Top 5 Classroom Tips

Here are the top 5 classroom tips that will transform your class today. Spring fever is here!! Kids and teacher are burnt out and behaviors are on the rise. Maybe it is not that time for you, but can we all agree that at different points in the year behaviors start to get worse and we need things to help us get back on track? Here are 5 tried and true ways to help motivate your class.

Bump

I saw this on Instagram, I can’t remember who it was, but it has transformed my line!!! Here is how you play. I told the students we were going to play a new game called Bump. If they were walking in a straight line, not leaving gaps I would say their name and bump. Then they said excuse me and went in front of the person in front of them. Guess what? Very rarely do I have any gaps and none of my students are talking or in a weird zig-zag line. No candy or points, just the thought of getting to cut in line was the best for them! Are you kidding me? So easy and as soon as someone bumps in line everyone else is reminded and it is just AMAZING!

Mystery Trash

Raise your hand if your room looks like a tornado went through it at the end of the day? Yep, me too! I have done jobs, reminded students, did the waiting game and it just felt irritating for me and them. I do not play this all of the time, but you could! First as they are packing up I walk around the room and pick something on the floor that I don’t see a lot of. Like a purple crayon wrapper or blue lego. Really whatever is fine I just need to be able to recognize it at the end. Then I say you have _____ minutes (usually 3) to find the mystery trash. They are picking up EVERYTHING!!! When the timer goes off or you stay stop, I tell them what they mystery trash is. I might say who has the purple crayon wrapper? That person wins and everyone else throws their trash away. I usually give a small candy for it.

VIP

VERY IMPORTANT PERSON ALERT! I use Classroom Dojo and I love it! At the end of the day, while the students are packing up, I check the daily reports and if a student didn’t get any minus points they are entered in the drawing for VIP. I use my phone or write down the students who got 1 or more minus points. You could do 2 or more if you want to give some grace. I mark them absent and hit random at the bottom. The student that gets picked will choose a friend the next day to sit with. I have them do this the next day because it has caused problems for students that are sick or are late, so I just have them pick the next morning.

The VIPs get to sit at a round table in the back in camping chairs, have markers, and special supplies, cut in line, turn in their papers first, and bring their chairs to the carpet. This is a FREE incentive and my students have loved it each year I have done it!

If the VIPs are not behaving I give them 3 strikes you are out. If they get 3 strikes the other VIP will pick someone else.

Group Mascot

This classroom tip I start at the beginning of the year I pick a stuffy and it is our group mascot. The students agree on a name and it hangs out at the table that is following directions, working hard, and responsible. This has been a great motivator for students to work together and help each other out. You can start this at anytime!

This year we have a snow leopard named, Snowy ( I know right?) and whichever group has Snowy at the end of the day gets to get a candy. You don’t have to do this, you can do dojo points, extra morning tub time, special supplies or that group can just win.

Agree/Disagree

It is the end of the year and I just implemented this last week and I have loved it!!! I have done a thumbs up and thumbs down for agree and disagree before, but I haven’t used these hand signals before. My coworker, Courtney showed me and my student have loved it.

For agree they do their pinky and thumb with their thumb towards themselves and pinky towards the person talking. They make their hand go back and forth.

If they disagree the use their pinky and thumb and tap them together.

You can use this in any subject area and what I love about it is that you can do each letter in a spelling word, each step in a math problem, it is limitless! Recently we have done this while building a word in phonics. A student will put one sound in each box and turn around to see what the class thinks about each box. It has been a great tool and something different to help the student that wants to contribute without blurting out.

These 5 classroom tips have saved my sanity more than once and it makes it fun for the kids! I am always on the lookout for tips that can easily be implemented and FREE. Try these out in your class today, you won’t regret it! If you have any classroom tips, leave them below in the comments!