Figuring out behavior management in Kindergarten seems like a daunting task. This will be many of your student's first time in a school setting. They will not know how to sit properly, walk in line, or how to act in the lunch room. In addition to teaching them routines and procedures, you need to teach them how they behave at school.
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Setting the tone at the beginning of the year
I remember my first week of my first year teaching, I was chatting with a few other teachers on my team. I had this one student who was causing problems and not being respectful. They asked if I had sent him home on yellow or talked to his parents. In my mind, it was only the first week and I didn't want to send home anyone on yellow yet! However, that was my first mistake. You have to make sure to set firm expectations at beginning of the year. If a student is misbehaving, and does not fix their behavior, they need to understand that what they did is not acceptable classroom behavior. My first year teaching was definitely my hardest with classroom management, specifically behavior.
Introducing Good vs Bad Behaviors
The first day of school we always complete this “Good vs Bad” behavior sort. I hold up a picture of the behavior and we talk about whether it is making a good choice or a bad choice. Then, we sort it in a pocket chart. I also use this time to show off my acting skills. My students DIE laughing when I get on the floor and roll around! I ask them “Should you roll around on the carpet during carpet time?” They all say a loud “NO!” I think seeing their teacher make the bad choices and how silly that looks, really helps them understand. The book No, David! by David Shannon is a great read aloud that goes along with this lesson.
Every year, my behavior management strategies have slightly changed based on my class. I started out using clip charts, but ended up moving away from clip charts into more positive behavior management. Building relationships and respect for each other is the best behavior management, but I also liked to use these ideas to help reinforce good/bad behavior.
I have really enjoyed using Class Dojo! I usually use it as my main behavior management strategy; I have used it along with a clip chart and also on it's own. When using it with a clip chart, I clip students down if they do not listen after two warnings. I usually take away a point as the warning, so the next step is a clip down. Like I said before, the clip chart is mainly for setting expectations in the beginning of the year. Class Dojo is what I focus on throughout the year.
I give way more points than I take away using Class Dojo. I like it because I can carry around my phone or an iPad and give/take away points right away. The students hear the “ding” and immediately they fix their behavior. To keep track of their points, I use this Class Dojo hundreds chart in the back of their homework folder. Every Friday, during pack up time, I walk around and show my students how many Dojo points they have. They color in the boxes until they reach that number. I have reward coupons that they can earn based on how many points they have. For example, when they reach 25 points, they get to choose something small, like a fun pencil or to chew bubble gum. When they reach 100 points, they can have lunch with the teacher, or sit at the teacher's desk.
I also tried something new in my classroom this year! I had my students set their own personal “behavior goals” every day. At the end of the day, we would have an afternoon meeting and talk about our goals. I have a whole blog post on how I used this in my class. You can read about it here: Behavior Goals
You can grab the resource here: Behavior Goals by Sweet for Kindergarten.
Desk Management Ideas
My students are grouped into desk groups for our morning work, writing, and whole group math time. Here are two ideas I use to help manage table groups and utilize our time at our desks.
•Table Points– This is a super simple way to motivate your students to listen and do their work at their table group! All you need is a little space on your whiteboard. I number each of my table groups and tell them that they are a team. Anytime a table group gets ready quickly, is listening, participating, working hard, cleans up quietly, I give them a tally mark. At the end of the week, whichever table group has the most table points, they get a small treat, like a special pencil or 5 minutes of computer time.
•Quiet Critters– I use these little guys during writing! I tell my students, “Writing needs to be quiet time, because we can't write while we are talking.” I put one Quiet Critter on each student's desk. Quiet Critters like to watch them work quietly. However, if they talk, the Quiet Critters get scared and go back into their home. Students are not allowed to touch their critter or they lose their magic and have to go back home. If a Quiet Critter lasts through the lesson, they get a point, skittle, ticket, something small! Once one student talks and loses their critter, the rest of the class is silent! You can buy them pre-made here or make your own!
I hope you got a few new ideas on how to handle behavior in your classroom!
If you want to read more about Classroom Management, make sure to check out these posts here:
•Classroom Routines and Procedures