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Checklist for classroom management

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Another classroom management checklist

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Administration for Children and Families (ACF)

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The hustle and bustle of a new school year can get overwhelming. This is true because of things like curriculum planning, attending meetings, and organizing supplies, but also because you have to teach students the routines, procedures, and rules of the art room.

Because we have so many classes, the repetitive nature of this can grow tiresome. That's why, in my classroom, I believe in creating expectations with my students.

Creating expectations with students is an empowering activity to help build the community and culture of the art room.

Allowing students to take ownership over their environment shows them you value their thoughts. In the book, The Classroom of Choice: Giving Students What They Need and Getting What You Want, author Jonathan Erwin says, "One of the most effective and practical ways teachers can give students a say in the classroom is by allowing them to participate in developing the classroom rules or behavior guidelines."

From experience, I find teachers value leadership that takes their ideas and opinions into account when creating building norms or making changes in the school environment. So, you can see how this would work well with students, too!

Here are 3 benefits to creating classroom expectations with your students.

1. Your students will feel valued.

Many times in school, students are told what to do or how to think. Erwin supports this statement when he writes, "In academic classes, students are told how to behave, what to learn, when and how to learn it, and they are assessed in ways that may not take into account the diverse intelligences that exist in every student population."

Giving students a say will allow them to feel valued. As they contribute to the classroom expectations, they are more likely to follow them. They also will be able to use their critical thinking skills as they develop ideas to share with the class. It is beneficial to have student investment to promote a positive and safe learning environment.

2. Your students will understand the power of collaboration.

Getting students to collaborate on the first day is a great way to show how much you value students working together. As the teacher, you are modeling collaboration as well by getting students involved in developing classroom expectations. Instead of the usual "sit and get" structure, you are providing your students with a meaningful and interactive learning experience.

3. Your students will have a clear understanding of the expectations.

Having students directly involved in the creation of classroom expectations leaves less room for confusion. When students are a direct part of the process, they comprehend everything better. Students won't just be listening to you explain the expectations, they will be direct participants, brainstorming, discussing, and refining!

Let's talk about exactly how to generate expectations together.

Here are 3 ways to create shared classroom expectations.

1. Hold a Group Discussion

If this idea is new for you, having a basic classroom discussion is helpful and a comfortable way to start. This method also works especially well for younger elementary students who can't yet write well. Simply give prompts about rules you have had in the past and ask for additional suggestions.

For example, respect is a typical rule you will find in most classes. Bring up the topic of respect. Ask students, "Why it is important to be respectful in art class?," or, "What are ways for the class to be respectful in art class?" This questioning technique allows you to guide the discussion but allows for students to gain a deeper understanding and add input about expectations for the classroom.

2. Have Your Students Create Web Charts

To get even more collaborative, allow your students the opportunity to work and brainstorm together.

First, split your students into groups.
Each group will need a large piece of paper and a writing utensil.

Then, show your students how to create a web chart.
The center circle on the chart should be labeled something like, "Art Room Rules." Then, show them how to add lines going from the center circle to another circle. These secondary circles will house what they feel are good rules for the art room. For example, "Use supplies correctly." Let students get to work.

Finally, have students share out to the class.
After about 5-10 minutes of work time, have students share what their ideas with the class. Write common themes on the board and create a list of classroom expectations from what your students added to their web charts.

3. Conduct a Collaborative Sticky Note Activity

This activity is great for older students who can handle more movement around the room and more independent work.

1. Start with a brief discussion about the importance of expectations in the classroom. Write the main expectations your students discuss on the board.

2. Create a sticky note for each expectation. These might be things like Respect, Be Kind, Work Hard, etc... Place each sticky note on a different table in your classroom.

3. Give your students sticky notes (or even small pieces of scrap paper). Then, ask them to consider each expectation. For each expectation, have them write some specific ways students could follow the expectation in the classroom or why the expectation is important. Have students leave their thoughts at the corresponding tables.

