I am not always in charge of what happens at school/church/friends homes, but I can teach my kids and hopefully do the things I value most at home. One thing that has helped me is to focus on 'treats' as special time. So rather than celebrating with cookies, we get to pick out extra stories. BUT at the same time we do enjoy good food, so I recognize that it can be fun to have treats and to celebrate with food. IN MODERATION. I do agree that when every day is a special day...you have to wonder. :) THanks for these ideas. I would like to save them for when my kids get older and this becomes something we deal with regularly.
Amanda says
Great list! I'm passing it on to our school. The amount of junk that is given to "reward" our children is sad. First off, why are they giving so many rewards and second of all why does it constantly have to be unhealthy junk? It is so hard to convince my child that eating healthy is important when the people she looks up to at school are continuously handing out/encouraging all these unhealthy foods.
Marcie says
These are great ideas! Thank you all for sharing them. How would you all approach a kindergarten teacher that rewards her students individually with marshmallows on regular basis? She also brings in treats for the class when they fill a marble jar. Ugh.
100 Days of Real Food says
Hand her a copy of this list! It is a touchy subject...make sure you always complement first.