Stop Using Candy to Motivate Students

Looks like it is my unpopular belief that candy is one of the worst motivators in teaching. Let’s just think about this for a bit. Candy, literally pure SUGAR, is a common method teachers use to motivate students to work. Forget the fact that candy is a direct way to harm a child’s health; candy is no different than any other type of currency for children. You are paying them to be students.

Teachers using the candy-motivation strategy are failing their students. They are sending the wrong message. If your goal is to help students motivate themselves, it won’t be accomplished by throwing candy their way. It is such a short-term effect that using it in the classroom won’t make any difference in student motivation.

If, in fact, student motivation is your goal, then you need to create an atmosphere of positive learning. If you want students to care, if you want students to motivate themselves, the motivators you offer them as a teacher should not be extrinsic, but rather intrinsic.

I’ve heard the argument many times “students cannot get to intrinsic motivators without first getting those extrinsic motivators,” meaning the candy (and, in some other classrooms, the made-up money, the extra recess, the no-homework passes). These motivators are a mistake.

Rather than students working for trade, they should be working for themselves. And no, age has nothing to do with it. It does not matter if you teach elementary, middle, or high school. All students can motivate themselves if taught how. It is your responsibility as the teacher to teach them how.

So now it comes to the real offerings. Forget the candy. Instead, as intrinsic motivators, use—

1. Movement. A little bit of exercise goes a long way. Something magical happens when you move. Your brain moves with you. Give students a chance to move and often. You’ll see a difference.
2. Fun. My goodness, if you make learning fun, your students will go all in with the learning and even yearn for more.
3. Creativity. Give your students a chance to be creative in learning. Bring out their inner artist. Give them a challenge and make them want to meet that challenge.
4. Hands-on learning. This method is bringing the previous three altogether. It’s the good exercise that movement brings, the enjoyment of fun, the beauty of creativity.
5. Sense of community. It is every teacher’s dream that students view their classroom as a place of community. Show students how to encourage one another. Distribute the responsibility and let it be the children who push each other to always do their best.
6. Leadership opportunities. Students are eager to be of use, even if they don’t always show it. Give them a special responsibility. Assign them unique roles in their group work. Have them teach each other.
7. Recognition for effort. When they do something well, tell them! Show them you’re proud of them. They’ll want to do it again and again. 
8. Connections to life. No one likes to do work they believe is pointless. Take the time to show them how they can use it in real life. Giving them that reason to learn is reason enough.
9. Pride in work. Teach them to be proud of everything they do. Each writing assignment, each project, each math worksheet is a chance for them to show how much they have learned and grown.
10. Student interest. If the lesson plan aligns with students' interest, they’ll have less resistance to it. They will actually want to participate and learn more.

So please, do your students a favor. Leave that candy at the store. Save yourself some money and start using real methods that actually motivate students. Don’t teach them to work for tangible objects (for the love of God, no sugar) teach them to work for themselves. You will be helping them in the long run.