Holding Students Accountable

No matter how you go about creating your classroom expectations, it's important to come up with some sort of visual or document for your students.
Here are two ways to do that.

1. Create a classroom visual.
Your classes will likely come up with similar expectations. Therefore, you can create a poster to lay everything out and display it in your room. You could also create a verbal pledge for your students or have them recite the expectations and acknowledge that they will follow them.

2. Create a contract.
If you want to save your wall space, have students sign a contract with the expectations they designed for the classroom. You can give each student an individual copy or have a copy for each class with a line for each student's name. You can post this in the room or refer to it when needed. If you are low on paper, try a verbal agreement.

Both of these methods allow you to have an easy reference if students forget the rules. If things are going awry, you can point to your poster or contract and conduct a mini-class targeted toward the expectations that need attention. It's powerful to be able to refer to the expectations and remind students they were involved in the creation of them.
What do you do on the first day of class when it comes to classroom expectations? What other benefits are there to creating shared classroom expectations with students?
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.

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Create Your Classroom Rules WITH Your Students for a Powerful Start to the Year

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Create Your Classroom Rules WITH Your Students for a Powerful Start to the Year Relationship Building % %

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Learning can only happen when your classroom environment is set up for success. A huge part of your classroom environment is behavior management. Of course all teachers set up their behavior management systems in different ways, but most of these systems are set to work for the whole group. I've found that sometimes a behavior management system works for some kids and doesn't work for others. That's why, I've tested a few different individualized behavior management systems to use when my classroom behavior management doesn't work.

Individual Behavior Management Systems

What to do When Your Student...

Shouts Out

The behavior management system I've used is a shout out or "eruption" chart. In the beginning of the year, we read "My Mouth is a Volcano" by Julia Cook. If you haven't read this book, it's about a child who continues shouting out and explains it as a volcano erupting. It's a great read for primary students at the beginning of the year. It's even helpful when they need some behavior reminders midyear! After we read this, we use the term "eruption" in place of shouting out.

Here's how the chart works. The student who has trouble shouting out has an individual sticker chart. This chart is chunked into different parts of your day. After one block of the day is over, you call them over and talk about how their shouting out was. If they did a good job at not shouting out, they get to choose a sticker for that chunk of time. When the whole day is over, you can see what parts of the day they did well and did not shout out and what parts they had trouble in. You can send these home to parents or just have it for your own records.

Is Easily Distracted

Another behavior management system I've needed is for students who get easily distracted. One way to encourage them to stay on track and focus is by setting a timer. The timer shows how long they've been working and how much longer they need to work and focus until you switch gears. This is motivating to students because they can see an end in sight (especially if they're doing something they don't particularly like to do).

This behavior management system also benefits from a sticker chart! (I've found that stickers are very motivating in the lower grades.) To use this chart, you also chunk the day. Then, you set a timer and if the student works until the timer goes off, they get a sticker for that chunk of the day. By the end of the day, you know when the child was focused and which parts of the day they had a harder time with.

Needs a Behavior Plan

My last behavior management system is one that I use often for students who need a little extra than just our normal clip chart. This sticker chart is chunked into those same parts of our day as the other two systems mentioned above. After each part of the day, I call the student over. We talk about their behavior during that part of the day. If they had good behavior, they get a sticker, if not, they don't.

For parts of the day that they don't get a sticker, I write a note of why. These slips go home to their parents each day because normally if they use this behavior management system it's because I've met with the parents and we've decided that they need a separate plan. Since I use a clip chart, I also have students color in their ending color at the end of the day for parents to see.

If you're interested in implementing these behavior management systems in your own classroom, check out this resource. It includes each of these sticker charts mentioned above and is editable to work for your classroom.

What do you need help with as far as student behavior? Do you have a behavior management system you love? Share below!

Read More About Behavior Management

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Behavior Management Systems When Your Whole Group Behavior Management Doesn't Work

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Learning can only happen when your classroom environment is set up for success. A huge part of your classroom environment is behavior management. Of course all teachers set up their behavior management systems in different ways, but most of these systems are set to work for the whole group.

