In gearing up for back to school, everyone is concerned about finding the best classroom management ideas. This post covers tons of positive classroom management tips and tricks for teachers.
Positive Classroom Management Ideas
Let’s get our thoughts out into the open about classroom management ideas. Put your hand up if you’ve been like me and had these thoughts before school started…
- “What will I say when I want my students to listen?”
- “How will I get them to do what I want?”
- “What should I do when {gasp} they DON’T behave or listen to me?!”
- Perhaps you’ve also had these thoughts…
- “What should I do when they are behaving?”
- “How can I teach my students to be good classroom citizens?”
- “Can I praise them and reward them?”
If you put your hand up for one or more of these thoughts, then you were like me and you realize that having good classroom management ideas is extremely important. I’m sure you can agree that having a classroom management plan is an absolute 100% must for any classroom. We are given a large group of children and are expected to teach them. We are expected to not only teach them content, but how to be good citizens, good friends to others, and good students. Being ready with a plan is key!
Today, I will share some tried and true management strategies, tips and tricks that I have come to love. They work for me and my beliefs in the classroom. I hope you find something you can use in your classroom as well.
I have been teaching young children for 10 years and in that time I have tried A LOT of classroom management strategies. I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I should try this method and that. I have tried rewards and verbal praise. I have tried “time-outs” and “red cards.” I have tried it all!
But out of everything I have tried, classroom management strategies that are POSITIVE and encourage growth have always felt right for me. I strive to keep and give ownership to children for their behaviors and help them learn from their mistakes. Children need to have structure and know the expectations early in the school year. I spend most of September building our classroom community and doing tons of community building activities.
Classroom Management Ideas: Tip #1 TEAM POINTS & DESK TROPHY
I spend time each month strategically planning out table groupings for my students. There is usually 4-6 in a group and I prefer to have 4 groups. Each group has a color and that is their team for the month.
Those groups work all week to earn points for their team. They earn points for doing many positive things. We brainstorm as a class at the beginning of the year to come up with a list of ways they can earn points. We post and review this chart frequently. This way they know exactly how they can earn points. Some ideas include being the first group ready to listen, being the group with the tidiest desks, and the groups that help others in the class.
As these positive things happen throughout the week, I am adding tally marks to the board underneath my table group signs. To grab your own FREE set, head to this blog post to download.
The team at the end of the week with the most points earns the class trophy. They also get to pick a coupon from the coupon box (more on this later).
The special trophy sits in the center of the desk grouping all week. I found this trophy at the dollar store. Any trophy that stands would work well. This gets the kids really excited and motivated! During the next week, I will call on last week’s winning team to be the first at demonstrating things, lining up, and getting supplies as an extra bonus.
Classroom Management Ideas: Tip #2 COUPONS
Students earn coupons throughout the week for having the post team points, getting the Oscar award (more on this later), being a special helper, great listener, or for doing something extra special. I use these coupons at predictable and unpredictable times, which keeps it fun for everyone. My students love the coupons and get very excited about them. They especially like that they get to choose which coupon they want. You can read a full blog post HERE about my classroom coupon system and how you can create something similar in your classroom!
I tried various reward systems over the years, but after spending A LOT of money on tiny surprises and toys with little significance, I discovered the coupon system. I have created my own set of classroom coupons that you can check out HERE. To try out a FREE sample before you buy in, click HERE!
To store my coupons, I found a clear plastic box at Michael’s that has the perfect size compartments to hold small coupons. You can buy a similar coupon box from amazon HERE. I print the coupons on card stock and laminate for durability.
Some of the fun coupon choices are Special Supplies, Wear Shades, Share a Book, Lunch with a Friend, Cuddly Friend, Drink Pass, and many more. Students love choosing what is important to them. For example, if they like stuffed animals, they can bring a cuddly friend to school on day or if they have a special book at home they want to show the class, they can bring it to share one day.
Classroom Management Ideas: Tip #3: CLASSROOM JOBS
One of the top classroom management ideas all teachers know about is having classroom jobs. In my classroom, student jobs are an absolute must. Students love having their own job to take care of each day. They take responsibility and for the most part do a good job, with some guidance along the way.
