Classroom management is hard! You might feel like you’ve tried everything in your bag of tricks and nothing is working! Luckily, there are several classroom management tools that help make it easier to manage disruptive student behavior. Here are my top 5 classroom management tools to help you become a classroom management master.
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1. Chime: This is the one and only tool I use to get my students’ attention and it works every time! Always keep your chime in the same spot so students know exactly where to look when they hear it, and make sure to explicitly teach your students what to do when you ring the chime.
2. Thera putty: Do you have students who struggle to focus? Help them regulate their bodies and maintain focus during lessons by giving them putty to squish in their hands. Thera putty is SO much better than play doh because it never dries out. My favorite type is this Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty- you just need a tiny bit and it will last forever! (Don’t forget that when we give students something new to use, we need to explicitly teach them how to use it!)
3. Breathe like a Bear book: Deep breathing helps focus your students and gets them ready for learning. This book is one of my favorites for introducing your students to fun and engaging types of breathing. Lead your students in these deep breathing exercises after a high energy brain break, recess, or just during a break in a lesson.
4. Time timer: Do you have students who struggle to transition between activities? Time timers help to support students by allowing them to visually see how much time they have left before they need to clean up and transition to the carpet or the next activity. This timer is both visual and auditory, so it’s perfect for all of your students!
5. Velcro dots: From visual schedules to token boards, I use velcro dots every single day in my classroom. Velcro dots allow students to be independent with learning tools. They’re durable and can be reused over and over again, making them a staple for the elementary classroom.
These classroom management tools will help you support positive student behavior in your classroom, and will help you gain confidence in your ability to manage student behavior. Click the links above to check out each item and add them to your classroom management toolbox!
