Desk Pets: A Fun and Effective Behavior Reward System in the Classroom – Introduction
Welcome to my blog post series dedicated to desk pets! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing a series of posts about how I use and implement desk pets in my classroom. Stay tuned for more updates and tips coming soon on incorporating desk pets into your classroom!
Introducing: Desk Pets
Over the past few years, desk pets have gained popularity, and you might have come across them in various discussions. Personally, my introduction to desk pets came through an original viral TikTok video by Marissa Begay. At that time, I was facing the challenge of teaching two groups of kindergarten students simultaneously during the pandemic. If you were teaching during this time, you may remember a similar experience: our classroom setup was minimally bare, no shared materials, and strict social distancing protocols in place. Discovering the concept of desk pets seemed like a ray of fun and excitement, especially in a year where many traditional kindergarten activities weren’t possible. Intrigued, I decided to conduct an experiment by introducing a simple, modified version of desk pets in my classroom that year aiming to offer students a fun experience and make up for the other enjoyable activities they had missed due to the unusual circumstances. The positive response from the students encouraged me to plan a more comprehensive implementation of desk pets for the upcoming year.
During the summer, I devoted time to craft a creative and engaging way to integrate desk pets into our daily routine, turning them into a long-term classroom behavior reward system while also promoting a fun learning environment. This endeavor sparked my interest and creativity, leading me to develop a comprehensive Desk Pets Bundle with numerous unique and customizable components. Today, it has become a tradition in my classroom community, enriching the classroom experience for my kindergarten students year after year.
If you’re curious about how I successfully incorporate desk pets in my classroom as a kindergarten teacher this year, I invite you to continue reading and join me on this exciting journey of sharing my love for this system!
Reasons I love Desk Pets in the classroom
Amidst varying opinions about desk pets, I genuinely adore using them for several compelling reasons! I understand how it may appear as “one more thing,” but from my experience, the advantages far outweigh any drawbacks. It’s remarkably easy to maintain consistency, requires minimal time during the day, seamlessly integrates into existing routines with little distraction, and involves very little effort once it’s all set up. Having implemented desk pets for three years now, here are some of the reasons why they have become a cherished part of my classroom!
- Positive Motivation and Behavior: In my desk pet system, I award “pet coins” as incentives for students to actively participate, engage in classroom activities, demonstrate routines, and exhibit positive behavior such as attentiveness, following rules, showing respect to peers and teachers, and more. This approach reduces disruptive behaviors and fosters heightened motivation and enthusiasm for learning. Recognizing students’ achievements and rewarding them with pet coins also bolsters their self-confidence and self-esteem. I refrain from using negative reinforcement by taking away earned pet coins.
- Encouraging a Growth Mindset: As teachers, we decide when to give out pet coins, which means they can be awarded for various aspects, not solely positive behavior. Specific themes can be chosen to encourage growth, and pet coins can be given for effort and improvement, not just final outcomes. This nurtures a growth mindset, where students understand the value of hard work and perseverance.
- Reinforcing Real-Life and Academic Skills: The desk pets system goes beyond motivation; it actively incorporates real-life and academic skills. Students learn valuable life skills like goal-setting, earning, saving and spending currency, time management, responsibility, and perseverance. Academically, they constantly practice counting their pet coins, which hones their counting sequences and one-to-one matching abilities. Writing numbers, considering the number of coins required to buy a pet or accessory, addition, subtraction, understanding the value of money, and comparisons between their coins are all additional learning opportunities. The Desk Pets Bundle also offers journal writing opportunities for students to write about their pets.
- Family Involvement: The desk pet system extends to include families, allowing for better communication and involvement. By keeping them informed about their child’s progress and accomplishments, we strengthen the home-school connection. Students are thrilled to share their desk pet successes with their families at home voluntarily.
- Endless Fun: Perhaps most importantly, desk pets are simply fun! My students absolutely LOVE them, and their excitement is ever-present. Regardless of how long we’ve been using desk pets, students enjoy earning coins, visiting the pet shop or spending time playing with their pets. Desk pets also ignite creativity within students, as they enjoy creating and crafting items for their pets and engaging in collaborative play with each other and their desk pets.
I could go on, but there are truly too many reasons why I love desk pets in my classroom! They have proven to be an invaluable asset to our learning environment, bringing joy, motivation, and valuable life lessons to my students’ educational journey.
When should I start Desk Pets in my classroom?
Desk pets are a great addition to any primary grade and can be introduced at any point during the school year. However, based on my experience, I highly recommend starting desk pets once your classroom community, rules, and procedures have been firmly established, especially in kindergarten, where students are still becoming familiar with the concept of “school” and its workings. The timing of implementation may vary depending on the age or characteristics of your student group, as well as their readiness, motivation, and sense of responsibility. (And don’t forget, you can pause or discontinue this system at any point in the year if needed!)
Last year, my goal was to begin desk pets in October or November. I had prepared all the materials the previous year, so everything was ready to go! However, circumstances changed, and I had a very young group of students with high-need behaviors that demanded significant time, attention, and energy. Consequently, I couldn’t introduce the new system until January. Surprisingly, this timeline worked exceptionally well for my students for the remainder of the year. The timing made sense because winter break often marks a significant jump in developmental growth and progress, along with a need for change and renewed motivation among students. It turned out to be the perfect time for implementation with my particular group. As a result, I have now decided to aim for introducing the concept in mid-January, right after we return from winter break and settle back into our routines.
Before you proceed with your implementation plan, it’s crucial to prep all the necessary materials well in advance to ensure a smooth start. If you happen to use my Desk Pets Bundle, you’ll find an extensive selection of components to choose from. (Feel free to use as much or as little of the bundle as you’d like!) Take the time to plan thoughtfully and consider how you want to implement the system. For beginners, it’s a good idea to start small and gradually incorporate additional accessories. Prepping the materials involves customizing any editable parts (if applicable), printing, laminating, and cutting. The great news is that once you’ve done this initial preparation, most of the components can be reused every year! (Except, of course, for student name labels.)
For more detailed information on setting up and organizing your desk pets area and items, make sure to check out the next post in the desk pet series: “Desk Pet Organization and Setup.” This post will provide valuable insights and tips to organize all your desk pet materials and the area.
I invite you to the next part of my desk pet blog series, where I’ll be providing an in-depth look at the components of my Desk Pets Bundle. In the meantime, and you can check it out in my TPT store here!
