Classroom Management Tips for Early Childhood Educators

Are your students testing your classroom management skills? Follow these tested tips to restore
order.
Have you ever been in a classroom where the teacher was hard at work trying to teach students some critically
important concept while they were busy poking each other, giggling, and singing the latest song of the week? Now
fast-forward to the uncomfortable realization that that teacher is you. In a classroom where students with varying
personalities have diverse levels of growth and academic proficiency, effective classroom management can be
daunting. Pepper in a few students who resist authority and are still learning self-control, and the class climate can
spiral out of control quickly.

To be the most effective, a teacher should be flexible and not afraid to make changes.
As educators, weve all had those days where even the best lessons were lost on a class caught in chaos. As the
teacher, how you manage your class will have a significant impact on the level of learning taking place. How much
your students grow depends upon the environment you create with them. The ideal is a calm, inviting class where
students make great decisions regarding both their learning and behavior, resulting in academic excellence. However,
the ideal is just that: ideal. In classrooms everywhere, teachers are learning to overcome factors that break down the
utopian cooperative community. In this article, we share some suggestions for improving one factor that has
presented itself to be the most challenging, especially for new teachers: classroom management skills.

Students respond more to positive feedback and encouraging words than they do to threats or
punishments.

We observed a preschool classroom of 18 students, focusing on the use of varied classroom management strategies
and whether these strategies changed childrens behavior or impacted their learning. We observed students in circle
time and while they were learning math, literacy, writing, and working in interest areas. There were changes in
classroom climate immediately after some strategies of the strategies were implemented, while others took more time
to produce observable results. What we discovered could be a lifesaver for future and practicing early childhood
educators.

Remodel the classroom

The first component of our plan was a change in classroom layout. We moved the interest areas and more clearly
defined them. Students were excited to see what seemed to them like a new classroom. Our changes made it easier
to decide how many students to send to each center and to rotate the students from area to area. We created more
open space for play and moving around, which made it easier for teachers to travel around the room, checking on
individual children or small groups of students while keeping the entire class in view. One of the biggest rewards of
the remodel was fewer altercations caused by students being too close to each other, not having enough room to
play, or not getting to go to favorite areas.

Tip: Create a warm, inviting classroom with students in mind. The classroom should feel like a second home to
students. They spend almost 40 hours a week with the same faces and in the same room. The class should be a
place where they feel welcome and wanted and where they can be themselves. When arranging the room, think of
the space needed to accommodate class size and behavior (Guardino & Fullerton, 2010). Be sure to include room for
student-teacher interactions, as well as areas where students can have time alone. Capizzi (2009) also recommends
considering the desired level of structure when planning the layout of the class. The ability to easily reach all students
from anywhere in the room ensures that all children are in the line of sight and will deter most students from engaging
in inappropriate behaviours.

Although sharing control goes against the more traditional methods of making decisions, it
enables students to monitor themselves and make wise choices.

Create accountability for bad behaviour

Author: Jin-ah Kim and Tanisha Weeks
February 1, 2013 8:00 am EST

How do you introduce the rules to the children?

Many early childhood experts advocate creating the rules with the children and I
agree that this is a very effective method for native English speakers. However,
when your class consists entirely of second language learners this is not a practical
strategy.
At the beginning of the year, on the very first day and every day thereafter, we
review the rules carefully as a group. I begin by asking the children Does
anybody know why we come to school? After a few responses (usually not
correct ones) I prompt them and say We come to school to LEARN.
Next, I tell the students that learning is like getting smart (they usually
understand that much better) and in order to learn we have to follow some rules;
this is when I introduce the rules chart with pictures.
I explain that there are five very important things we must do in order to learn and
I say the rules out loud as I point to them on the chart. The next day when I ask
these questions a few more students will be able to answer them, and finally after
several days everybody should be able to answer the questions.

After the initial few weeks of this type of review I switch to having our Leader of
the Day (LOTD) point to the rules on the chart and the leader says them for us or
picks friends to say each one. This process helps the children internalize and take
ownership of the rules.
Another great way to introduce the rules is to read from the series of books
titled The Best Behavior series. For large group time I like to read Listening
Time, I read this book every day in the beginning of the year before every large
group lesson. There are others in this series that address behaviors such as sharing,
cleaning-up, kicking, hitting, biting, and unkind words, I have listed them for you
below.
Hands Are Not for Hitting (Best Behavior Series)
Feet Are Not for Kicking (Best Behavior Series)
Listening Time
Sharing Time
Voices Are Not for Yelling
Words Are Not for Hurting
Teeth Are Not for Biting
Its Okay to Make Mistakes
Clean-Up Time
By : Vanessa Levin

You wrestle for ten minutes with your 3-year-old to get his jacket on, yet his
preschool teacher has ten kids (including yours) dressed for the playground in less
than three. What's her secret? Partly, of course, the advantage of not being a parent
kids really are more inclined to behave for outsiders.
But it's not only that. Teachers develop all sorts of tricks to help young kids learn,
keep the classroom more efficient, and make their job more enjoyable. This is hardly
surprising. Preschool teachers have year after year of experience with this
challenging age group. Fortunately, they're more than willing to share the keys to
their success with eager (and sometimes frustrated) parents:

Secret #1: Preschoolers don't have to dawdle.

