Reading Marketplace Prize-a-palooza

How do you hook kids into reading when reading may not be their favorite thing to do? Well, I always say that kids who don't love reading just haven't found "their books" yet. It is true. Once kids find the books and authors that they love, they become voracious readers. But what do we do to entice them to try books? How do we get them to read certain authors? Forcing them doesn't work. Demanding it doesn't work. Assigning it doesn't work. They may read and find it "boring" and become kids who hate reading. That is not what we want. We must hook them, and sometimes we have to entice them with...prizes!

At Lely Elementary, we started a Reading Marketplace Prize-a-palooza where kids can "spend" the points they earned in the Reading Counts Program. Kids read books, take a short quiz, pass the quiz, accumulate points, and on Marketplace Day, spend those points. This is the way we entice kids to give reading a shot and to try different authors. Sometimes, the power of the prize really works with elementary school kiddos. It certainly did for us. 

Kids were so excited to spend their points on prizes ranging from 1-150 points. We had put together a selection of prizes that ranged from mini-fridges and stuffed animals to passes for Maker Space time in the media center or extra recess. 

Each class had a half hour to shop the marketplace. We had separated high-point prizes in one room and lower-point prizes in a connecting room. Kids walked through the high-point room and, if they had enough points, could purchase anything in the room. Then we moved to the lower-point room and everyone spent their points there. We did not allow kids to "save" points; they had to spend them all, and they did. 

Our kids were incredibly excited to visit the marketplace. Already they were making plans for the next quarter and the books they would read and the points they would accumulate. We have most of the kids hooked. Now, it's time to use that hook to steer them toward "their books". It would be a waste if we did not work with their natural motivation and help them become intrinsically-motivated, voracious readers. Now that they are open to reading more books, we can figure out which books they will love most. We can use their interests to turn them on to authors they will love and find books similar to the ones they already love. 

It is not our end goal to give prizes for reading. The prizes are a means to an end. Our end goal is to help develop lifelong readers. In order to do that, we have to get kids to love reading. The Prize-a-palooza was one step in the process and now we must take that enthusiasm for reading and continue to show kids the wonders of reading. If we get them to love reading now, we have set them up for much success in their futures.