Strengthening Families Program: For Parents & Youth 10-14 --- Sample Incentives

Recruitment:

  • Conduct classroom visits and offer an incentive drawing for those that return an information card with-in a week. Incentives should appeal to the youth, such as an IPOD shuffle. Prizes can also be awarded to the classroom with the most information cards returned, either for the teacher (such as a restaurant gift card) or the class (such as a pizza party).
  • Incentives can be used on recruitment fliers. For example, offer the chance to be entered into a holiday shopping gift card drawing to all that register.

Program Attendance:

  • Incentives can be offered weekly. Examples are highlighted below. Be creative!
  • Incentives can also be effective if offered only intermittently, such as gift cards for attendance at the first three sessions and last three sessions.
  • Incentives can be given only at the end of the program as long as participants know that they can earn a reward and it motivates them to complete the program.

Week 1 or Week 6 / Theme: spending time together and showing love
Cooking Gift Bag
Cookbook or Cooking Magazine
Plastic Spoon
Oven Mitt
Corn Muffin Mix
bag of M&M baking chips
Picnic Bag / Cooler Bag
Lemonade 2-Liter
Bag of Pretzels
Frisbee
Valentines/I Love You Bag / Paper gift bag with a heart print
Items for dinner – spaghetti, sauce, cake mix, icing, heart sprinkles
Heart shaped candles
Silicone heart-shaped cake pan or heart-shaped ice cube trays
Card making kit (2 cards)
Week 2 / Theme: build on the family tree project – the book can be used to further explore their family roots, document a family vacation, highlight special memories, etc….
Scrapbooking Kit / Spiral Album 10” x 10” (Scrapbook)
Scrapbooking Scissors
Craft Glue Sticks
Glitter/paint pen – gel pens – a marker
A sheet of letter stickers
Week 3 / Theme: Encourage the families to hold a family meeting and incorporate a fun activity afterwards
Game Gift Bag / Light Microwave Popcorn
Kool-Aid Lemonade- Individual Packets
Cards/Game - Skip-Bo, Uno, or Jumbling Tower
3 bags of chips - Smart Mix Variety Sack
Week 4 / Theme: Complements the point chart or shield making activity
Point Chart/Dry Erase / Youth - Dry Erase Memo Magnet
Chore Dry Erase Board 11x14
Values Gift / Youth - colorful notebook and pen for taking family meeting notes
Book – 10 Minute Life Lessons for Kids by Jamie Miller
Week 5 / Theme: problem solving – step by step
Puzzle / 500+ piece family puzzle
Week 7 / Theme: Encourage families to continue to celebrate the small successes in their lives, to reinforce positive behaviors, and to show love
Celebration Gift Basket / Basket
Game - Charoodles, Apples To Apples, or Whoonu
ZigZag Unique Bougies Candles
12 Assorted Balloons
Multi-stripe Notecards
Stickeroni Value Aubaine Whimsical Buttle Stickers (praise/compliments stickers)
Unique Shape Post It Notes (heart shaped)
Wrap gift basket with Cello Roll Create A Basket Shrink Wrap and ribbon
Framed family photo
Graduation gift certificate