If you want to reward your child for working hard and succeeding in school this semester, you’re not alone. A handful of chain stores nationwide are celebrating your child’s achievements by offering freebies to those who have earned commendable grades. Why not show your children how proud of them you are by letting them enjoy some of the great free stuff that is being offered? Here are some ways to praise your child’s accomplishments without spending a penny.

1. Krispy Kreme (my absolute favorite brand of donuts) is offering a free donut for each A on your child’s report cards, up to six. If you’re adventurous, let your child try out his (or her) six favorite flavors, or get a half-dozen to share with the entire family.
2. Blockbuster video stores are offering a free video rental (available any day of the week) for students who have an 80% (B) average or higher. You must present your child’s report card within 30 days of issuance in order to take advantage of this freebie.
3. Children who have earned at least 3 As on their report card can get a free personal pan pizza and a small drink at Pizza Hut. This offer is valid for dine-in only.
4. Interstate Brands Companies (IBC), the maker of Hostess cakes and Dolly Madison products is rewarding students with a free snack cake. In order for your child to be eligible, you must print the company’s achievement certificate and have it signed by your child’s teacher. Then, take the certificate to your nearest IBC outlet store to snag your free cake.
5. Chuck E. Cheese will give your child up to 15 free tokens for receiving good grades (though what these are aren’t specified on the chain’s website). This offer is valid with a food purchase only.

It’s been rumored that participating Baskin Robbins stores are offering a free scoop of ice cream to students with good grades, but I haven’t been able to confirm exactly what is considered a ‘good grade’. I suggest calling your local store to see if they’re participating in this year’s free ice cream promotion. Likewise, I’ve heard that McDonald’s offers a free Happy Meal to kids with As and Bs on their report card or those with fewer than two absences. While I have not been able to find a reliable advertisement for this giveaway from 2010, the offer may still be valid. If your kids will be happy with a free Happy Meal, you should definitely call your local McDonald’s to see if they’re offering this freebie.

There are also several other chain stores that offer freebies in exchange for good grades, but these deals vary by area. I’ve confirmed that in Alabama, for example, Cold Stone Creamery offers children from K-5^th grade a free ice cream if they bring in a good report card. It’s definitely worth checking out whether your local store offers the same deal. Here are some other chains that offer good grade freebies that vary by location:

Rita’s Ice

Graeter’s Ice Cream

Sbarro’s

Wendy’s

Auntie Anne’s Pretzels

Enjoy your freebies and your children’s good report cards – and don’t hesitate to save this page for next semester so that you can celebrate future accomplishments with your child. Making a tradition of rewarding your children for their hard work is a great way to foster good study habits and create happy memories that they’ll take with them into their future academic careers.

Tags: free stuff, rewarding students, target

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 10th, 2010 at 10:51 am and is filed under Freebies, General Money Saving Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.