Behaviour Teaching Resources
Bring your behaviour management to the next level with printables and digital teaching resources created by teachers for teachers like you!
This collection of teacher-created resources is designed to support primary teachers as they implement their behaviour management strategies with printable reward charts, motivational posters and more!
Looking for tips and ideas to make your behaviour management more successful? Take a peek at some strategies from our teacher team!
What Is Behaviour Management?
Behaviour management is a proactive strategy for teachers to handle behaviour in the classroom. By setting up solid pupill organisation strategies, creating clear rules and expectations and providing consistent feedback, teachers set pupils up for success.
A good behaviour management strategy will give pupils:
- Specific expectations
- Positive reinforcement when expectations are met
- Fair and consistent consequences when expectations are not met
For example, of the most popular behaviour management strategies these days is CHAMPS, which stands for Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement and Participation. The goal is to provide pupils with an instructional structure that promotes responsibility and motivates students.
Why Is Behaviour Management Important?
Strongly backed by research, behaviour management strategies like CHAMPS have been shown to:
- Provide pupils with a sense of connection to school and their peers
- Promote a productive learning environment
- Minimise classroom disruptions
Behaviour Management Strategies
Before we dig in too deeply, it's worth stressing that the goal of the strategies you're about to read is to accentuate the positive, that is, to keep control of the behaviour in your classroom in a positive way.
We've also included a mix of strategies that will help you prevent negative behaviour as well as some simple things you can do to curb unwanted behaviour in the classroom.
Redirect
This technique is simple, yet effective. When you notice a child is off-task, simply move their attention from one thing to another. For example, if one pupil is distracting another pupil, you may direct their attention to the work at hand by saying you'll be over in a few minutes or simply asking that pupil what they are up to.
Ignore Secondary Behaviour
When a child is being warned about inappropriate behaviour, you may notice a secondary behaviour, such as an eye roll or a delayed response to a question. This behaviour is often to avoid humiliation in front of peers.
If the initial poor behaviour has stopped, ignoring the secondary behaviour — as long as no one is in danger and it hasn't caused additional classroom disruption — can prevent the situation from escalating. If you feel you need to, you may opt to talk to that pupil one on one after the lesson to reflect on the situation (without the audience of the other pupils).
Plan Your Transitions
A transition in a classroom is when a pupil moves from one activity to another. It can be a significant change such as transitioning from lunch back into the classroom or a more minor change such as transitioning from time on the carpet back to their seats.
For little brains, transitions can be tricky as they need to go from an active state to a focused state ready for learning, and this is where inappropriate behaviour may start to fester.
Planning for how you and your pupils should transition can help avoid this situation from escalating. A simple transition for the example of going from lunch back to class, for example, could be to use a fun movement such as walking like a ballet dancer back to class.
Make sure to explicitly teach pupils what they should be doing during transitions, so they know the sort of behaviour you expect!
Offer Choices
Providing a pupil choice is extremely powerful! It makes them feel like they are in the power seat, when in fact, you've planned it out beautifully! When you notice inappropriate behaviour, instead of issuing a demand, offer a pupil a choice of two options. The first choice would be the route you'd like them to take. The second is the consequence of not taking the first option.
For example, 'Zane, would you like to remove yourself from the distracting spot you're sitting in, and complete your work? Or, would you like to stay with me at lunchtime to complete the work then?'
You'll find that most of the time, the pupil will take the better option in this scenario.
Attention Grabbing
This is similar to the 'redirect' option, but this is a strategy to use if a number of pupils are starting to get off task. Use some fun attention-grabbing techniques like call and response ( you can download our Attention Grabbing Phrase Cards and use those!).
You can then redirect the group's attention back to the work by providing some more information that may support them in finishing off the task.
Use Positive Non-Verbal Reminders
You don't always have to use your voice for your behaviour management to work. Non-verbal reminders can be equally powerful and limit the disruption to the class. Simple non-verbals like stopping what you're saying and smiling at the pupil who may be off task is sometimes all that is needed for some pupils. This lets them know you know they're off-task in a gentle way.
Another non-verbal reminder is to simply lower your body down to the level of the child while you continue with the teaching, or, a simple tap on their desk as you walk past.
Set Up a Calm Corner
Little children experience BIG emotions, and often when they are trying to deal with these big emotions, they struggle with self-regulation.
Another behaviour management strategy that will work for some children is just some time away from the hustle and bustle of the classroom. If you have the space, set up a corner of the classroom for pupils to 'chill out.' You can fill the space with fidget toys, weighted blankets, wobble cushions, a tub of sensory toys and similar objects, plus some mindful colouring sheets!