Why does your child seem to thwart your attempts to get you both out the door each
morning but promptly turns on her heels when her teacher announces it's time to
head back in from the playground? The explanation is simple enough, says Barbara
Roth, director and teacher for more than 20 years at the Hanover Nursery School, in
New Hampshire: "When we say something, they know we mean it." Roth says she
routinely sees parents tell their child it's time to leave the playground but then stop
and chat with another parent themselves, or indulge countless delays and requests
for "just one more slide." "You've got to follow through," she says. "Otherwise, it
becomes clear that your child doesn't really have to do what you say when you say
it."
This means giving a few gentle but firm warnings starting five minutes before it's
time to leave (or come to the table, and so on), then announcing departure time
definitively and matter-of-factly. You may have to just go and scoop her up the first
few times (which you should do without hesitation) until she knows you're serious.
Kids also respond to cues they can see, hear, or count. If a child has trouble saying
goodbye, "decide on a certain number of hugs and kisses," suggests Jenny Raffaelli,
lead teacher at the Kinderberry Hill preschool, in Roseville, Minnesota. Soon she'll
come to both expect and accept the routine.
Roth plays the same few notes on the piano each day as a signal that free play is
over. You might regularly use a bell or an egg timer or blink the lights in the room for
the same effect, whether to get everyone to come to the dinner table or to mark that
it's time to put away toys. Counting (as in "I'm going to count to thirty, and then I
want to see a clean room") also inspires students to finish picking up in a hurry. "I
often hear parents promise kids a treat to get them to do something," says Roth.
"But that's rarely necessarypraise and accomplishment on their own mean just as
much as material incentives."
Letting a child race against herself helps her hurry and also provides a great
learning opportunity, says Joyce Drolette, director of the Big Sky Preschool, in Big
Sky, Montana. She suggests timing getting ready for bed, school, and so forth with a
stopwatch, then graphing or charting the results on the wall each day. In addition to

teaching about graphs and charts, this method lets your child compare her speed on
different days, says Drolette, and may even push her to beat her best time.

Secret #2: Kids can handle scissors and pens earlier than you
think.
Wanting to help their child develop writing and other fine motor skills, most parents
simply hand him a pencil, kid-safe scissors, and paper. But a little practice may
forestall frustration later. Raffaelli has her students learn basic skills and movements
with such activities as picking up nuts and small blocks with kitchen tongs, stringing
beads, rolling out play clay, and even cutting it with scissors. "With clay, it doesn't
matter how kids cut," she says. "They can snip any which way and really build the
fine muscles in their hands."
Once your child becomes adept, let him cut real paperbut in a way that
guarantees his success. "For a preschooler, trying to cut out a picture is often too
muchthe scissors get caught up in the paper and he can't go anywhere," says Ann
Curtis, director of the Infant and Preschool Center at Western Illinois University.
"Thin little strips of paper work better: One snip and he feels a great sense of
accomplishment." Set him up with a bunch of thin strips of different-colored paper
and a container to cut them into, then let him cut strips to glue onto a paper plate for
a wall hanging. Yarn also works well for scissor practice.
As for writing, if your child shows an interest in using pencils and wants to move
beyond scribbles, loops, and doodles but is frustrated that he can't make letters, he'll
probably get a kick out of fooling around with stencils or tracing, says Raffaelli. Both
let him practice holding the pencil and using it like a grown-up, and they won't
prevent him from writing without them later on.
Also let him copy or trace your grocery or to-do list. "We play restaurant and store all
the time, with the kids copying menus and lists right off the blackboard," says
Drolette.

Secret #3: Structure and routine are critical for easy naps.
It may seem amazing that your child manages to nap with a bunch of other kids in
the room when you can't get a short snooze out of her in her own comfy bed, but
preschools have an advantage over home, explains Raffaelli. "Your child is with a

group of other children who are doing the same thing, so it's just easier to go along
with the rest." Even if you can't import ten other 3-year-olds every day at naptime,
there are some other tricks.
Mary Eltgroth, assistant director of New Horizon Child Care Center, in Savage,
Minnesota, recommends that you first give her time to unwind before her napa
half hour minimumbeing careful not to suggest an activity that engrosses her so
much that she won't want to interrupt it to sleep. Next, create a routine: the same
time, the same music, the same bed, and the same expectation: quiet or sleep.
Cutting down on distractions can also help, says Drolette, who runs a fan (out of
reach) to block out background noise and suggests that restless kids cover their
eyes with a blanket so they're not tempted to keep looking around.

