Kindergarten Classroom Management Strategies

If you teach primary grades you know that it is incredibly important to establish clear procedures and routines with your little learners right from the beginning!

This helps them understand exactly what is expected and also helps to keep your sanity, am I right?!

In Kindergarten we spend a majority of our whole group instruction at the rug.

Since a lot of Kindergartners are new to the school environment it is important to take the time to practice and model how to sit appropriately in this space and do it often!

You can grab my On the Rug Mini Book Freebie HERE. I explain each step in an easy to understand way so my students see and know why we do each step.

Before I start a lesson on the rug I make sure my students are quiet, focused, and ready to listen.

This step is crucial!

As tempting as it is to just start teaching, take the time to make sure all your learners are not talking to their peers, their eyes are watching, their ears are listening, and their bodies are ready.

When you set this clear expectation your students know that when you start to teach, it is time to listen.

One way I like to grab their attention and to signal them that I am ready to teach is to sing or chant a song together.

When my students hear me start to say this chant they sing it with me and then when it is done I review our Five on the Rug expectations for learning before I start to teach.

I also like to celebrate students who are ready by recognizing their behavior.

Also, if you have a student who is not ready, recognize a student near-by and often times that will signal the student who is not ready to get ready and then you can encourage the positive behavior by praising their smart choice!

To keep things fresh and exciting I like to mix up our chants and songs to grab their attention.

Another one of my favorites is…

Once my class is focused and their bodies are ready to learn I begin our lesson. I like to keep my lessons concise to keep their attention and when I notice my students start to loose focus I redirect with one of our chants or incorporate a movement break to refocus.

Over the years I have learned that Little Learners and Visuals go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly.

When I can post a visual to show them EXACTLY what I would like to see it helps them stay focused and on task.

I have this On the Rug Visual low to the ground and right by our rug area. I can easily point and reference it each time we are sitting at the rug.

These Classroom Procedure Visuals are my absolute favorite! They are clear and concise and students know exactly what is expected for each procedure by looking at the poster.

After I model each procedure I like to post them around the room and then refer to them throughout the year.

There are times when I just point to a visual instead of using my words to refocus a student.

Classroom Procedure Visuals have really helped to save my sanity AND most importantly helped my little learners understand exactly what is expected within our classroom!

Definitely a win/win in my book!

As you read through this please feel free to email me (mydayink@gmail.com) if you have any questions.

I am always happy to help!

Happy Teaching!