Sunday, September 30, 2012

Stickers - An Economy In Our Classroom


Are you looking for a super easy to implement classroom economy?  Try Stickers!

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sticker classroom economy

I had wanted to implement an economy rewards system in my classroom, but most ideas I found seemed like a lot of work to me.  Like most teachers, my plate is overflowing already, so I wanted to make it simple.  It finally hit me one day - stickers! I LOVED getting stickers as a kid, but my kiddos love them even more because each one is worth $1 in our classroom economy.


Each student has a small notebook like this:

zebra mini notebook

Whenever the student turns in an assignment, answers a "stretchy" question, or is "caught being good" I give them a sticker to put in their book.

At the end of the month we have a mini-store with various prizes (books, pencils, erasers, etc.) and they can "spend" their stickers.  I simply use a sharpie to cross them out as they spend them.


sticker classroom economy


I love the way that MsKohlskids keeps her stickers on a binder ring!


Have you used a sticker economy in your classroom?  I'd love to see!  Comment below or tag me on Twitter or Instagram.



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35 comments:

  1. Great classroom economy idea! Love the simplicity of it :)
    Erin
    http://adventuresinthirdgrade-brown.blogspot.com/

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  2. What a good idea! I have so many stickers and now I have a way to use them in the classroom :)

    Sara
    Miss V's Busy Bees

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  3. I LOVE this idea! How do you place a value on the things they can purchase with their stickers?

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    1. We count each sticker as a dollar basically and then the items are priced between $5 and $300. I generally set the price at $1 per penny for what I pay for things - so a $300 item cost $3.00. If it is prize like a homework pass or sitting in a bean bag chair it might be $10 or $20.

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  4. Hi!! This is a good idea because I work After school as a group leader..

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  5. Do the children ever cheat bringing stickers from home?

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    1. I have never had a student cheat that way. I usually buy the stickers in the packages that you can only find at teacher supply stores or office supply stores. I also keep track of which types of stickers I use.

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  7. Love this idea...simply and easy to manage! It's a win-win!

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  8. Where did you get the bulk animal print memo pads? Thank you!!!

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    1. I got them at Amazon http://amzn.to/2tVBLHj (affiliate link)

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  9. I have done this for over 30 years. I have used this from grades 2 through 10. If kids are not participating, and I pick up the stickers suddenly every hand is up. If peeps are talking out, I say good answer, sorry, I can't give you a sticker...My prizes are valued from 10~ 50 stickers. Kids love it!

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  10. You did this with high school? What types of things were they able to "buy", and how did you pay for them?

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  11. I teach 4th grade, but another teacher left a comment that she used a similar system for 10th graders. They are able to buy small things such as pencils, pens, etc. I pay for the items myself. Hope that helps!

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  12. Do you take away stickers for them not following expectations? Also have many students do you have?

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  13. I personally do not take stickers away for misbehavior, but that is a personal choice. My class size is usually right around 24.

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    1. Thank you for the quick response. I really like this idea and it seems simple!!! This year I have 34 students and I am trying to figure out what will be the best tool to manage all those bodies. In the years past, I have used classdojo but I know it won't be as affective this year especially since I don't have the app on my phone.

      Any suggestions?

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  14. I think this idea is brilliant! I wish my teachers did this when I grew up. I would be so much more fun and rewarding to participate

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  15. I have been using a classroom economy system for the past 30 years and do something very similar. I use gold nuggets (laminated squares of yellow paper with 40 nuggets per sheet). Children vote on whether they'd like to try an economy system in Sept. (they always say yes but it is about them buying in). Then they earn nuggets based on behaviour, returning notices or homework, doing their classroom jobs, etc. to buy items at our class store. It seriously is the easiest management system ever. I do take nuggets away too (forgetting their book bags, don't do homework, poor behaviour, etc.) They get paid every Friday and we have our store every other week. The cashier, store clerk and classroom economist run the store. I have used it with grades 1 through 7. Kids love it! I love it!

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  16. I love this! Are your students responsible with keeping up with their notebooks or do you store them somewhere in the room? Also, if they keep the notebook with them, how do you keep them from drawing all in it? I know I would have several that would want to fill it with artwork!!

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  17. I have students keep them in their own desks, but you could keep them in a separate spot if you are worried about drawing in it. I tell them this is their "money" and they wouldn't write on real money would they? If they write in their notebook, they won't be able to earn as much money.

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  18. I love stickers.. always have. I used them with My preschoolers till we were told we could not do it anymore.. they could onyl be used as part of an activity such as counting or such .. but I plan on using them in a variety of ways with my future elementary classes once I finish my degree.. I pick up a pack every time I get a chance ...

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  19. How do you keep up with giving the stickers out each time they complete work? I like the idea and I want to do this, but think the management of handing out stickers will be difficult. My students turn in a lot of their "center" work and I don't usually look at their work until the weekend. Do you give the sticker automatically or do you keep track a different way and pay them at a different time?

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    1. You can make it work for you. You don't have to give out for each assignment if you don't want to. You could also pass them out (or have a student pass them out) as you pass out graded work.

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  20. This is great! Any ideas for prizes for the older kids? Thanks! :)

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    1. The best way to pick prizes for kids is to ASK them! At the beginning of the year I have students give me a list of things they might work for. Usual suggestions include Takkis chips, football or baseball cards, lip gloss, and various other treats.

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  21. I tried this with my 1st graders and the students (and me!) love it! I do struggle to pass out stickers without having to stop what we are doing, so I ended up tallying next to names and catching up on stickers after school. I hate to stop using this system because it really does work well for the kids, but it seems to be a lot of work on my part. Any suggestions?

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  22. This is a very cool idea!! The little kids LOVE stickers and I have found that the big kids love them too! Epic win!! Thank you for sharing.

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  23. Yes, my question was what do you do when you are in the hall and they earn a sticker? I can see kids coming up to me saying they dropped their stickers someplace. I love this idea though. Just wanting to think through the bumps in the road and how to handle them.

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    1. I don't pass them out in the hallway for that reason. I tell them to remind me when we get back into the classroom. So far, they have been very honest about it! :)

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  24. I love the sticker classroom economy idea. Now, I can handle that and what a fun and easy way to do it. How many stickers do you charge per item? Do you have a list that you could share? Thanks!

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    1. It varies based on the prizes I have - the more I spend on the prize the more it costs. LOL!

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