Small children easily can become overwhelmed if you give them a lot of information at once. When you set up your list of classroom rules, keep it simple, with as few rules as possible. Choose rules that apply to many situations, such as "Be kind to others" and "Always show respect." Such rules will help the children when they play with their classmates as well as when they listen to the teacher during a lesson.
You may have only a few classroom rules, but you can have more procedures. A rule tells pupils how to behave; a procedure shows them what to do. You should have rules for how you want the pupils to treat you, their classmates and the classroom. For instance, you might have a rule about being kind or respectful, one about being quiet and attentive, and one about following instructions. Then you can add procedures for tasks like how to line up at lunchtime, how to ask to use the restroom and what to do when they finish playing with toys.
If you make the rules easy to remember, pupils are more likely to follow them. One way is to make every rule start with the same letter, such as "Respect others," "Ready to learn" and "Responsible learners." Another way is to put your rules into a song or a poem and sing or say it with pupils every morning at circle time. For very young preschoolers, it can be helpful if you display a poster of the classroom rules and show pictures or photos of the pupils following those rules to help them visualize what they are supposed to do.
Phrase your rules positively. Instead of saying "Don't be rude," say "Treat others nicely." This shows pupils what they should do rather than emphasizing what they shouldn't do. When you see a pupil spontaneously following a rule, reward him with a small incentive. It might be a sticker for his notebook or a star next to his name on a classroom behavior chart. If you catch pupils in the act of being good, the enthusiasm will catch on and other pupils will try to behave to win a reward.