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A popular behavior management plan most elementary teachers use is called the "Turn-A-Card" system. This strategy is used to help monitor each child's behavior and encourage students to do their best. In addition to helping students display good behavior, this system allows students to take responsibility for their actions.

There are numerous variations of the "Turn-A-Card" method, the most popular being the "Traffic Light" behavior system. This strategy uses the three colors of the traffic light with each color representing a specific meaning. This method is usually used in preschool and primary grades. The following "Turn-A-Card" plan is similar to the traffic light method but can be used throughout all elementary grades.

How it Works

Each student has an envelope containing four cards: Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red. If a child displays good behavior throughout the day, he/she remains on the green card. If a child disrupts the class he/she will be asked to "Turn-A-Card" and this would reveal the yellow card. If a child disrupts the classroom a second time in the same day he/she will be asked to turn a second card, which would reveal the orange card. If the child disrupts the class a third time he/she will be asked to turn their final card to reveal the red card.

What it Means

Green = Great job! Working well throughout the day, following rules, demonstrating appropriate behavior, etc.

Yellow = Warning Card (breaking rules, not following directions, disrupting the classroom

Orange = Second Warning Card (still not following directions) This card means that the student loses free time and takes a ten minute time out.

Red = A Note and/or Phone Call Home

A Clean Slate

Each student starts off the school day with a clean slate. This means that if they had to "Turn-A-Card" the previous day, it will not affect the current day. Each child starts the day with the green card.

Parent Communication/Report Student Status Each Day

Parent-communication is an essential part of this behavior management system. At the end of each day, have students record their progress in their take-home folders for their parents to view. If the student did not have to turn any cards that day then have them place a green star on the calendar. If they had to turn a card, then they place the appropriate colored star on their calendar. At the end of the week have parents sign the calendar so you know they had a chance to review their child's progress.

Additional Tips

It is expected that each student stays on green throughout the day. If a child does have to turn a card, then kindly remind them they get to start fresh the next day.

If you see that a particular student is getting a lot of warning cards then it may be time to re-think the consequences.

When a child has to turn a card, use this as an opportunity to teach the child the correct behavior that should have been displayed.

Reward the students that stay on green all week. Have "Free-Time Friday" and allow students to choose fun activities and games. For the students that flipped over an orange or red card during the week, they will not be able to participate.

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Don't Miss This Effective Behavior Management Strategy

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A popular behavior management plan most elementary teachers use is called the "Turn-A-Card" system. This strategy is used to help monitor each child's behavior and encourage students to do their best. In addition to helping students display good behavior, this system allows students to take responsibility for their actions.

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Classroom management can be one of the trickiest parts of teaching. It's almost impossible to teach if you're struggling to manage your class. And even if you have great systems in place for the majority of your students, it's likely that there will be a few students who need some extra support, beyond what you have in place for your whole class. Even though it can feel frustrating at times, it's essential to find a system for these kids. Unchecked, best case scenario these kids are just floating by and going through the motions of learning, and worst-case scenario they can hijack your classroom.

Today I'm going to share my top 5 tips for creating a behavior plan. (For our purposes, I'm considering a behavior plan to be anything outside of your normal management system that you use to help students manage their behavior, so that would include something as elaborate as a sticker chart, or as simple as a work tracker that students use to complete their independent work.)

1. Start small.

The ultimate goal is for students to be successful, so you need to set goals that students can achieve. They should be goals; they should involve some work, but they should not be unattainable. When you're setting goals, you want to start with the most basic (or most bothersome) behavior first. It's also important to make sure you don't set too many goals; so even if your overarching goal would require 5 or 6 stepping stone goals overall don't give them 6 goals at once. It's too overwhelming, and you won't have any success.

2. Make goals as tangible as possible.

The more tangible your goal is the more likely your students are to meet it. So, instead of saying "pay attention" set the goal as "track the speaker", or "raise your hand to be recognized". Pictures of your goal behavior can also be super helpful, especially with younger students who might not always be able to read the text of their behavior plan.

