6 Free Printable Math Awards for Students

By: Jeff Todd

Some of the best days in my math class are when I’m able to see past the everyday challenges of teaching and celebrate successes with my students. Here are six free printable math awards for students you can use to celebrate math achievements in the K–6 classroom! Download the Math AwardsKit now to get all six free printable awards.

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Reinforce Positive Behavior and Celebrate Math Achievements

Who doesn’t like receiving a positive note or award?

In today’s education trend of focusing on growth mindset, award certificates and notes are an actionable way to help students recognize the kinds of progress they are making in math. It sends an important message that the teacher is keeping an eye not just on a student’s weak areas, but is also watching those weak areas change into strengths.

A simple award or certificate is an actionable way to help students recognize the progress they are making in math!

Free Printable Math Awards for Students

The great thing about these free printable awards for students is that they are specific to math class. One of the things to keep in mind about best practices for student math rewards is that they need to be specific. Both parents and students like when they can see that certain behaviors are noted.

I used the generic “notes home” notepads for a while, but I now use the printable awards for students in the Math Awards Kit because they identify specific things that I want students and parents to focus on.

Recognize progress and hard work in your class with the Math Awards Kit. This kit includes free printable award certificates that recognize elementary students for:

Making improvements or progress in class
Using the Standards for Math Practice
Mastery of addition facts
Mastery of subtraction facts
Mastery of multiplication facts
Mastery of division facts

If you will be teaching remote, these printable PDFs can be converted via Google Drive so students can type directly into the worksheet. Check out Vocab Gal's steps for converting PDFs so they can be filled in online!

Free Printable Awards #1: Math Class Improvement Notification

To me, this is the one area that can’t be rewarded enough. Especially in cases when a student and their parent(s) have been notified about areas in which he or she is struggling in math. Sending a printable award certificate home about the improvement you have seen will send the message that you are monitoring progress and cheering them on to succeed in mathematics. The free printable Math Class Improvement Notification award has check boxes for these improvements:

Improved homework completion
Mastery of basic math facts (+ − ✕ ÷)
Contributing to class discussions
Improved test or quiz scores
Better organization of materials
Improved notebook use
Asking for help when needed
More time on task in class

While I usually send Math Class Improvement Notification award to a parent or guardian, I always ask the student if there is anyone else who they would like to have receive this. Sometimes a student will want it sent to their principal, counselor, coach, or favorite teacher. Occasionally, I will copy this award a few times so as many people as possible can recognize the students for their hard work.

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Free Printable Awards #2: Outstanding Math Practices

I’m always encouraging students to improve their use of the Standards for Math Practice (SMPs) or Process Standards. It’s not just about the content (numbers, algebra, geometry, data, and measurement), but also about the reasoning skills and mental predispositions need to successfully solve problems and make connections from math to the real world. I have written extensively about the SMPs on the Sadlier Math Blog.

You can access the Outstanding Math Practices award certificate when you download the Math Awards Kit. This certificate has check boxes so you can identify which math practices the student is using and a 'Description of success' area where you can write additional notes about their improvements.

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Free Printable Awards #3–6: Basic Fact Mastery

It’s so important to make sure that struggling students know their math facts. If students don’t know these facts they have trouble keeping up with what’s going on, whether it’s examples from the teacher, a classroom discussion, or group work. In the Math Awards Kit I've included four award certificates for elementary students that recognize mastery of basic math facts.

I once searched online for a set of basic fact mastery certificates to download and was surprised that I couldn’t find a set of them for all four operations! I had to go to different sites to get the different operations or needed to print up a generic certificate that had all four operations on one certificate (and which directed me to circle the one the student mastered).

Well, my certificate problems are now solved! The design team at Sadlier created beautiful Basic Fact Mastery math award certificates for all four operations that can be downloaded and printed as a set. There are four certificates that you can copy and have hand for when a student becomes “fast and accurate.”

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In Summary

Especially for my struggling math students, I want ways to recognize their small or large steps of progress. This is one of the central tenets of helping students develop a growth mindset—to set expectations about growth and to let students know when and how they are meeting these expectations.

In the areas of basic facts, math practices, and specific classroom behaviors that lead to growth, it is important to send positive messages to students. Having these free printable awards printed and ready to go allows you to quickly respond when you see their improvements. Being specific with the praise helps students (and parents) know that you care about how they are doing and strengthens their motivation to continue making progress in your class. Download the Math Awards Kit now!

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May 26, 2022 k-2-math-practices, 6-8-math-practices, mp-abstract-quantitative, mp-reasoning, mp-problem-solving, mp-repeated-reasoning, other-professional-development, 3-5-math-practices, mp-modeling, mp-using-tools, mp-precision, mp-structure