Guest Author - Shannon Swanson

All kids (and all adults that I know of) love treats, and there seems to be something about giving them out in the classroom that makes them taste even better. But sometimes giving out treats in class, especially in Primary, can turn into a frustrating experience. So here are some guidelines to help make the “treat experience” not only run smoothly, but to help make it work for your advantage as a teacher. (You can also refer to my article “Now Gimme Some Candy!!!” http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art7582.asp for more ideas with adults or youth.)

Treats in Adult Classes

Having treats in adult classes, such as Relief Society, usually doesn’t run into too many problems, so I am not going to dwell on it. One small suggestion if you are not already doing so, is to try and tie in your treat with the theme of the lesson, and if you have the time and means, to attach a message along with your treat. It will help the class remember the point and application of your lesson.

Consistency With Treats in Primary

With treats in Primary, it’s all about the when’s and what’s. Be consistent in when you give them out. If this means that you want to do it right after the lesson, that is when it will be every time. That way, the kids will know what to expect and will not get out of control with wondering what is going to happen next. If there is that one Primary student who just can’t wait, he or she will learn to be patient over time if you can just stick to your guns (or you might just want to hide your treat until it is time to avoid the issue altogether).

Also, be sure that your treats are all the same. You wouldn’t believe how picky kids can be (unless you have kids!). If one has chocolate and the other vanilla, it might turn into an unnecessarily complicated situation. If one is a little bigger than the other, it’s the same thing. So save yourself the trouble and try and keep everything equal and even.

Treats as an Incentive

Some teachers bring treats or snacks every week no matter what. And that may work fine for them. The thing is, unless you have a really great class, you can optimize it by using your treats as incentives. What kind of class do you really want? Where can your class use improvement? Are they putting enough effort into answering all the questions? Are they good at not talking out of turn?

If you let them know exactly what you expect from them and that their reward will then be the treat you have provided (unless you have a birthday or other exceptions), your students will then have something to work for and more than likely will step up and feel good about their accomplishments knowing that they earned it.

If there is anything that could be messy from your treats, be sure that you kindly let your class know beforehand that you expect them to help clean it up at the end. And if you have that one student who always wants more, well, that is up to you. But you may want to consistently provide an even amount for every child. And again, if you can, try to put them off toward the end of the class. It is often hard to teach with the sound of wrappers and chewing noises going on!

Using Treats to Teach the Lesson
Using treats to teach the lesson can make it more effective, but it really depends on whether or not you feel your class can handle it. If you think they may get a little too out of control over the excitement, it might be a good idea to pass on this one.

Using the treats with the lesson will help kids visualize and store the point of the lesson in their minds more effectively. For example, if you have the lesson on gratitude for fish, you could bring Swedish Fish to your class and have the kids fish for those instead of paper fish.

Another idea is to use ginger bread men for a lesson on family where the students can create their own families and can act out their family activities together. Get creative. There are so many options out there that aren’t very expensive and that don’t require a lot of preparation. The whole point in the end is to make every learning experience fun for everyone.