3. Students and teachers need to be on the same page.

The ultimate goal of any individual behavior plan is to change the student's behavior, so the plan (and any rewards) must be motivating to your student. Otherwise nothing changes. I've found the easiest way to ensure that students are on board is to ask them what rewards are motivating to them. It's also important that the plan is manageable so that you're motivated to stick with it as a teacher.

4. Fidelity

You can only help your student reach their goal(s) if you use the individual behavior plan the way it's designed to be used, whatever it is, whether it's AM//PM check-ins, daily check-ins, clean up check ins, timer based, etc. It's also important to give rewards to students when they earn them, even if they're display some other undesirable behavior at the time. This was hard for me to get on board for at first, but if they met the goal they have to get the reward. So if their goal is to keep their hands to themselves during carpet time, and they did it, but they also were talking to their neighbor they should get the star//sticker//break that they earned because they met their goal.

5. Organized

Last, but certainly not least, is that staying organized makes managing behavior plans so much easier! I always keep a printed copy of the originals, and then I copy enough for each week either Friday afternoon or Monday morning, and put them in the bins for that day with other copies. I also make sure to have copies of any templates I use to communicate with parents ready to go so that pack up//dismissal can go smoothly. If I'm the monitor of the plan, I keep it on my clipboard. Sometimes students are in charge of their plans, and they usually get a special folder for that and keep it in their seat.

What's the biggest challenge for you when creating individual behavior plans? What do you find to be particularly motivating for your students? My kids have always been big on time based rewards, like Lunch Bunch, or spending some extra time with me.

Connect with Rachel:

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Creating Individual Behavior Plans to Support all Learners: A Guest Post by Rachel Wilser

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Classroom management can be one of the trickiest parts of teaching. Even if you have great systems in place for the majority of your students, it's likely that there will be a few students who need some extra support. Read here to find my top 5 tips for creating a behavior plan.

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In my opinion, behavior management is the MOST important aspect of a classroom. If students don't know expectations or are in an environment that is not structured, it will be very difficult to facilitate any learning.

In my classroom, I use three different behavior management systems: whole class, table groups and individual. I think it is important to have multiple behavior systems as different situations call for use of different systems.

Whole Class: "Eye Like What I See"

For this system, two large eyeballs sit at the top of my whiteboard. I draw a T-chart with a happy face on one side and a sad face on the other. Whenever students are showing good behavior as a whole class, I give students a "happy face point". On the other hand, when students are not listening, they receive a "sad face point".

At the end of the day, we count up how many happy vs. how many sad face points and if they earned more happy face than sad face points, they receive a pair of eyes that I draw on the white board next to our big eyeballs. I set a number of eyes to aim for and once they get that many pairs, they earn a reward as a class. Usually in the beginning of the year, I set the number of pairs at 10 in order to get a reward and then later on in the year, students have to earn 15 or 20 eyeball pairs in order to receive a class reward.

Table Groups: "Quit Monkeyin' Around"

I use the table group system when I notice certain tables showing a desired behavior. I like to use positive reinforcement and compliment one table to encourage other tables to then want that reinforcement also. For this system, I give "table points" by hanging a monkey on the corresponding table's hanging sign. Whichever table has the most points at the end of the day (before free play) gets to start free play first. This system is important as it encourages students to work together at their tables.

Individual: "Roarin' to Learn" Clip Chart

For individual behavior, I use a popular system, a clip chart. Every student has a clip and begins each day on green. As individual students are following rules, trying their best, etc, I ask them to move their clip up. They can move up three times on my chart. At the top of my chart I have a ribbon and when students move their clip up to the ribbon, they have reached the top of the clip chart and had the very best behavior for the day. Students get to the ribbon when they go above and beyond normal good behavior.

On the flip side, when students need reminders and warnings, they are asked the move their clips down. The first time they move it down, it serves as just a warning and no consequence is given. When they get to orange, they miss five minutes of free play and red is when I contact their parent.

