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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Roll to Create a Creature - Drawing Game
Use a die and a chart to create a creature to include in a narrative text or a comic strip.
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Halloween Coloring Sheets — Mindful Coloring
Bring a bit of calm to the chaotic classroom this October with a set of printable (not-so) scary halloween coloring pages.
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2-Digit Addition Color by Number- Halloween Mystery Picture
Celebrate the coming of Halloween and practice adding 2-digit numbers up to 99 with a set of addition color by number worksheets.
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Make Your Own Paper Fortune Teller Template
Make paper fortune tellers with this multi-use template for teachers and students.
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Halloween Crossword Puzzle
Start spooky season with a hauntingly horrific Halloween crossword puzzle.
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Last One Standing Active Game
An active game that allows students to build their vocabulary knowledge.
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Halloween Activity Mat - Lower Grades
Give your students a fun warm-up this October with a printable Halloween activity mat .
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Music Coloring Sheets - Instruments
Encourage mindfulness with a set of printable music coloring sheets.
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I Wish My Teacher Knew Activity Sheet
Add an ‘I Wish My Teacher Knew’ activity to your first-day plans to learn more about your new students.
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Subtraction Strategies – Worksheet
Assess your students’ knowledge of subtraction strategies with a subtraction assessment.
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Finish the Picture - Drawing Worksheets
Spark creativity in the classroom with a pack of Finish the Drawing worksheets.
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Mini-Mystery – Who Scared the Black Cat?
A logic-based Halloween-themed puzzle where students solve a mystery by reading clues.
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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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Battleship Coordinate Plane Game
Use this coordinate plane game to practice plotting ordered pairs on the coordinate grid.
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Color by Number – Repeated Addition and Multiplication
Guide your students to connect repeated addition with multiplication by completing this color-by-code multiplication worksheet.
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Callback Phrases List
Catch your students’ attention with a set of fun attention-grabbing callback phrases.
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Behavior Punch Card – Right on Target!
Motivate your students to be on target with this punch card template.
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Roll It, Make It, Expand It! - Place Value Worksheet
A worksheet for students to use when learning to write two-digit numbers in expanded form.
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Student Behavior Discussion Cards for the Classroom
Print free student behavior discussion cards to encourage your class to think about what a positive learning environment looks like, sounds like, and feels like.
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Halloween Adjectives Word Search - Lower Grades
Bring in the Halloween spirit this year, starting with a printable Halloween word search filled with spooky adjectives!
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Symmetry Worksheets
Use this set of eight symmetry worksheets to help students understand symmetry, the line of symmetry, and symmetrical objects.
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Fall Color By Part of Speech Worksheet - Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs
Use this color by part of speech worksheet as a fun fall activity with your students.
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Emoji Themed Self-Assessment Desk Cards
Print these emoji themed self-assessment cards for students to reflect on their learning and display on their desk to indicate the level of teacher support they need.
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Busy Binder - Kindergarten Morning Work Activity Book
Review daily calendar, math, literacy, and fine motor skills with a printable kindergarten Busy Binder workbook!
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Student Progress Report Parent Letter Templates
Track academic and behavioral data with this set of progress report templates.
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50-Book Challenge Tracker & Printable Bookmark
Encourage your students to complete the 50 Book Reading Challenge with a printable bookmark to track their books.
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Halloween Brain Game for Kids — Who Scared the Black Cat?
Download a Halloween brain game for kids with interactive elements that challenge your students to use logic to solve a spooky mystery!
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Editable Parent Reminder Notes
Keep your parents informed with this set of 27 editable reminder notes.
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All About Me Bag Ideas & Tag Template
Get to know your students a bit better by having them create ‘All About Me’ Bags!
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Weekly Behavior Tracking Sheet
Track and reward student behavior with a printable weekly behavior chart.
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Curious Creature – Whole-Class Art Activity
A collaborative whole-class art activity to create a curious creature.
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Roll and Cover – Telling Time to the Minute
Practice telling to the minute with this roll and cover game