Behavior Management Teaching Resources
Bring your classroom behavior management to the next level this school year with behavior management strategies and systems, classroom rules and expectations, student and classroom reward charts and more resources created by teachers for teachers like you!
This collection of teaching resources was developed by the expert teachers of Teach Starter to save teachers valuable time with printable and digital options ready to be downloaded and used — no extra prep necessary!
Just getting started with this part of your overall classroom management strategy? Jump in with this quick guide from our teacher team, including a definition of behavior management and strategies you can use in your classroom.
What Is Behavior Management?
Behavior management is a proactive strategy for teachers to handle behavior in the classroom. By setting up solid student organization strategies, creating clear rules and expectations, and providing consistent feedback, teachers set students up for success.
A good behavior management strategy will give students:
- Specific expectations
- Positive reinforcement when expectations are met
- Fair and consistent consequences when expectations are not met
One of the most popular behavior management strategies these days is CHAMPS, which stands for Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, and Participation. The goal is to provide students with an instructional structure that promotes responsibility and motivates students.
Why Is Behavior Management Important?
Strongly backed by research, behavior management strategies like CHAMPS have been shown to:
- Provide students with a sense of connection to school and their peers
- Promote a productive learning environment
- Minimize classroom disruptions
Behavior Management Strategies to Use in Your Classroom
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 behavior in your classroom in a positive way.
We've also included a mix of strategies that will help you prevent negative behavior as well as some simple things you can do to curb unwanted behavior 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 student is distracting another student, you may direct their attention to the work at hand by saying you'll be over in a few minutes or simply asking that student what they are up to.
Ignore Secondary Behavior
When a child is being warned about inappropriate behavior, you may notice a secondary behavior, such as an eye roll or a delayed response to a question. This behavior is often to avoid humiliation in front of peers.
If the initial poor behavior has stopped, ignoring the secondary behavior — 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 student one on one after the lesson to reflect on the situation (without the audience of the other students).
Plan Your Transitions
A transition in a classroom is when a student moves from one activity to another. It can be a significant change such as transitioning from gym or the cafeteria 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 behavior may start to fester.
Planning for how you and your students should transition can help avoid this situation from escalating. A simple transition for the example of going from PE 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 students what they should be doing during transitions, so they know the sort of behavior you expect!
Offer Choices
Providing a student with 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 behavior, instead of issuing a demand, offer a student 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 student 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 students 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 the task.
Use Positive Non-Verbal Reminders
You don't always have to use your voice for your behavior 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 student who may be off task is sometimes all that is needed for some students. This lets them know you know they're off-task in a gentle way.
Another non-verbal reminder is to just lower your body down to the level of the child while you continue with the teaching, or do a simple tap on their desk as you walk past.
Set Up a Calm Corner
Little kids experience BIG emotions, and often when they are trying to deal with these big emotions, they struggle with self-regulation.
Another behavior 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 students to 'chill out.' You can fill the space with fidget toys, weighted blankets, wobble cushions, a tub of sensory toys and similar objects.
If you are noticing a student that isn't responding to the smaller behavior management strategies, 5 minutes in the chill-out corner/area may help this student.
Another idea — sending a student to another teacher with a note that says something simple such as "John needed some space." This gets the student out and about and gives them some purpose by having the very important job of delivering the note to the other teacher.
Get Them Moving
We know a student'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 behavior 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 active brain breaks into your day can improve behavior in the classroom.
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Common Adjectives for Kids - Printable Adjective List
Print your students a list of adjectives to keep at hand when writing to help them use descriptive language.
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Information Text Graphic Organizers
Get your students to plan and write informational texts with this set of 6 differentiated graphic organizers.
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Addition Strategies Cheat Sheet
Help students understand the different addition strategies with this helpful cheat sheet.
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Back to School Today! Poem for Kids
Ease back-to-school jitters and launch your students into a love of poetry with a short poem for kids written just for the first day of school!
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Narrative Plot Structure - Story Mountain Template
Use a story mountain template to help your students write narrative stories.
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If I Could Create My Own Planet Craft Template
Explore planets and let your students get creative by developing their own planet.
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Grandparents' Day Poem - Fingerprint Art Craft
Show the grandparents how much they are loved with a special Grandparents’ Day Poem and Craft Activity.
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Addition and Subtraction Problem Solving Task Cards
Practice solving 1- and 2-step word problems by adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers with this set of 16 task cards.
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Boston Tea Party - RACES Writing Strategy Worksheet
Integrate reading, writing, and American history with a worksheet about the Boston Tea Party using the RACES writing strategy for text evidence.
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My Hopes and Wishes Jar Template
Encourage students to set and write their intentions for the year ahead.
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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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Free U.S. Mountains, Rivers, and Land Features Worksheet
Apply knowledge of the major U.S. land features, mountains, and rivers with a map labeling worksheet.
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Adding 2-Digit Numbers Worksheet
Practice 2-digit addition with regrouping with this drill and practice worksheet.
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Sight Word Cards - Dolch Grade 3
Dolch Grade 3 sight words on flash cards.
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First Day of School Activity - InstaMe! Get to Know Me Template
Get to know the students in your class with this fun Get to Know Me social media profile activity.
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Rounding Task Cards
Use place value knowledge to round numbers up through the hundred thousands place with this free set of 20 task cards.
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Arctic Fox Adaptations - Free Comprehension Worksheet
Read and learn about Arctic fox adaptations with a set of printable Reading Comprehension Worksheets for 2nd and 3rd grade.
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Mindful Breathing Exercises Posters
Teach students mindful breathing exercises to use when they are emotionally overwhelmed with this set of 7 classroom posters.
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Color by Parts of Speech Chameleon Worksheet (Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs, Conjunctions and Pronouns)
Practice identifying different parts of speech with this fun color-by-code worksheet.
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Escape From the Alien Invasion – Math Escape Room (Basic Fractions)
Save the planet from the alien invasion by identifying fractions, comparing fractions, creating models, and more with an exciting digital escape room.
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Strong Roots Make Beautiful Leaves - Grandparents Day Fingerprint Craft
Show grandparents love and appreciation on Grandparents Day with a printable fingerprint art project and letter.
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Lewis and Clark Expedition - RACES Writing Strategy Worksheets
Practice using the RACES writing strategy for text evidence with a Lewis and Clark Passage, graphic organizer, and worksheet.
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Procedures Scoot!
Review classroom procedures and expectations with with this back to school SCOOT activity.
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Developing Narrative Writing Skills - 3rd & 4th Grade
Teach your students about the structure and language features of narrative texts with an engaging interactive Narrative Writing Teaching Slide Presentation.
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Free 5 Senses Worksheet
Identify the body parts used to sense things with a free 5 Senses Cut and Paste Worksheet.
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Making Inferences – Birthday Activity
Teach your students how to make inferences with this birthday invitation activity.
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How to Make a Monster Reading Comprehension Activity
Read and comprehend a set of instructions to create a magical monster!
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Digraph Coding Robot Mat
Practice identifying digraphs with the help of a coding robot and mat.
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Should Smartphones Be Allowed in Class? Comprehension Worksheets
Decide if cellphones should be allowed in class and boost comprehension skills with a reading passage and comprehension test.
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Prefixes and Suffixes - Gallery Walk Activity
Get your students up and moving to learn about prefixes and suffixes with an engaging gallery walk activity.
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Fishing to Know You
Get to know your new class at the beginning of the year with this Fishing to Know You activity.
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Build a Fact File Template
Get a sense of separating fact from opinion in texts with this graphic organizer.