What I love about this system is that students are never stuck on one color of the chart. If they've needed a couple warnings but turned their behavior around, they are asked to move their clips back up and can end the day on a good behavior color. I consider green and above a good behavior color. At the end of the day, we record our color and at the end of the week, I send the slip home for parents to see. Students really respond to this system and are proud when they work hard to get to a top chart color.

Resources

Check out my behavior bundle resource in my TpT store. This bundle has everything you need for behavior management in your classroom!

What behavior management systems work best in your classrooms?

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Behavior Management Systems You Need in Your Classroom

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Follow my blog with Bloglovin In my opinion, behavior management is the MOST important aspect of a classroom. If students don't know expectations or are in an environment that is not structured, it will be very difficult to facilitate any learning. In my classroom, I use three different behavior management systems: whole class, table groups and individual.

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Classroom incentives and prizes make up a highly controversial area of teaching. Many teachers see extrinsic material rewards as appropriate and effective behavioral management techniques while others feel that they qualify as "bribes". All teachers agree that the goal is for students to feel intrinsically motivated to behave and perform on their own but there is much disagreement about how to achieve this.

Many teachers find that each academic year brings new obstacles and some groups of students respond more positively to rewards than others-keep this in mind when making your decision about incentives. If you do decide to move forward with a system of rewards, read the following conditions of incentivization to determine how best to manage the needs of your class.

Limit Incentives at the Beginning of the School Year

The idea of classroom rewards is an especially important concept to consider at the beginning of the school year. If you lay on the rewards from the start, then your students will probably begin to expect them and even work toward them rather than academic growth. Instead, limit the prizes offered from the beginning of the year to make the system run more smoothly.

Remember that it is not your job as a teacher to reward your students for doing what is expected of them and that their hard work needs to be the norm, not the exception. Instill a healthy concept of "hard work pays off" in your students with a limited but fair reward system.

Practice Careful Timing

Teachers should think carefully about the trajectory of the whole year when deciding how to add incentives to their practice, not just the beginning. You might find it beneficial to restrict your use of rewards during times of the year that are not particularly difficult for students. For example, students are generally on their best behavior during the first few weeks of the school year and after a couple of months once they are settled into routines. Encourage, without necessarily rewarding, students that are naturally meeting your expectations.

On the flip side, many students find it difficult to focus and perform in school around the holidays, before summer break, and even sometimes just on the first day of a new week. Be on the lookout for students that are trying their hardest and improving despite distractions and boost morale with incentives if appropriate. Show your class that you recognize the ways in which behavior ebbs and flows throughout the year and that you appreciate extra hard work.

Avoid Material Rewards and Overemphasis

Best teaching practice with regard to incentives is to entirely avoid the use of material rewards. Teachers are not expected to spend their own time and money stocking prize boxes and sending some students home with fun items and not others is hugely problematic. Stay out of trouble with families and administration by steering clear of material prizes altogether.

Equally dangerous to the goal of incentivization is overemphasizing the rewards. While a certain degree of healthy competition is natural, a teacher should never be the source of competition between their students. Every student has their own capabilities and a teacher should hold different standards of good behavior for each of them. Similarly, students should not be taught to improve their behavior for the sake of a reward system, so refrain from making incentives too prominent in your routines. Suspend the system and regroup if you feel that your students are beginning to perform for the wrong reasons.

Ultimately, there is not a single correct way to implement incentives into your class but know that placing too much weight on rewards and using physical prizes will do much more harm than good.

Incentives and Rewards to Try

One popular system of class incentives is a drawing or raffle-type activity that randomizes the rewarding somewhat. Each time you feel that a student has earned it, you may give a ticket that puts their name into a drawing. At the end of the day or week, draw to find out which student gets the prize. You can either leave the rest of the names in the box or remove them to start over. This method raises no questions about favoritism and will save you time and energy. Consider having students help you monitor the raffle process-by drawing the name, counting tickets, etc.-to impress in them a sense of ownership.

The following winnings might motivate your students to get their names in a drawing as many times as possible.

