Elementary teachers often instigate competition among their students through such common statements as: "Students who make 100 on the spelling test may have 10 minutes of extra center time" and "The most creatively written story this week will be placed on the bulletin board." While such pronouncements motivate some students into action, they strike fear in the hearts of others and cause them to give up before beginning a task. A positive classroom environment of safety and security may be spoiled unintentionally when a teacher attempts to motivate students to do their best work through competition with their peers. However, competition can have ill effects on academic achievement as well as moral behavior. In this article, the author discusses how to build a positive classroom environment without engaging in a competition. The author offers some examples of new approaches to consider in motivating students and adding pleasure to the learning environment in lieu of competitive contests and games.