Competitions That Motivate Students Academically

Every new school year means new opportunities and new minds for teachers and instructors to reach. Approaching a new school year the same way you approached the previous one is a fast way to lose your students’ interest. Take a look at the previous year to see where you can improve and add some changes. And don’t be afraid to incorporate a little fun into the mix. Here are some competitions that will motivate your students academically.

Reading Competition

If you want to increase the literacy levels of your students, consider doing a reading competition. Of course, you need to do the competition based on every grade’s reading level. You don’t need to require every class to read a certain number of books. It’s easier to limit everyone to a specific timeline and then tally up the totals.

You can make the competition a week long or a month long. It all depends on how much you want their levels to increase and in what areas. Then, have your students write up a small summary at the end of every completed book so that you know they read and comprehended it.

Bridge Competition

Building bridges is challenging, but it’s also a fun competition. It’s a nice blend of math and science for students who love STEM. Since some of these models are a little more advanced, you’ll need to limit who can enter the competition. Then, come up with the perfect lesson plan for them to build a bridge.

Narrow it down to one grade level and have those different classes face off. Because bridge building is so intricate, there can be a couple of different phases. You can have a semi-final and then finals for the best designs from each class. You’ll need to prepare for plenty of trial-and-error and workshop days for your students to perfect their models.

Math Competition

You might hear a lot of groans when you mention math, but turning things into a competition might spark their interest a little bit. Math competitions will require drills because it’s not always about solving multiple problems the fastest.

Sometimes you need to give your students one hard equation or word problem and see who can tackle it. And even if they don’t win, they’ve learned a lot along the way.

Entrepreneur Competition

Entrepreneur competition isn’t one of the more common ones, but it’s needed. Being a teacher means helping to shape your students for the real world. The textbooks might lay the groundwork, but you also need to show them how to apply it.

Consider throwing a competition where you challenge your students to come up with a solid business plan to see how advanced well they can navigate through the real world. During this competition, they will learn about marketing, finances, and collaboration: three skills that are absolutely essential.

Any one of these competitions will motivate and encourage your students academically, so don’t hesitate to give them a try.

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