Kindergarten Awards

End-of-year awards for a kindergarten class, one for every child.

Kindergarten Awards

Show all 50
  1. The Sight Word Star AwardFor reading the words on the word wall without a pause.
  2. The Brave Speller AwardFor sounding out a big word and writing it down anyway.
  3. The Last Piece AwardFor staying with the puzzle until the last piece went in.
  4. The Shape Spotter AwardFor finding circles, squares and triangles all over the room.
  5. The Story Reteller AwardFor telling the story again in the right order, from start to end.

Next step Find a circle time gamePlan the last week of school

All 50 awards

Letters and first words 10

  • The Alphabet Ace Award For knowing every letter, the big ones and the small ones.
  • The Book Box Award For choosing a book the minute the work was done.
  • The Brave Speller Award For sounding out a big word and writing it down anyway.
  • The Letter Sound Detective Award For hearing the first sound in every word.
  • The Name Writer Award For writing a first and last name with every letter in place.
  • The Pointer Finger Award For following each word across the page with one finger.
  • The Read It Myself Award For reading a whole book aloud for the first time.
  • The Rhyme Time Award For finding a word that rhymes with almost anything.
  • The Sight Word Star Award For reading the words on the word wall without a pause.
  • The Story Reteller Award For telling the story again in the right order, from start to end.
Show all 50 awards (40 more)

Numbers and counting 10

  • The Calendar Captain Award For knowing the day, the month and what comes tomorrow.
  • The Count to 100 Award For counting all the way to one hundred without skipping a number.
  • The Cube Measurer Award For finding out how many cubes long everything in the room is.
  • The Dice Dots Award For knowing the dots on a die without counting them.
  • The Hundredth Day Award For the collection of one hundred things brought in for the hundredth day of school.
  • The Number Writer Award For writing the numbers from one to twenty, neat and in order.
  • The Pattern Maker Award For building a pattern nobody had tried before.
  • The Shape Spotter Award For finding circles, squares and triangles all over the room.
  • The Skip Counter Award For counting by tens faster than the class could clap.
  • The Ten Frame Champion Award For filling a ten frame and knowing how many more make ten.

Big kid skills 10

  • The Backpack Boss Award For packing a backpack and remembering the folder every day.
  • The Bus Line Award For knowing the bus number and finding the right line.
  • The Careful Colorer Award For coloring to the very edge and not past it.
  • The Coat Hook Award For hanging a coat on the right hook every morning.
  • The Dot of Glue Award For using one small dot of glue when one was enough.
  • The Double Knot Award For learning to tie both shoes, and then a friend's.
  • The Lunch Tray Award For carrying a full tray to the table without a spill.
  • The Monkey Bars Award For getting all the way across the monkey bars this year.
  • The Scissor Skills Award For cutting right along the line, curves and all.
  • The Zipper Champion Award For zipping a coat all the way up without help.

Carpet time, centers and play 10

  • The Block Tower Award For a block tower so tall the whole class stopped to look.
  • The Clay Creature Award For rolling clay into animals nobody had seen before.
  • The Criss-Cross Award For sitting ready on the carpet before the song was over.
  • The Fair Rules Award For playing the game by the rules and teaching them kindly.
  • The Last Piece Award For staying with the puzzle until the last piece went in.
  • The Morning Song Award For singing the good morning song so that everyone joined in.
  • The Play Kitchen Chef Award For serving pretend soup to the whole class.
  • The Raised Hand Award For waiting with a hand up until it was time to share.
  • The Show and Tell Award For bringing something to share and telling its whole story.
  • The Weather Reporter Award For checking the window and telling the class what to expect.

Kindness and character 10

  • The Buddy Bench Award For sitting down beside anyone who was alone on the bench.
  • The Cheer Up Award For knowing just what to say when a friend was sad.
  • The Class Pet Pal Award For being gentle with the class pet and never forgetting to say hello to it.
  • The Come Play With Us Award For inviting someone new into the game.
  • The Good Morning Award For greeting every classmate by name each morning.
  • The Honest Heart Award For telling the truth, even when it was hard.
  • The Please and Thank You Award For remembering both words, all year.
  • The Sharing Star Award For passing the good crayons before being asked.
  • The Sorry and Fixed It Award For saying sorry and then making it right.
  • The Swing Pusher Award For giving a push on the swings to whoever asked.

How this list was compiled: Our own list, written for this page: 50 award titles for a kindergarten class, ten in each of five groups, each with the reason under it. Nothing is copied from another list. Every award praises something a child does or chooses; none is about looks, body, age, money, beliefs, health or family, none ranks a child against a classmate, and none works as a put-down. No brand, show, song or real person is named, and no title repeats one on another award list on this site. Licence: own work

How it works

These kindergarten awards are 50 titles, each with a one-line reason to read out. They honor the firsts of the year: a name written, a book read, a shoe tied, a friend made.

Read the full guide

An award for every kindergartener

Start from the class list and match one title to each child. Letters and first words and Numbers and counting mark what a child learned to do this year, from letter sounds to a count to one hundred. Big kid skills has the zippers, the scissors and the lunch trays. Carpet time, centers and play follows the school day from the morning song to the block center.

Character awards a kindergartener understands

Kindness and character names one thing a child did for someone else: passed the good crayons, sat down beside a classmate on the bench, told the truth. No award ranks one child against another.

  • Write the reason on the certificate, so the family at home hears what the class noticed.

Questions and answers

What awards do you give kindergarten students?

One each, for something that child did this year: The Double Knot Award for tying shoes, The Read It Myself Award for a first book read aloud, The Buddy Bench Award for sitting with a classmate who was alone.

What are good end of year awards for kindergarten?

Awards for firsts: a name written with every letter in place, a count to one hundred, a trip across the monkey bars. A child remembers doing them, so The Name Writer Award says more than a general prize.

Should kindergarten awards be academic or character awards?

Mix them. A child who is still learning letter sounds can win for kindness, a zipped coat or a tall block tower, so every child hears a true reason and nobody waits for a reading prize.

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