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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THINK Strategy - Think Before You Speak Poster
Promote positive communication using the THINK strategy and our printable Think Before You Speak Poster.
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Number Recognition Printable Dot Maze Pack
Utilize these number recognition printable worksheets to help your students identify the numbers 1 through 20.
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Hours, Seconds & Minutes - Estimating Time Sort
Estimate activities that take about a second, minute, hour, and week with a printable unit of time sorting activity.
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Roll and Round Dice Game
Help your student refine their rounding skills with this set of 7 printable math games.
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Picture Puzzles - Team Building Activities
A set of 10 picture puzzles to use as a team-building activity.
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Morning Meeting Questions - 180-Day Slide Deck
Download 180 days of morning meeting questions to foster communication and positivity while building relationships in your classroom.
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Student Interest Inventory (K-2)
Determine your students' interests with Student Interest Inventory for kindergarten, first, and second grade students.
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Snakes and Ladders Game Board Template
Create a fun activity for any subject area with this black-and-white board game template.
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Sharp and Blunt Pencil Signs (Pencil Station)
Help keep your pencils organised in the classroom with these pencil station signs.
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Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo, Pickle - Fast Finisher Bulletin Board
Keep fast finishers learning and growing with our Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo, Pickle Fast Finishers Bulletin Board Display.
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Call and Response - Attention-Grabbing Phrase Cards
Display and use a variety of call and response phrases in your classroom with our printable classroom attention getters.
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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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Random Pairing Generator - Partner Cards
Use these printable partner cards as a randomized pair generator when grouping students in the classroom.
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Shape and Number Pattern Task Cards
Support early math learning with repeating patterns task cards designed to help students recognize, continue and create patterns while identifying the repeating unit.
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Uppercase and Lowercase Matching Activity Pack
Use these uppercase and lowercase matching cut and paste activities to help students identify and name both forms of each letter.
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Roll an Adventure Story - Storytelling Dice Game
Roll and write an adventure story using our Roll An Adventure Storytelling Dice Game.
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Adventure Story Starter Task Cards
Print and use these Adventure Story Starter Task Cards to inspire adventurous narrative writings.
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Mindful Cat Coloring Sheets
Bring a sense of calm to your classroom with these delightful cat coloring sheets, “purr–fect” for mindfulness and creativity.
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I Spy Alphabet Sounds Mat
Use these ‘I Spy’ Alphabet Sounds Mats to explore the different letter-sound correspondence of the alphabet.
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Number Handwriting Practice Worksheets
Provide number handwriting practice to your students with this set of worksheets for the numbers 0 through 20.
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How Do You Draw a Firetruck? Directed Drawing Activity
Inspire your little artists with an engaging ‘How Do You Draw a Firetruck’ directed drawing activity sheet.
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Parent Teacher Conference Sign In Sheet Templates
Be prepared for conferences with a printable pack of parent teacher conference sign-in sheet templates.
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Kindergarten Sight Word Worksheet - Color By Sight Word Snake
Build fluency with high-frequency words and give your students a fun way to practice with an editable kindergarten color-by-sight word worksheet.
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How to Draw a Ship - Directed Drawing Activity
Learn to draw a ship with a fun, directed drawing activity sheet.
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Desk Pet Habitat Templates
Encourage positive behavior with printable Desk Pet Habitats for your students to spend their Desk Pet Dollars on!
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Teacher Call Backs - Attention-Getting Phrases List
Catch your students’ attention with a set of fun attention-grabbing callback phrases.
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Finish the Drawing - Worksheets
Get creative and finish the drawings with a set of five art worksheets.
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Behavior Think Sheet - Upper Grades
Invite your students to reflect on their behavior choices with this behavior think sheet.
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Student Self-Assessment Template
Get to know your students on the first day and learn their thoughts on school with a printable student self assessment.
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Printable Bookmark - Morning Routine Checklist
Ensure your students start off on the right foot with this morning routine checklist bookmark!
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Printable Behavior Tracker - Bees
Track individual student behavior in your classroom with a printable "Bee-havior Chart"!
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Sticker Chart - Boho Theme
Reward positive behavior in style with this boho themed sticker chart.