Do you need a behavior management system that encourages kindness, caring, friendship and best effort?

If you need a new way to inspire students to step outside their comfort zone to try new things, need them to step up in the effort department or have kids with disruptive behavior, then this bulletin board might be just the thing for your classroom!

The Punch It! Bulletin Board is super easy to make and something the students in my class never tire of! This is an incentive system that can be adapted to any classroom and great for use at home use as well.

Students who are fulfilling positive behaviors or trying their best get to “punch” the tissue paper on a cup of their choice. They tear the tissue paper away to reveal a coupon or small trinket and return the rubber band to reuse.

I began using the Punch It! Board when I was holding a Read-a-Thon in my 5th-grade classroom. As students read 10 pages they received a raffle ticket to place in a drawing. If I drew the student’s raffle ticket, he or she got to “Punch It!” for a prize. The prizes consisted of rubber bracelets, bookmarks, house points tickets, and stickers. 

When I saw the enjoyment and enthusiasm of my class for the Punch It! Board, I decided to amp things up a bit. I made a new, much larger board to use as a classroom incentive board! Being a larger board, I could use it more often without having to refill the cups with prizes on a daily basis.

Supplies for creating your own board:

Constructing your board:

Tip: I like to have a stack of 4x4 tissue paper pieces cut out ahead of time so that replacing them on the cups is quick and easy!

Rewards for your cups:

My school has a house system like the one in Harry Potter. The students work to earn points for their house. I created tickets with varied point values to place inside my cups. If you'd also like to use house points, you can download an editable version of my tickets.  

The board can also be used to build relationships. Coupons for lunch with the principal, morning tea with the teacher or free time to get to know a new friend can be popped into the cups to nurture connection and create a sense of belonging. 

Another lovely idea is to use it as a birthday board. When a student celebrates their birthday, they're allowed to punch the board to reveal a small gift. 

In my classroom students are allowed to punch the board when:

The chosen student/s come to the Punch It! Board with great excitement and punch through the tissue paper to reveal their prize! 

It is such a simple concept, but the kids LOVE IT!

The benefit for teachers and parents alike is that students don’t seem to tire of it and it is easy to maintain. The anticipation of the opportunity to have a turn keeps the kids eager to please. I see improvements in listening, completing assignments, working well in groups, and working to be helpful and kind to everyone!

One of the most pleasing things is how often students recognize kindness and citizenship of their classmates. Many times they will suggest that another student is given an opportunity at the board! Kids receive positive reinforcement for good choices and appropriate and desired behaviors. They look forward with excitement to what will be behind the tissue paper when they get a chance to Punch It!!

Finding an incentive that really motivates students can be difficult! With a little bit of time and money, you will reap a lot more in rewards within your classroom, not to mention the motivation for students to do their best!