I spend time during the first week or two of the school year introducing each of our classroom jobs. We discuss what each entails, what it looks like to do a “good” and “bad” job, and we practice. Once we are ready, I assign each student to a job. Some jobs take only one person and others take two.
The easiest method for me has been using Popsicle sticks. I write each student’s name on a stick and I place their sticks inside library pockets. I label each library pocket with a job and post them on the wall in a classroom job display. You could add a photo of your students on the end of the sticks for a cute display! If you are interested in this type of metal drip pan, head HERE to purchase.
I rotate student jobs every two weeks instead of one. I find that they need some time to get really good at the job before moving on. They also seem ready after 2 weeks for a change. This way they also have the opportunity to try each job at least once or twice throughout the school year. We change the jobs together as a class so that they can remember which new job is theirs. As I call out each job, I ask students to give me a thumbs up if they know what their job is and a thumbs down if they need me to remind them what to do for that job.
You can check out this class job chart which includes 36 job cards (plus EDITABLE options) and header posters HERE.
Classroom Management Ideas: Tip #4 OSCAR AWARD
One day while I was shopping at a second hand store, I came across this trophy that looks just like the Oscar award that actors get during the Academy Awards. A thought came to me that this would be the perfect daily award to give my students.
This shiny guy is my special award given to a different student every day. I award it to someone who works hard, does nice things, and goes out of their way to be extra special during the day. They earn the “Oscar” on their table for the day. It is a surprise when they enter in the morning. They get to choose a coupon from the coupon box as well. I keep a class list in the coupon box to check off when someone has received the Oscar. This way I make sure everyone is remembered and gets their day with the “Oscar.”
I make an announcement during our morning meeting each day to explain to the class why this student has earned the “Oscar”. This makes it EXTRA special in everyone’s eyes. This also helps students hear what it takes to earn the award.
Classroom Management Ideas: Tip #5 TRANSITIONS
In my school, many teachers use a chime. I choose not to use it as an attention “getter” but as a tool for calming the body and focusing the mind after a transition. I often use it after recess, after gym class, and before an important lesson.
We sit as a class at the carpet with the lights turned off. I tell the students to take deep, slow breaths, close their eyes or look down, and relax. This takes practice and a lot of modeling before students are comfortable closing their eyes and letting their bodies relax.
We talk about being mindful beings through “Mind Up” lessons and discussions about ways to be mindful. This program teaches students how the brain develops, how it affects their behavior, and how to be “mindful”. We read this great book to illustrate how to be focused on what you are doing at the time and not other things. It is called Mindful Monkey, Happy Panda by Alderfer.
The chime works amazingly well as calming my students down. I have found that if my students come in from the playground with problems, they often forget what those problems are after chime. Everyone then feels relaxed and ready for the next activity or lesson with a clearer mind.
You can purchase your own chime, HERE.
I also use the No-Yell Bell in my classroom to help grab my students attention. It is my go-to tool when we are in the gymnasium during P.E. because I do not like yelling or using a whistle. The kids LOVE this bell and all the different, fun sounds it makes. There is horse racing, applause, an alarm, a traditional bell, and more. You can check it out HERE.
I also enjoy using callbacks (attention getters) where I use a specific call to my students and they have a specific response to my call. I use some whole brain learning ones, such as “Class, Class/Yes Yes!” and other fun ones like “1,2,3 Eyes on ME/1,2 Eyes on YOU!”
One of the classroom jobs in my room is to be the teacher assistant, but you could use your line leader to hang a door hanger on your door to let visitors know where your class is.
Before we transition into the hallway, I use line up chants. They are simple, yet fun chants we say together to get our bodies and minds ready for the hallway.
You can check out the Class Transitions pack HERE, which includes many call back/attention getters, door hangers, and line up chants in color and in black & white for you to use in your classroom to help with your transitions.
Classroom Management Ideas: Tip #6 RULES
I like to use a variety of classroom management techniques in my classroom that works for me and my teaching style. Classroom rules touch on important skills to help build social responsibility in your classroom. I prefer rules that are worded in positive ways to encourage good behavior and being your best self. My students love, remember, and work hard to follow the classroom rules.
