Rewarding Kids with Sugar: Does It Belong in Schools?

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candy in schoolsEver have a moment when your mouth drops open involuntarily? It’s that moment when you know you must take action, no matter how daunting that might be.

My eight-year-old goes to a good school with caring, talented teachers. But good schools can have policies that are behind the times, as I discovered firsthand.

On her second day of school last week, my daughter walked out rubbing her stomach.

“I am SO full!” she said.

“Why?” I inquired.

“Because I just ate 49 Skittles in math!” was her reply.

That’s when my mouth dropped.

Rewarding Kids with Sugar

As it turned out, all the third graders play a math game on the second day which employs the use of Skittles – rather easy to manipulate, I’m told. And my daughter, being a kid who happens to love candy (and doesn’t get it very often), ate every one. After I picked up my jaw from the ground I took a deep breath. I’d have to talk to the teacher about this.

Let me just preface by saying we are not draconian about sugar at home. Granted, as a fitness and nutrition professional I’m more dialed in to the health issues related to eating lots of sugar than most parents. But my daughter gets plenty of sweets in my view – a cookie at Target, ice cream with the babysitter, lemonade at restaurants, and treats at holidays, parties, and any time a cashier hands her a lollipop. She has a pretty wicked sweet tooth and would eat sugar all day long if we let her.

The teacher’s reply to my email was cordial, saying treats were only occasional. She asked whether she should give my daughter fruit snacks instead, to which I said no thanks (I don’t want my kid to be the only one not getting candy). I still felt a gnawing discomfort.

Two days later my daughter came out of class with a box of Nerds, and two days later, a mini Hershey’s bar for turning in an assignment. That’s when I scheduled a meeting with the school principal. I knew I had to make a coherent stand, so I pulled my thoughts together.

What Kinds of Things was I Concerned About?

  • First and foremost, the psychological effects of rewarding children with candy or food. What with 17 percent [1] of children aged 2 to 19 being overweight or obese, we need to think about the relationship we’re teaching kids about food. Granted, there are not any studies (that I know of) showing a direct cause and effect between using food for self-comfort and rewards and obesity. On some level, however, we’re surely aware that using food to satisfy an emotional need is a major American past time which leads to weight gain. Sure, food is a legitimate way to celebrate, gather together, and enjoy life. But what about those times when you’ve had a bad day and stop for two Big Macs? Or you’re all alone on the couch feeling lonely and decide a bag of chips is in order? Or the times when you’ve worked hard all day and “deserve” a carton of ice cream? (Check out the 5 Times You Should Never Want to Feed Your Kids and Why).
  • Using treats as rewards (and certainly in math) is poor modeling and can compromise classroom learning [2]. My daughter’s school sends home a list of “healthy snacks” parents are supposed to abide by, so it’s hypocritical that they encourage unhealthy behavior and food associations along with a sugar high that can distract kids from learning.
  • Obviously there are negative health effects that can result from consuming sweets. Not only are we talking about bad habits that can lead to weight gain, but the effects of weight gain itself. Excess weight can lead to Type 2 Diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, gallstones, certain cancers, and more [3]. (See the American Heart Association’s stand on sugar consumption).
  • Rewarding children with sweets undermines what we’re trying to teach our kids at home. I limit sweets and expect my daughter to do her homework without a reward, but the school is rewarding her for doing something she was supposed to do anyway?

How much sugar should children have per day? Read this article for a nice summary, based on findings from the American Heart Association.

I brought another concerned parent to the meeting with the principal, and he agreed with us whole-heartedly. He promised to talk to the third-grade teachers about their policies and get back to us in a few days. Has he followed through with this? Not as of yet. My next step is to contact him, and if nothing is accomplished, what next? I’m not quite sure yet.

What are your thoughts on sugar and treats in school? Does your school give out treats?

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About Suzanne Digre

NASM-certified fitness trainer & writer. Passionate supporter of women, in and out of the weight room. Freed by the iron and clean eating.

  • Karen Ellis

    I think you are right on target, and of COURSE empty calories should not be used as a reward for learning–that’s what they’re in school for anyway, right? I think rewarding with food is very bad precedent for ANYONE to set, but especially in the school setting, when these educators surely have seen the research that says children with sugary breakfasts have a tendency to crash mid-morning and are not in the best frame of mind to cooperate in the learning process. If the principal does not get back to you in a reasonable amount of time, plan to go to a school board meeting. Yes, they’re tedious. Yes, a whole bunch of academicians can be hard to take, as they frequently look at you as if you have no business telling them anything, even if it’s your child you are talking about. But it IS important. Stick to your guns . . . there are OTHER ways to motivate children to learn, and they, of all people, should know some of those . . .

    • Suzanne Digre

      Thanks much for your feedback Karen. If the teachers/principal aren’t open to changing the policy there are some “coffee with the superintendent” meetings I could attend. I’ve heard so many parents say they’re shocked by this. On the other hand, others seem to think it’s just fine!

  • http://www.ascendantfitness.com Kristen

    Rewarding children with sugar is wrong! It is not up to my childs teacher to decide whether my child can have sugar or not, it is up to me. I think all of your thoughts and concerns are bang on and I wouldn’t let it go. My son too has a huge sweet tooth, but I like to be the one to monitor his sugar intake. Good for you in taking this on, I would too.

  • Carin

    100% agree! If the teacher offered to give your daughter fruit snacks, why shouldn’t she just replace the skittles with fruit snacks then?

  • Carrie Surprenant

    I agree with all your points, but also think that with the number of children that have food allergies schools shouldn’t give out any food. Don’t give up.

  • Robin Clark

    I completely agree! I think treats for good behavior is for animals, not children. I ran into this issue this morning with my daughter’s kindergarten teacher. After I expressed concerns over parent treats and candy from the teacher in preschool, our school published a new nutritional policy over the summer and emphasized it at the beginning-of-year open house. One of the major things communicated by the principal was they no longer enocurage parents bringing birthday treats. My child has reported getting snacks with M&M’s, 2 kids bringing in birthday treats (cookies, candy) and the teacher using a mini-cookie cereal as part of a learning game – all this week alone! I stopped in to tell the teacher this am that I was beginning to get concerned about all of the treats that were being brought in. She told me she thought it would be very rude to tell a parent that their treat was not welcome and after all, it was their birthday! She said they only thing she would be telling them was “thank you” and I could have my daughter bring her own snack or talk to the parents myself, but she would not be doing any such thing (I didn’t ask her to, mind you). Of course I am a bit confused because the SCHOOL published the nutritional policy. I was just wondering why it wasn’t being enforced. It’s a small school and the teacher is very loved and a year from retirement. Rude? I’m sorry. I have no intention of raising my children to ever put anything into their mouth for the sake of not offending someone. I aplogize for the long rant…I’m still upset.

    • http://www.workoutnirvana.com Suzanne @WorkoutNirvana

      GOOD JOB taking action with your school. That is a start, and perhaps the awareness will slowly spread such that it’s not acceptable anymore. The attitude your child’s teacher shows is common, unfortunately. I’ve approached two teachers now and neither even considered cutting back. If your teacher continues this way I would have a chat with your principal. And yes, birthday treats are a big source of sweets at our school. The principal said he would not even venture there yet – lots of resistance from both parents AND teachers on that one.