Classroom Management Teaching Resources
Bring your classroom management strategies to life with resources created for teachers, by teachers, with your classroom in mind!
This collection of digital and printable resources was designed to help elementary and middle school teachers create and implement classroom management plans that are both effective and supportive, building a place where students thrive.
Looking for new strategies to try or ideas to build your classroom routines and establish consistency? Read on for a primer from our teaching team!
What Is Classroom Management?
Maybe you know all this already. Then again, maybe you've got so much information swirling around your head that you could use a quick refresher! That's what we're here for.
Classroom management is the name for all those tools that teachers have in their toolkit that help a classroom run smoothly. It can include everything from your classroom behavior management systems to your instructional techniques, and it helps you hold students accountable for misbehavior. It's the very foundation of your classroom climate.
We like to think of classroom management a bit like we think of the framework for a house — it provides the basic structure for your learning environment and sets you up for success as a teacher while also setting your students up for success as learners.
How to Set Up Effective Classroom Management
Now that we've talked about the what, let's talk about the how!
When you haven't been teaching very long, it can be hard to figure out what's important and what's just loud noise.
There is no one-size-fits-all classroom management plan that will work for every teacher. The age of your students, the year level you're teaching, the needs of your students, and even your personality will all play a role in the way you run your classroom. With that in mind, your classroom management plan may change year after year as your teach new groups of kids.
All that said, you do not have to reinvent the wheel! The teachers at Teach Starter have more than a century of classroom management experience when you put us all together (hey, we're not that old!).
This toolkit draws on that wealth of experience to offer actionable steps and tips to create the classroom management strategies, behavior management plans and more that you'll need to build meaningful relationships with your students.
We've cut out the noise and focused on the most important classroom management tools for your new teacher toolkit. Consider this your favorite new pair of noise-cancelling headphones!
Focus on the Teacher-Student Relationship
A classroom management strategy is only as good as the relationship built between a teacher and their students. Connecting with your students — focusing on their strengths and their efforts — will have an impact on the overall climate of your classroom.
Those connections with your students will also help you tailor your teaching approaches to your students' individual needs, interests and learning styles.
Establish Classroom Rules and Behavior Expectations
Good classroom rules are key to preventing behavior issues and providing a framework for correction.
Your rules and expectations are also tied intrinsically to your teacher-student relationship! When students feel connected to their teacher, they are more likely to internalize the teacher's expectations and classroom rules.
Build Clear Routines and Procedures
Classroom procedures and routines are the core of classroom management in elementary and middle school, and they help keep the school day running smoothly.
The research tells us that kids crave structure, but they also test it — which is where your rules and expectations come into play.
Employ Positive Reinforcement
Being recognized for doing something right or "good" is a powerful motivator for all of us, including our students. Praising your students for their efforts and achievements, as well as their adherence to classroom expectations, reinforces positive behavior and encourages their classmates to follow suit.
Focus on Active Student Engagement
Active learning strategies, such as group work, hands-on activities and interactive discussions help kids learn, but they also play directly into behavior management. Active learning keeps students engaged and reduces the likelihood of disruptive behavior. It also promotes students with a sense of ownership and participation in the learning process.
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Dividing Decimals Math Mazes
Review how to divide a decimal by a decimal and a whole number with this set of math mazes.
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Four Corners-Back to School Active Game
Get moving with this engaging All About Me Active game for the beginning of a school year.
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Printable Bookmarks - Mindful Coloring
Bring calm to the classroom with these mindfulness coloring bookmarks.
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Converting Units of Length - Math Mazes
Strengthen measurement conversion skills while converting units of length with this set of math mazes.
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Sloth Mindfulness Coloring Pages
Use these sloth-themed coloring pages to bring a bit of creative calm into the classroom.
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Riddle Me! Converting Units of Length – Worksheet
Use ratio reasoning and measurement conversion skills to complete a set of 3 riddle worksheets.
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Space Coloring Pages
Use this space coloring pages to celebrate World Space Week or as a brain break activity during class.
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Interactive Classroom Layout Maker
Save your time (and your back) by pre-planning your classroom layout and furniture placement with a Google Slides interactive design template.
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Procedures Scoot!
Review classroom procedures and expectations with with this back to school SCOOT activity.
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Back to School Problem Solving Task Cards
Use this set of 20 task cards when teaching behavior expectations during your back-to-school lessons.
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Comparing Three-Digit Numbers – Worksheet
Practice comparing 3-digit numbers with this hands-on worksheet.
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Quiz and Swap - 2nd Grade End-of-Year Review
Prepare your students for their end of grade assessments with an End-of-Year Quiz and Swap Review Game.
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Roll and Cover – Telling Time to the Minute
Practice telling to the minute with this roll and cover game
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Count and Color the Coins - Differentiated Worksheets
Use skip counting and addition skills to determine which coins are needed for a given amount.
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Count the Nickels Worksheet
Use skip counting and addition skills to determine the number of nickels needed for a given amount.
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Helpful Homework Tips for Parents
Helpful tips to support students as they complete homework.
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Our Class Got a Compliment! - Class Reward Chart
Motivate your students to keep up the good work with this classroom reward chart.
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Classroom Catastrophe Scale – Display
Help your students gauge the severity of everyday challenges with this wall display.
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How to Walk Like a... Instruction Cards
Help your students transition quietly through the hallways with this set of 4 instruction cards.
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Comical Chronicle Worksheets for 5th Grade
Practice different parts of speech with your 5th graders using this set of 10 ad-lib style stories.
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Mini-Mystery – Who Stole the Cookie?
A fun, logic puzzle activity where students read clues to solve a mystery.
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Mini-Mystery – Who Owns the Dog?
A fun, logic-based activity where students read clues to solve the mystery.
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3-2-1 Text Reflection Template
Quickly assess your students' comprehension after reading a fictional text with this 3-2-1 reflection activity.
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Student of the Week Certificate – Lower Grades
Celebrate your Student of the Week student with this certificate for lower grade students.
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Famous Artists Card Game for Kids
A set of 54 famous artist cards to be used for a variety of card games.
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Color Me Carefully – Geometric Animals
Hone in on your students' speaking and listening skills with this barrier activity.
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Easy Origami Animals Worksheet and Step-By-Step Instructions for Kids
Make origami animals with your students with printable step-by-step instructions plus a 2D shapes worksheet for your math lesson planning.
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Free Hidden Picture Puzzle and Activity Worksheet
Print a free hidden picture puzzle and activity worksheet that makes a perfect brain break for first or second grade.
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Behavior Charades
Explore appropriate and inappropriate behaviors at the beginning of a new school year with a fun charade activity.
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STEM Challenge Cards for 2nd, 3rd & 4th Grades
A set of 20 STEM challenge cards for students, suitable for kids in second through fourth grades.
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Flexible Seating Expectation Mini-Posters
Provide expectations for using flexible seating in the classroom with printable anchor charts.
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Antonyms Polygon Puzzle
Match antonym pairs with an engaging opposite words tarsia puzzle.