Whole Brain Learning is another great system that incorporates the brain by having students actively engaged in activities. My favorite part of Whole Brain Learning are the classroom rules. I have been using them in my classroom for a few years now with a lot of success. They are fun to learn, easy to remember with actions, and effective at getting students to remember the rules.
To read more about this system, click HERE.To grab your own, Whole Brain Rules posters for FREE click the image below.
Classroom Management Ideas: Tip #7 GIVE ME “FIVE”
The images with the hands in this post illustrate this technique perfectly. I teach this simple strategy on day 1. First I ask my students to put up their hand when they hear my say “Give Me Five!” Then I ask them to do this when I need their attention on the carpet or in line or before any transition.
Each finger means a different thing.
- Legs criss-cross or still.
- Eyes watching.
- Listening.
- Hands & Feet to Yourself.
- Quiet.
I post my Give Me 5 poster on the board and we review what each finger means each morning during our morning meeting. I learned this trick from my practicum teacher when I was a student teacher and I have used it since. It’s very effective!
You can grab this FREE Give Me Five poster by clicking the image below!
Classroom Management Ideas: Tip #8 BUCKET FILLING
One of my favorite things to have ever come into education is the bucket filling program. Teaching children to be bucket “fillers,” rather than bucket “dippers” is the essential part of this program. If you are not familiar with it, you must read these 2 books.
(Click the book covers to see them in store)
This one is a great story of a little boy who discovers he has an invisible bucket. It really helps to illustrate the concept of everyone having an invisible bucket that can be filled and dipped.
This story explains the bucket filling program with a ton of great examples that are kid-friendly and clear.
At the beginning of the year, we spend a good amount of time reading and discussing these books, brainstorming ways to be a bucket filler, and practicing scenarios. In the beginning, we “practice” being bucket “fillers” together. We do some lessons together comparing bucket dippers and fillers. We slowly start putting the program into practice. It takes time to get it set-up properly if you want it to be a system that works well in your classroom.
I set up a bulletin board where everyone gets a bucket made out of card stock that I have cut into bucket shapes. Then we add pipe cleaners as handles, a student label, and Velcro stickers to hold Pom poms. I also hang a large bucket full of pom poms beneath the board. We discuss how to use our bucket filling board. We only fill buckets with pom poms. Every time we fill a bucket or someone fills ours, we put a pom pom into each of those buckets.
We NEVER take pom poms off. I encourage students to see whose bucket needs filling to to strive to be bucket fillers to those people. There are always a few students who never bother to fill at our bucket station, even though they are bucket filling. I encourage those kids to get up to the board throughout the day and I have a few keen “helpers” who also seem to enjoy helping with that.
Once this system is up and running, it is pretty seamless. Occasionally I reread the books and we discuss the things we need to work on. Overall, this system is great. It is incredibly positive and powerful. I love hearing my students use sentences like “you filled my bucket!”
Classroom Management Ideas: Tip #9 CLASS SCHEDULE
I am someone that needs to have a schedule, so one of my top classroom management ideas is to make sure you have one. I have a planner and a large calendar where I write down my daily to-do’s. It helps lower my anxiety and help me stay focused. I use this same principle in my classroom with a schedule.
This set is available HERE and matches the other classroom management products in my store.
I post out daily schedule cards every morning before students arrive. It is clear and takes up a main spot on our white board. Each morning, the star of the week (or a special helper) will read the schedule out loud for everyone to hear. I will let my students know of anything special that they need to know about the schedule at this time. I also like to use magnetic clocks to help my students learn about time. The class reads the schedule and clocks out loud with the helper.
A class schedule is a great visual for all students. It is especially helpful for my autistic students and those needing the visual reminders to ease stress and anxiety about upcoming events. I post mine on my whiteboard, but you could them on a metal drip pan or in a pocket chart.
Classroom Management Ideas: Tip #10 NOISE CONTROL
We all know and have experience with that “extra chatty” class every few years. The class that no matter how many times you try to ask them to be quiet, they continue to make A LOT of noise! For this problem, I like to use the traffic stoplight approach to controlling the chatter and noise.