If you are noticing a pupil that isn't responding to the smaller behaviour management strategies, 5 minutes in the chill-out corner/area may help this pupil.
Another idea — Sending a pupil to another teacher with a 'note' that says something simple such as 'John needed some space.' This gets the pupil out and about, and gives them some purpose by having the very important job of delivering the note to the other teacher.
Utilise Movement
We know a pupil's attention span is short, and yet we expect them to sit and listen and use their brains for long periods of time ... often longer than their age allows. Ensuring you have had a lot of movement integrated into your day is a great way to limit the number of behaviour situations you may encounter in a day.
It could be as simple as a 'stop work and stretch at your desks' type situation, but you may be surprised by how planning these movement breaks into your day can improve behaviour in the classroom.
Desk Arrangements
Strategic desk arrangements in the classroom can significantly improve behaviour management by fostering a structured and organised environment. Check out Tes Class Charts - our classroom management software here to help with setting up seating plans, managing behaviour and more.
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Reaction Charades
A fun game for students to explore positive and negative ways of reacting to situations.
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Let's Cooperate Code Cracker – Key Stage 1
A whole class game including a collection of 6 activities which students need to solve to reveal numbers to combine for a lock combination.
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Let's Cooperate Code Cracker - Upper KS2
A whole class game including a collection of 6 activities which students need to solve to reveal numbers to combine for a lock combination.
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Let's Cooperate Code Cracker - Lower KS2
A whole class game including a collection of 6 activities which students need to solve to reveal numbers to combine for a lock combination.
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Growth Mindset Vertical Chart With a Pirate Theme
Get your students reflecting on their learning progress with this vertical tracking chart.
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Are We There Yet? Captain Yet's Joyous Journey – Large Posters
Large Captain Yet posters to help students learn more resourcefully and independently in the classroom.
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Behaviour Stamp Card – Eye on the Prize!
Upgrade your behaviour management and motivate your students to keep their eye on the prize with this stamp card template.
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G.R.O.U.P.S - Group Work Expectations Poster
Encourage cooperative behaviour during group work activities with a printable group work mnemonic poster.
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Growth Mindset Reward Tags
Celebrate your primary pupils using a growth mindset with a set of printable growth mindset reward tags!
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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 attention-getter cards.
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There's No Better Day... Display
Practise social emotional skills in the classroom and beyond with this wall display.
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PRIDE Classroom Rules Poster Set
Set your expectations for classroom behaviour at the beginning of a school year with a set of printable classroom rule posters.
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Blurt Buttons - Classroom Management Strategy
Blurt Buttons are a great way to curb calling out in your classroom.
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Behaviour Stamp Card – Right on Target!
Motivate your students to be on target with this stamp card template.
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Behaviour Stamp Card – Look at Me Go!
Motivate your students to travel to new heights with this stamp card template.
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Student Interest Survey - Upper Years
Learn your students' interests on Day 1 of a new school year with this student interest survey for the upper years.
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Student of the Week Certificate – Upper Grades
A certificate to present to students when they are student of the week.
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Student of the Week Certificate – Lower Grades
A certificate to present to students when they are student of the week.
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Colourful Insects – Star Student Badges
A set of Colourful Insects themed star student badges.
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Digital Learning Background – Student of the Week
A special background students can use when they are student of the week.
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Are We There Yet? – Vertical Chart
A vertical tracking chart for students to reflect and follow their learning progress.
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Student Behaviour Tracker
A resource to track student behaviour.
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Race To The Rainforests – Class Behaviour Management Game
A whole class game played between the teacher and students to encourage good class behaviour.
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Desk Reward Chart - Geometric Shapes
A set of geometric shape themed desk charts to reward and motivate students in the classroom.
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Affirmations – Star Student Badges
A set of Affirmations themed star student badges.
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Class Rules Posters - The Big Three
Posters identifying the classroom rules.
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Be Happy, Be Bright, Be You Positivity Poster
A positive message to encourage students to be happy and bright.
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Believe in Yourself Positivity Poster
A positive message to encourage students to believe in themselves.
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Dream Big Positivity Poster
A positive message to encourage students to dream big.
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Reward Charts
A set of 3 colourful reward charts for your classroom.
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The More You Read... Poster
A positivity poster encouraging kids to read.
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Student of the Week Certificate
A set of four Student of the Week certificates.