Tickets Reward System

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Reinforce specific work habits or team behaviors using transparent earning criteria and a predictable raffle drawing.

Use it when: Launch an ongoing workshop series, multi-session course, or classroom routine where clear behavioral expectations need immediate reinforcement.

Skip it when: Avoid in one-off short sessions where drawing intervals cannot mature, or when adult groups consider token economies infantilizing.

Group arrangement: Individual earning with small group prize-input and whole-room raffle drawing

Timing: UWT 15-minute introductory routine setup and initial test drawing

Materials and tools

• Roll of standard paper raffle tickets or slips cut from paper (at least 5 per participant)
• Collection container such as a clear jar or box with a lid slot
• Pens or pencils (1 per participant)
• Prize Box containing at least 6 low-cost supplies or privilege coupons
• Index cards or sticky notes for reward brainstorming (1 pack)

Before participants arrive

1. Place the Prize Box and collection container in a visible spot in the room.
2. Distribute writing utensils and sticky notes to participant tables.
3. Have raffle tickets ready to distribute at the facilitator desk.

Say this to open

We are establishing a ticket system to acknowledge focused work and cooperative habits during our sessions. You earn tickets by meeting agreed standards. Each ticket gets your name on the back and goes into this drawing jar. At the end of our work block, we draw names for items from the prize box.

How to run it

1. Establish earning rules 4 minutes

   Facilitator shares 2 to 3 target behaviors that earn a ticket, such as clearing a shared workstation within 2 minutes or finishing a check-in on time. Present an explicit example: 'Putting all tools back in the center caddy before the bell rings earns 1 ticket; simply sitting down does not.' Clarify the drawing schedule.

2. Collect reward suggestions 4 minutes

   Invite participants to write 1 suggested reward or privilege coupon on a sticky note. Examples include selecting group music, a 5-minute break pass, or specific desk supplies. Facilitator reviews notes rapidly, adds viable items to the Prize Box list, and confirms what is in the box today.

3. Distribute and label inaugural tickets 4 minutes

   Hand 1 starting ticket to each participant for arriving prepared. Instruct everyone to write their full name clearly on the back of the ticket and deposit it into the collection container. Anyone who prefers not to participate in prizes may either write 'Pass' or keep the ticket without submitting it.

4. Conduct test drawing and review 3 minutes

   Shake the container and draw 2 winning tickets. Call the names. Winners select one item from the Prize Box. Discard the drawn tickets and confirm when the next regular drawing will occur.

Debrief questions

• How clearly do you understand which actions will earn a ticket in our next session?
• What prize or privilege option would make this system most worthwhile for you to track?

Finished output: Agreed criteria for earning tickets, a stocked prize list, and a functioning collection container with names deposited.

Remote

Use a shared digital spreadsheet or wheel spinner tool. Facilitator types names onto a wheel when tasks are completed. During the drawing step, share screen and spin the wheel twice. Winners choose digital vouchers or rights to choose the next break music.

Hybrid

Maintain one shared roster. Remote participants earn entries recorded in a digital tracker by the facilitator or online moderator, while in-person participants drop physical tickets into a jar. Run the drawing on a shared digital wheel visible to both room screens and video call feeds.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may decline tangible prizes and select quiet privileges like solo work options.
• Anyone may opt out of the drawing by keeping their ticket or marking it 'Pass' without explanation.

If the session gets stuck

Participants forget to write their name on the ticket back.

Drawings that reveal a blank ticket are set aside and a replacement ticket is drawn immediately.

Some participants feel token drawings are unfair compared to direct reward exchanges.

Introduce the Ticket Economy variation, letting participants bank tickets to purchase fixed coupons instead of relying only on raffle luck.

Terms used here

• Privilege coupon: A voucher granting an intangible classroom or workshop perk, such as selecting background audio or getting priority access to materials.