I post my stop light somewhere visible to my students. Red means “No Talking!” yellow means “Quiet or Whispers” and green means “Inside Voices.” I give a verbal reminder at the beginning of each activity so that it is clear to my students what the noise expectations are. I use the arrow or magnet if it is hanging on my whiteboard to show which color we are on.
A few of my colleagues have this awesome imitation traffic light that helps them control noises in their classrooms by setting a noise control. It is called the “Yacker Tracker” and you can see it in the store HERE. It is a genius system that does the work for you!
If you would like to grab a copy of this FREE chart for your classroom, click the image below!
Check out the great products that I use in my classroom below
See Some Positive Classroom Management Ideas in Action
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I have joined forces with One Sharp Bunch to bring you our classroom management tips & tricks. Head to her post HERE to read how she sets up her strategies!
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Effective Classroom Management Tools for the Clever Elementary Teacher
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Table Groups as a Classroom Behavior Strategy
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Love all of these classroom management tips, especially the Oscar award! I bet the kiddos are so excited for that one! And that No Yell Bell… I need to order one of those! Thanks for the tip!
Ashley
This jas taught me a lot, i ve liked the noise control part
Hello! I love all of your tips and cannot wait to put them into practice in August!! I am currently subbing for a teacher on maternity leave and I have a very chatty class. I have used the traffic light method but my problem is coming up with a consequence when they continue to talk too loudly. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or advice as to what to do when this happens! Thank you!
I would like to know more information on how your students fill each other’s buckets.
We spend a few weeks at the start of every school year learning about what a bucket filler is, reading books about it, and practicing. The bucket filling station doesn’t open up until this all happens. We brainstorm ways to can show this to others (i.e. compliments, helping, kindness, smiling, etc.) and we practice acting them out together.
I like the pom pom idea, but I’m not completely clear on how it works. What happens when all 6 dots are filled with pom poms? If a student does something kind for another, which student fills the bucket? Thank you
Hi Carolyn! When they are filled up we work on filling the buckets of our friends. It is less about gaining more but working towards filling up others. Once most of the kids are full, we empty them and start again. It is really not a strict thing!
I love using a bell (just a regular one, unfortunately) in my classroom. It seems so much less aggressive than clapping all the time, and it cuts through all general noise better than anything else I’ve found (even when my little ones are playing!) My little ones like it, especially when I let them ring it for me!
I can’t wait to get this bundle and put it to use! 🙂
Bells are great to avoid always having to use our voices 😉 Best of luck with the new strategies.
Thank you so much for these 10 tips, I´ll improve some I already use and will definitely give a try to others! Love the books, hope I can get them.
I’m really liking your Classroom Management ideas! And, Décor suggestions!
With your Bucket Filling, what do you do when all 6 spaces are filled with the pom-poms? I was looking to print the Table identification signs but didn’t get the free-tab that you mentioned? Is this a part of another set you have for sale? Looking forward to using next year!
Hi Kathleen! Every day or two we take off all the pom poms (I do this after school) and we start over again. You could ask the kids to remove them when it’s full. Email me at elyse@proudtobeprimary.com and I will send you the table signs. 🙂
I was wondering where you found your clocks for schedule. It looks like you printed them. Can you point me in that direction?
Hello! Quick question about the Oscar award. You mentioned that you award it to a new student every day for doing something kind, working hard, etc. and then talk about it at morning meeting. What if you notice something nice later in the day? Do you hold the trophy till the following morning? Usually praise is given at the time you see it… (that’s where I’m a little confused). I LOVE the thought of this but just want to understand it before trying to implement. Thank you! Absolutely WONDERFUl tips!!!
Hi Jaime! I actually award it to the student after the day is done but they don’t see it until they get to school the next morning. That way I’ve seen an entire day’s worth of behavior, etc. Hope that makes sense! Best of luck!
Let me just say I am so thankful you shared your ideas! I have a tough group this year and I have found over the years what works for one class may not work for another. I was beginning to run out of ideas that would be Kinder friendly and effective. Thank you for sharing!