Reception class reward system

“Shiny board”

Our reward system is based on “shinies” – stars or other metallic party confetti. The shiny
board has a class list of the children (in alphabetical order) on a grid with squares numbered
1 – 10., each square big enough for a star. I find a class of 30 will just fit onto an A3 sheet.

Each child has an old/free CD with his/her photograph in the middle on the board and in the
first week we make /find shiny decorations for the board.

Children are given shinies for attitude effort and good behaviour and these are blue-tacked
on the grid at the end of each day (we record names on the whiteboard during the day).
When a child gets 10 shinies, they get a “dip in the shiny box” – a decorated box with party
favour type gifts in –and a “Super shiny” is stuck on their CD (I use those glass effect 3D stars
you can buy in craft shops) Their stars are then removed from the grid and put back on the
‘holding board’ ready to start again . The CD goes home at the end of the year.

Of course the treats in the shiny box could be classroom treats (one of my most popular was
sitting on the teacher’s chair at home time) rather than plastic tat.

We also have a ‘class shiny’ chart on the board, with 20 numbered squares for ‘tidy
classroom/ everybody ready/ everybody is at school today type rewards. The children
choose a reward for when they get 20 shinies – class cinema (DVD on the IWB) with popcorn
, a ‘playtime’ in the big playground, or a new book for the book box are some things they
have chosen. This is recorded next to the chart.

Having the numbered squares has really helped with counting and maths – the children love
to count their shinies and how many more they need, and we count the shinies on the class
board every morning,

The sanction we use is the thinking mat – a red circular bath mat. Children are asked to sit
on the mat with a one or two minute egg timer to think about their unacceptable behaviour
and how they can make amends. It is always presented as the ‘thinking mat’ and is put
under the teacher’s chair when not needed. Nobody is allowed to disturb a child on the mat.
We have found it really successful - children have been known to take themselves off onto
the thinking mat when they are having a bad day or to ask their peers (or the dolls) to go
and sit on the mat if they have done something they shouldn’t.