Routines help children, especially kindergarteners, adapt to the first year of school. Children will understand behavior expectations and be able to follow procedures once they are taught to do so. Once the teacher establishes these procedures, students will become familiar and secure with the routine. Students thrive on beginning the day with a predictable routine, including rote activities, such as the Pledge of Allegiance, repeating the ABC's, looking at the calendar and practicing the days of the week. Teachers also need to establish clear expectations regarding homework, walking in line and bathroom and lunch procedures.
Posted classroom rules offer children a point of reference. When a teacher hangs these on the wall from the first day of school, they will know classroom expectations. State the rules as positive guidelines instead of as negatives. At the beginning of the year, the teacher needs to review the rules daily with children to reinforce them. When behavior issues arise, the teacher can simply refer to the rules.
Rewards and consequences keep the classroom environment safe for all children. Different types of rewards motivate children, such as a gentle pat on the back, a prize or other tangible reward, time spent with the teacher, free time or extra recess. Rewards that include the whole class also serve as a group motivation. Consequences need to be clear and occur in the following order: a warning, discussing behavior, losing playtime, and finally, a trip to the principal's office.
Behavior reports communicate the child's progress to parents. Teachers can hand out weekly or monthly calendars to note behavior each day. Colors such as green for great, yellow for a warning and red for behavior difficulties let parents know how the child's day was at just a glance. A further note explains any additional information. When children give the sheet to parents, students learn to be responsible and return the behavior chart.