Behavior Management

Today I am linking up with Laura, from Where the Magic Happens,  to share some ideas about behavior management in the classroom.

MANAGE BEHAVIOR!

I have a couple favorite classroom management ideas.  First, I absolutely love to incorporate Whole Brain Teaching into my classroom. WBT keeps the children actively engaged and together on task.  I love the different techniques.  If you aren't familiar with Whole Brain Teaching, I made a simple Prezi with videos that explain some of the concepts and class rules and show some fabulous examples of WBT in the classroom. One weekend I just watched video after video of great teachers using these techniques. I have included some of my favorites on this Prezi.

The WBT  rules are part of my Character Education Prezi, which is also FREE at my TPT store. I just put together some favorite videos that I found to help the children remember to be the best they can be!

I have used marble jars, letters to earn popcorn parties, and all sorts of tricks to encourage good behavior.  I don't do that anymore, because  I want the children need to know that I expect them to act polite, walk quietly in the hall, and be kind friends- because that is what is right, not because they will get a reward.  We have lots of class talks and the children really know my expectations.   I DO tell my kids from day one that the principal chose them for my class because they were the best kindergarten children ever.  So we will have to show the other classes how to behave in the cafeteria, on the playground, and in the halls. 

 We have popcorn parties and pajama parties throughout the year because they are kind friends and work hard- but not as a reward. 

Gonoodle is a GREAT reward for the class, and a great way to teach the children to work together to accomplish something- even something silly like making a class character grow!  They LOVE it. I posted about it HERE.

I do have children sit and think for a while during free choice or outside playtime if they are unkind to someone or say something mean, hit, throw something, ________ fill in the blank!  After a few minutes, I have a talk with him/her about what happened. We always leave on a happy note, after I tell him/her that I need a really smart helper to teach the other children how to act.  I have success with discipline when I am positive and the kids know that I genuinely love them.  That to me, is the key.  

I know it changes year to year- and next year I may need to pull out all the stops and come up with something clever, but so far, I find that being myself, being real with the children, setting clear expectations, and following through with those expectations has worked best for me.  

Stop over to Laura's blog to see some other great behavior management posts!

Have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by!