Elementary Cafeteria Incentive The Silver Spoon

I had a couple of School Administrators reach out regarding suggestions for helping with behavior in the cafeteria at an elementary school. Here is the information I shared that was used in a school where I worked.

The Silver Spoon Incentive Program

The Silver Spoon program aims to promote good manners, cooperation, and a respectful environment in the cafeteria.

How It Works:

1. Criteria for Earning the Silver Spoon:

   - Behavior: Students must demonstrate good manners, such as saying "please" and "thank you" and following directions from cafeteria staff.

   -Cleanliness: Students are responsible for keeping their eating area clean, disposing of trash properly, and helping to tidy up.

   - Noise Level: Maintaining an appropriate noise level, speaking in inside voices, and avoiding disruptive behavior.

   - Respect: Showing respect towards peers, staff, and cafeteria property.

**Of course, this should be modeled. Our teachers ate lunch with the students during the first week of school to help teach the procedures. This was agreed upon prior to the beginning of the year by the teacher because teachers are entitled to a duty-free lunch! Our teachers wanted to work with their students at the beginning of the year. This was the culture we built. :-)

2. Monitoring and Selection:

   - Teachers aids or cafeteria monitors observe and assess each class’s behavior during lunch.

   - Each day, a class follows all directions and earns a letter. Once a class spells "SILVER SPOON," they earn a special reward. ** You can add the word "The" to have students spell "THE SILVER SPOON." We used "The Silver Spoon". The cafeteria monitor keeps up with the forms on the clipboard and signs off on the letters earned by each class. We had a microphone system in the cafeteria and used it to complement and reinforce positive behavior. Please do not use your microphone as a tool to "fuss." -smile

3. Recognition and Rewards:

   - The winning class receives a Silver Spoon trophy or symbol to display in their classroom for the following week. We had an oversized Silver Spoon that we would hang outside classrooms when a class earned the award.

   - Upon spelling "THE SILVER SPOON," the class earns a party. The first time might be a popcorn party, the second time popsicles, the third time pizza, extra recess time, additional computer lab time, movie hour, etc. The PTA was wonderful at providing these incentives. Again, you and your team should decide on the appropriate incentives.

   - Progress is celebrated during the morning announcements, highlighting classes that have earned letters and fostering a friendly competition to see who will spell it first.

4. Benefits:

   - Encourages a positive and respectful cafeteria environment.

   - Teaches students the importance of good manners and cooperation.

   - Creates a sense of pride and accomplishment among students.

   - Fosters a spirit of friendly competition and teamwork.

   - Engages the entire school community through announcements and recognition.

The Silver Spoon program makes the cafeteria experience more pleasant for everyone and reinforces important social skills that students can carry beyond the lunchroom. The added element of daily letters, cumulative rewards, and public recognition keeps students consistently motivated and engaged in positive behavior, creating an exciting and supportive school culture.

A large chart on the wall displays all classes by grade level so they can see progress daily. We had a wall outside of the cafeteria where this information was displayed.

Important: letters cannot/should not be taken away. The Silver Spoon should never be used in a punitive manner. Ex. "Ms. Leroy's class, because you refused to follow directions today, I will take a letter away from you." --You will lose your students once this happens.

This program helped my students learn the importance of working together. 

Again, we polled our students/classes at the beginning of the year to see what they liked. Some classes were motivated by extra playground time, watching a movie, extra computer time, etc. Find the incentives that work for your students! The incentives could very well vary by grade level. Work with your PTA and Admin team to discuss appropriate incentives.

Please comment below on other incentives you may have used in your schools to help with behavior in the cafeteria. Sharing is Caring!

Email info@korriewhite.com, and I will send you some examples of the forms we used to keep up with "The Silver Spoon."