Student thrive when they have clear cut and visible goals that they can work towards. Used before or after the holidays, this fun winter incentive board featured at CSD Libraries Blog {created by Butler Elementary's library media specialist, Debbie Tyler} is a great way to get your kiddos excited about classroom happenings... and maybe even inspire a bit of a contest!

Quietest Snowman Contest

Debbie and her fellow library media specialists used the board to encourage positive library behavior. On their visits to the library for four weeks, each class would be carefully observed to see if they followed all the rules and were on their best behavior. If they succeeded, their class earned a snowman piece, which was displayed proudly on the board. At the end of the four weeks, those classes that earned all of their snowman pieces, received a prize!

Debbie commented that the kids loved seeing their snowman "grow" each week! We also think it's a fun way to spur friendly competition between classes {or classmates}. Great for encouraging positive behavior in the classroom, you could also use it for...

• Accelerated reader programs
• Extra credit
• Homework completion
• And any other things you can come up with!

Winter Incentive Bulletin Board

• Background: Light blue bulletin board paper.
• Title: "Quietest Snowman Contest!", "Our Snowmen Are Bookworms!", "Hardworking Snowmen!", etc.
• Border: Winter themed border or complimentary solid black trimmer. To add a bit of visual interest, Debbie also added a fun sparkly white Christmas garland.
• Decoration: Using white card stock, create a snowman cutout for each student. To make building easier, Debbie made sure each snowman was comprised of four distinct pieces - the three circles that make up the body as well as the hat. She pre-decorated each head circle with eyes, carrot nose, and mouth, and each "torso" with a scarf, buttons, and arms using construction paper in various colors. To give students an idea of what they're working for, create a large snowman from white bulletin board paper, decorating it with construction paper to match the smaller cutouts. Arrange the large snowman in the center of the bulletin board and add small white "snow drifts" labeled with student names around the bulletin board. As students earn their pieces {for good behavior, for reaching their weekly reading goal, etc.}, their snowman will be built on the drift with their name!