I’ve found that you have to be careful in how you approach prizes. Some students will readily play along because they have a sense of humor or see that you’re trying to be creative. But it can absolutely feel infantilizing.

Many students these days work, take care of other family members, or have kids of their own. They’re not always the most mature or experienced people at that age, but they are paying a lot of money for that class, and they likely have to deal with a lot of stressful issues (housing insecurity, economic issues, medical issues)…the last thing they want is to feel like their professor sees them as child-like.

Also, sometimes students are completely exhausted from their other classes, and they’re just trying to get by. I’ve learned to recognize that when they’re bored and tired, it’s not always because of me. Sometimes it’s just because of life…