Secret #4: How you say things is as important as what you

say.
Having trouble getting your child's attention? Don't raise your voice, unless it's to
sing. "Kids don't care how you sound," says Curtis. "If I'm reading and they aren't
listening and I start singing the story, they quiet right down."
But you can't rely on song alone. Teachers try to alternate verbal tactics, using
whispering or different voices or silently mouthing the words to get children to focus
on them. They also employ visual cues, such as putting a hand up in the air or
touching their finger to their nose and asking the children to do the same when
they're quiet. Amanda Johnson, who used to teach at Radnor Nursery School, in
Devon, Pennsylvania, has even been known to lean playfully over her charges and
"blow the dust out of their ears."
And once you've got your child's undivided attention, keep your instructions clear,
short, and direct, says Barbara Hill, director of administration at the Child and Family
Study Center, the Lab School for California State University, Northridge. "Don't start
by saying that if they get on the table it might break. Say, 'Get down'"and explain
later.

Secret #5: Your child wants to get dressed himself.

Most young kids really want the feelings of independence, self-confidence, and
achievement that dressing themselves brings. It's just that their clothes get in the

way. To make it easier, "take into account where your child is developmentally when
you buy his clothes," says Hill. For instance, a 3-year-old won't do as well in a pair of
jeans with a zipper and a button as he will in elastic-waist pants.
Then develop specific ways to help him succeed. This might mean arranging his
outfit the night before in the shape of a person on the floor, getting in the habit of
putting on dress-ups and costumes when you aren't under time pressure or labeling
clothes so that your child is able to distinguish the front from the back.
Raffaelli suggests marking one shoe with a star, dot or little sticker and teaching
your child that that shoe always goes on the same foot. Another right/left shoe
teaching method, from Curtis: Ask your child whether his shoes are mad at each
other. If they're on the correct feet, the toes will be kissing (touching); if they're angry
at each other (on the wrong feet), the toes will be turning away.
To help your child learn how to manipulate zippers and buttons, let him practice on
someone else so he can see what he's doing. "It's important to do this with real
clothesdoll clothes are much more difficult," says Roth. "We let our kids put their
snowsuits on large teddy bears." And offering to let your child button or zip your coat
after you have buttoned or zipped his gives him a feeling of accomplishment as well.

Secret #6: Taking turns and sharing don't have to be

traumatic.
As an adult, you know you have to wait in line sometimes, and you're comfortable
with it as long as no one cuts in front of you. Kids have the same expectation of
fairness, say teachers. Most will share and take turns as long as the system is fair.
"When two children are arguing over one object, we talk about how fighting won't fix
the problem but will only make them cry and feel angry," says Drolette. "I tell the one
who's most upset, 'Let me hear Billy and then I'll hear you.' He'll immediately calm
down because he now knows that I'll listen to both sides." Then she gets the children
to agree that in the future they'll ask for the toy nicely and relinquish it when they're
finished with it. "Seven times out of ten, the child will hand over the toy right then
and there."
If this approach doesn't work, you may have to formalize the sharing process. Give
the child waiting for a toy (as well as the one already playing with it) an accurate

measure of how long until it's her turn, rather than just saying wait until "later" or that
she'll get her turn "in a little while," says Johnson. She's had success using egg
timers and clocks to schedule use of a popular toy. Curtis has even used a sign-up
sheet for some highly desirable items. "Even a three-year-old can understand that it
will be her turn when her name comes up. It also serves as a graphic representation
of the concept of waiting your turn, and it's good practice for kids to print their name
on it," she says.

Secret #7: Play may be all the education your preschooler

needs.
"I'd like to think kids go home from my class and say, 'I had great fun. I played all
day,'" says Johnson, "because that's how children learn."
So even if you decide to push some academics at home, the focus should be on fun
rather than rote learning. It's easy to use letters in projects and games, such as
Raffaelli's favorite literacy project: personalized math and counting books. "We take
photographs or cut out pictures of everything that begins with a certain letteror
look for groups of one, two or three objects and so onand make them into books."
And remember, one of the reasons your child can let loose and enjoy himself in the
first place is that he has his own secret weapon: a foundation of unconditional love
waiting for him at home.
Barbara Rowley's most recent book is Baby Days, an activities guide for young
children.