Help the teacher take attendance

Help pass out supplies for the day

15 minutes of free choice time

Choose a writing prompt for the class to answer

Be the messenger between other classes and the office

Choose the Morning Meeting greeting or activity

Choose your seat for the day (if this is not a regular routine)

Read aloud to the class

Think about your class to determine what time of prize they will find most meaningful. Many students really enjoy class jobs, making them great to use as rewards. You may also choose to have the class work together toward larger goals such as extended recess, ice cream parties, parent days, etc. Check with your school before making any of these decisions.

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Classroom incentives and prizes make up a highly controversial area of teaching. Many teachers see extrinsic material rewards as appropriate and effective behavioral management techniques while others feel that they qualify as "bribes". All teachers agree that the goal is for students to feel intrinsically motivated to behave and perform on their own but there is much disagreement about how to achieve this.

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Help increase your chances of a successful school year by implementing an effective behavior management program. Use these behavior management resources to help you establish and maintain effective classroom discipline in your classroom.

As teachers, we often find ourselves in situations where our students are being uncooperative or disrespectful to others. To eliminate this behavior, it's important to address it before it becomes a problem. A great way to do this is by using a few simple behavior management strategies that will help promote appropriate behavior.

Here you will learn six classroom ideas to help motivate good behavior: start your day with a morning message, pick a stick to avoid hurt feelings, sway negative behavior with a traffic light, motivate students to keep quiet, and learn how to reward good behavior.

A popular behavior management plan most elementary teachers use is called the "Turn-A-Card" system. This strategy is used to help monitor each child's behavior and encourage students to do their best. In addition to helping students display good behavior, this system allows students to take responsibility for their actions.

There are numerous variations of the "Turn-A-Card" method, the most popular being the "Traffic Light" behavior system. This strategy uses the three colors of the traffic light with each color representing a specific meaning. This method is usually used in preschool and primary grades. The following "Turn-A-Card" plan is similar to the traffic light method but can be used throughout all elementary grades.

An important component of your behavior management program is stating your class rules. How you introduce these rules is equally important, this will set the tone for the rest of the school year. Introduce your class rules on the first day of school. These rules serve as a guideline for students to follow throughout the year.

The following article will give you a few tips on how to introduce your class rules, and why it's best to only have a few. Plus, you will get a sample generic list in addition to a specific list of class rules to use in your room.

Teaching a lesson to your class can become quite a challenge when you have to deal with the constant disruption of a difficult student. It may seem like you have tried every behavior management tip known to man, along with trying to provide an organized routine to help the student manage their responsibilities. Inevitably, when everything you've tried fails, keep your head up and try again.

Effective teachers choose discipline techniques that will encourage positive behavior and motivate students to feel good about themselves and the decisions that they make. Use the following five tips to help you combat classroom disruptions, and deal with those difficult students.

Behavior Management and School Discipline

Long before your students enter your classroom you should be thinking and designing your behavior management program. In order to have a successful school year, you must focus on how you will be able to maximize your students' learning with very few interruptions.

This article will teach you how to strategize, get inspired, and write your classroom rules. As well as organize your classroom for maximum learning, communicate your discipline program to your students' parents, and help you learn how to get the parental support you need.

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5 Popular Behavior Management Strategies for Teachers

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Help increase your chances of a successful school year by implementing an effective behavior management program. Use these behavior management resources to help you establish and maintain effective classroom discipline in your classroom. As teachers, we often find ourselves in situations where our students are being uncooperative or disrespectful to others.

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I will email monthly updates for class incentives.

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2021-2022 Behavior Chart FACES Print and Go Set Entire Year

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When we are very upset, our brains are not thinking clearly and are not able to problem-solve effectively. Trying to "talk it out" or reason with a child (or anyone!) who is at the peak of an escalation is typically counter productive and only adding fuel to the fire.

Think about where your child (and yourself!) is at on the escalation cycle during an emotional escalation. Choose your reaction to their behavior carefully based on what phase of the cycle they are in. For example, if I notice my child is starting to show some small signs of frustration/escalation, I might intervene by taking a few deep breaths, offering two calming activity choices, or redirecting them to take a break and get some exercise outside.

