Back to School - Classroom Management Tricks!

One of the most important things to think about before you start a new school year is the techniques you will use to manage behaviour and routines in your classroom.  What's great about teaching Prep is that you can have lots of fun while keeping your kidlets motivated towards reaching behaviour goals and working responsibly with others.  

There are of course many ways to track student behaviour and to reward kidlets who've made great choices - clip charts, sticker charts, Class Dojo, table points - and to be honest it really doesn't matter which of these you use.  Just make sure you choose something that will be easy to manage during busy days of teaching.  I personally like using a clip chart, with each child having a peg to move up towards 'Super Kid' status or down as a reminder that they've been warned about a poor behaviour choice.  It only takes a second to move a peg and they love the visual to keep them on track.  More important than what system you use is that your expectations are very clearly set right from the first day of school so that kidlets know what is and isn't appropriate in your classroom.  For years now I've been using this awesome (and free!) pack from Growing Kinders - it's called Monster Manners!  On the first day of school we read the cute little story about the monster who went to school and just wasn't quite sure how to behave nicely.  Then we spend time together deciding what choices are above the line (helping, raising your hand, sharing), below the line (lying down during carpet time, interrupting), or bottom line (hitting, yelling).  The colourful display stays up all year and I can refer back to it whenever we need a reminder about classroom behaviour expectations.

Another technique I use within the first few days of Prep is called 'Self Control Bubbles'.  We often talk about using self control to make good behaviour choices, and this easy activity gives little ones something real life to refer to.  We start by sitting in a circle outside and I explain that I will be blowing lots of bubbles in the air.  The first time, kidlets are allowed to pop them to their heart's content (I usually stipulate that they must stay seated to limit the chaos).  I blow lots of bubbles and we have lots of fun popping them.  The second time I blow the bubbles, kidlets must keep their hands in their lap and not touch any - even if one lands right on their nose! I explain that they will be using a feeling called self control to keep their hands still.  This time when I blow the bubbles, everyone sits very still.  We then talk about times in the classroom or playground when we really, really want to do something that we shouldn't, and connect the feeling of self control to those situations.  You can repeat this activity at the beginning of each term or one-on-one for individual students if needed. Click on the pictures below to grab a free pack with a label for your bubble bottle and some response worksheets. :)

                

When you're working with little learners you will probably want to have some sort of reward system in place for when they reach behaviour goals each day/week.  I used to have a prize box which was slowly sending me broke - not to mention the fact that prizes were often left behind at the end of the day or broken before they even left the classroom.  Last year I ordered some business cards from Vista Print (I got hundreds for less than $10) to use as 'take home tokens' when kidlets had reached the 'Super Kid' level on our clip chart, or when they had done a particularly good job of being a 'Bucket Filler'.  I would write a very short note on the back to let parents know what their child had done well that day.  Although I thought the novelty would wear off, it turned out that even at the end of the year it was still a huge excitement to take home a Super Kid card - children would run to their parents at home time and eagerly talk about what they had done to receive one. No more prize box for me!

 

On the Vista Print website there's an option to upload your own design - I just used some cute clipart in PowerPoint and then saved it as a jpeg. :)

Let's be honest - no matter how well you set up your expectations and classroom routines, there will be days when you just need a little bit of magic to keep your kidlets on track.  One of my favourites is 'Quiet Spray' - to be misted into the air when it's time to settle down and work quietly.  The ideas I saw on Pinterest were just an empty bottle, so the 'Quiet Spray' was just air, but I use water with a few drops of lavender oil.  In summer I keep it in the fridge for an extra cool treat after play time.  Whenever it's sprayed in the air kidlets magically calm down and work quietly. :)

                           

I also have a class set of 'Quiet Critters' made from pom poms and craft foam.  I bring them out from time to time when we need some practice working nicely.  Quiet Critters are very shy, so they will only sit on your desk if you are working sensibly.  Whispering is ok, but loud voices scare the Quiet Critters away.  Obviously most of the time in Prep we are working in groups, playing games, moving and having fun - so Quiet Critters are a little extra motivation for those odd times we're at our desks. :)

                                     

Another management tool I find very helpful is 'Handy Helpers'.  Having a chart of classroom jobs seems pretty inefficient to me - you spend most of the day trying to figure out who's supposed to be doing which job, who the line leaders are, who's not there because they're taking the tuckshop etc. To solve this problem I write each of my kidlets' names on a foam hand and have two helpers each week.  They are the line leaders, they do any jobs that need doing and they take the tuckshop.  So simple and easy!

                          

I hope this post has given you a new idea or two that you might be able to use in your classroom this year!  I'd love to hear if you try one. :)