CLASSROOM DESIGNS

Activity Idea Place: preschool lesson plans

Fall Preschool Lesson
Plans
Acorns
All About Me
Back To School
Fall
Halloween
Leaves
Potatoes
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Corn
Thanksgiving- Being
Thankful
Thanksgiving Turkeys
Weather
Winter Preschool
Lesson Plans
Christmas
Conversation Hearts
New Year's Day
Snow
Valentine's Day
Weather
Spring Preschool
Lesson Plans
Baby Animals
Birds
Clouds
Easter
Flowers
Kite

Alphabet preschool
lesson plans
Alphabet
The Letter "A"
The Letter "B"
The Letter "C"
The Letter "D"
The Letter "E"
The Letter "F"
The Letter "G"
The Letter "H"
The Letter "I"
The Letter "J"
The Letter "K"
The Letter "L"
The Letter "M"
The Letter "N"
The Letter "O"
The Letter "P"
The Letter "Q"
The Letter "U"
The Letter "V"
The Letter "W"
The Letter "X"
The Letter "Y"
The Letter "Z"

Animal preschool
lesson plans:
Ants
Birds
Bugs
Cats
Circus
Desert
Dinosaurs
Dogs
Ducks
Farm
Fish
Frogs
Jungle
Ladybugs
Pigs
Polar Animals
Teddy Bears
Turkeys
Zoo

Self Concept preschool

lesson plans
all about me
dentist
doctors
Other school age, preschool family
and toddler lesson plans
feelings
50's
feet
60's
five senses
Art
friendship
Balloons

Mother's Day
Plants
Rain
Rainbows
Rainy Day
St. Patrick's Day
Sun
Week of the Young Child
Wind
Weather
Summer Preschool
Lesson Plans
Beach
Camping
Father's Day
Fourth of July
Summer Olympics
Weather

Beads
Bubbles
Buttons
Castles and Dragons
Communication
Day and Night
Desert
Field Trip Ideas
Fingerprint Fun
Fire Fighters
Hollywood
Let's Pretend
Math
Misc
Mulitcultural
Numbers
Open Ended Art
Opposites
Outside Activities
Pirates
Police Officers
Recipes
Sand
Schoolage
Science
Shapes
Sports
Stars
Toddler
Toddler Songs
Trains
Transportation
Twos
Water

health
Color preschool lesson
plans
blue
colors
green
orange
pink
purple
red
yellow
Food
apples
bakery
candy corn
Conversation Hearts
Corn
food
fruit
ice cream
jelly beans
noodles
Potatoes
pumpkins
Book Based
From Head to Toe
Put Me in the Zoo

IN THE BEGINNING

LESSON 1: GOD THE MAGNIFICENT CREATOR

Lessons in this series: 1 2 3 4 5 Overview
This lesson will introduce children to how God magnificently created the wonderful world in
which we live.
TOPICS
Creation, Majesty, Power of God
AS KIDS ARRIVE (10 minutes)
As the children arrive let them play with modeling clay, ask them to create their favorite animal. If time
permits allow them to share their creations with the class.
WORSHIP TIME (5 minutes)
Further info? Click here
BIBLE VERSE (7 minutes)
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1 NIV
Explain to the children that God created the earth, the sky and outer space. God loves us so much that
He created this beautiful world for us to live in.

BIBLE STORY (15 minutes)

Creation Blocks (Activity) Click here
Use the Creation Blocks activity to help tell the story of God's creation. You will also use the Creation
Blocks during the closing activity, so keep them handy. After the introduction, read the story about
creation right from the Bible. If possible, use a Children's Bible so it will be easier for the kids to
understand.
Introduction:
Today, we are going to start from the very beginning; the beginning of creation that is. The first book of the
Bible is called Genesis. However, it is commonly known as the Book of Beginnings. Let's read the story of
God's creation together.
Read Genesis 1:1-2:3
Discussion Questions:
1. What was our story about today? (God creating the heavens and the earth.)
2. Who made day and night? (God)
3. Who made the sky and water? (God)
4. Who made land and vegetation? (God)
5. Who made the sun and stars? (God)
6. Who made the sea creatures and the birds in the sky? (God)
7. Who made the wild creatures, tame creatures and the creepy crawling creatures? (God)
8. Who made us? (God)
FUN TIME (10 minutes)
The Beauty of God's Creation (Activity) Click here
ALTERNATE FUN TIME (10 minutes)
It's a Beautiful World (Activity) Click here
PRAYER/SNACK (10 minutes)
Further info? Click here
Start by praying to God and thanking Him for creating such a beautiful world for us to live in. Thank God
for all the plants He created that produce fruits and vegetables. Let the children enjoy a snack of fresh
fruit.
CLOSING ACTIVITY (5-10 minutes)
Have the children take turns putting the creation blocks in the correct order, based on today's Bible story.
NEXT WEEK
Come back next week to see who got the big job of naming all of the animals.

TAKE HOME PAGE

Give one copy to each child at the end of the class to take home