Oftentimes the best and most efficient route to returning to the baseline phase is to simply take a break. Think about reducing the demands being placed on your child (stop asking questions, offering solutions, scolding, reduce noise/stimulation in the environment, etc.) so their nervous system can start winding down and they can access their rational thinking and problem-solving parts of their brain again. Wait to talk about what happened until you are sure they are back at baseline and in a calm and relaxed state - that will be the best time to debrief and brainstorm different choices we can try the next time the same trigger occurs.

Calming Activity Ideas

Here are a few ideas of calming activities and skills you can try with your child and see if they help support regulation. Every child and person is different, so something that's calming to one child might not be to another. Remember, we want to teach these skills while your child is at baseline and their brains and bodies are available for learning (this is often what we are doing during OT at the clinic!).

Deep Breathing: Use bubbles, a pinwheel, a whistle, a harmonica, etc. to learn to take deep breaths during play. Remember to breathe in through your nose, and slowly out through your mouth.

Squeeze the Lemons: Tighten and relax your fists to squeeze the juice out of an imaginary lemon. Squeeze and count to 5, then slowly relax and shake the juice off your hands. Repeat several times.

Dots & Squeezes: Make a 'dot' in the left palm with the opposite thumb and massage. Next, firmly squeeze the left wrist with the right hand. Continue to move your hand up your arm doing a series of squeezes. Repeat on the other side.

Exercise!: Hop on a bike or scooter, run a lap around the yard, kick a ball, climb on a play structure, or do some "animal walks" (bear crawl, crab walk, frog jump, etc.). During winter months, try making an indoor obstacle course using couch cushions and pillows. For less energized exercise, try some simple stretching or a few yoga poses. Exercise is one of the greatest ways to regulate our bodies.

Music: Talk with your child about how music makes their body feel while listening together. Some music is very alerting and gives us energy, and other music can help us calm and unwind.

Sensory Tools: Using sensory based play activities and toys like play dough/putty, kinetic sand, a fidget popper, a visual oil drip/liquid motion timer, bouncing or rolling on a yoga ball, and swinging on a swing.

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The Escalation Cycle - Behavioral - Emotional Warning Signs in Children - Oak Tree Development Center

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When we are very upset, our brains are not thinking clearly and are not able to problem-solve effectively. Trying to "talk it out" or reason with a child (or anyone!) who is at the peak of an escalation is typically counter productive and only adding fuel to the fire.

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Welcome to our supplemental Social Emotional Learning Activities page!

As you will see below, many of the supplemental SEL activities and lesson plans include characters from our game-based, social emotional learning interventions. And when you use the online programs with your students, these activities will reinforce the learning that occurs during game play.

These supplemental resources - lessons, activities, and worksheets - are in the following SELskill areas: Communication, Cooperation, Emotion Regulation, Empathy, Impulse Control, and Social Initiation.

These resources are age-appropriate for elementary and middle school students and are typically used in a classroom or a small group setting. And in most cases, if materials are required for the activity, they are items that you already have in your classroom or office.
Note: Please share this page on your school website so other educators may also benefit.
Social Emotional Learning at Home

Additional Resources for Social Emotional Learning

Our classroom management plan is a step-by-step guide and includes proven strategies, tips and printables for elementary school teachers, and it covers four key components for establishing a successful, well-managed classroom.

These free downloadable posters will decorate your classroom and be great teaching resources, reinforcing social and emotional skills in your classroom and reminding students to practice their skills like emotion regulation, impulse control, empathy, and more.

Social Emotional Learning Quotes

For each of the topics below, we have curated a list of quotes. You can incorporate these quotes in your social emotional learning lessons, add them to social media images, create classroom posters, or write one on your whiteboard each day.

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95 Free Social Emotional Learning Activities

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95 free social emotional learning activities, worksheets, and lessons to help students in elementary and middle school. Most are no-prep and ready to go.