On Tuesday, I was visiting our newest Crossroads Kids Club site, and the pastor (who happens to be the site leader) did something that I thought was really cool. During the game time, he assigned points to the students for winning or placing in one game or another. There was nothing exceptional about that, but at the end of the club time, he told the children that instead of giving out prizes they were going to applaud for each person based on their final point tally.
As it turned out, I was playing and had received the fewest points of anyone: 1,000. So, he said something to the effect of, "Matt has earned 1,000 points. Our top point earner has 12,000 (or whatever the total was, which I am forgetting). In light of this, let's all cheer for Matt at a 1,000-point level." Everyone clapped polite "golf claps" for me. He went through each child, and we cheered for each one. By the time we got to the top earner, there was lots of enthusiasm and excitement.
I think this idea worked so well because everyone loves to be cheered on and applauded. Every child gets the opportunity to be affirmed and applauded. The students are showing appreciation for everyone, not just those who finished first, and it was fun! In the end, it was so rewarding that the kids didn't complain at all about not receiving a tangible prize. So, next time you think you need to give out a prize, try applause—it's a plausible alternative. (Sorry, couldn't resist the pun.)
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That's a cool but simple idea Matt! Thanks for sharing!
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