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Check out these classroom management ideas as you prep for back to school!

Teaching a classroom full of kids is rewarding, but it can get overwhelming at times. Getting kids to pay attention and behave is important for their educational development, but so is your sanity. Why not think outside the box and try different methods to improve your classroom management!

Here are 9 creative and innovative classroom management ideas for you to keep your classroom running smoothly:

1. Put up a classroom job chart

Rotate jobs at the beginning of every week to give all of your students a chance to experience each job at least once. Assigning jobs to students teaches them responsibility and gives them a sense of community by taking part in classroom tasks. Plus, it gives you a chance to craft a cool display! Visit Ship Shape First Grade to see how one crafty teacher got ready for her first day of school.

2. Group kids together by tables

Colors are one of the easiest ways to get organized! Arrange your classroom desks into groups of four and place a colored sticker on the corner of each desk. Assign each student a color so they stay seated at their own desk in the group of four. When calling students to line up, call them up by their assigned sticker. For more grouping ideas visit Playdough to Plato.

3. Keep a "Brain Breaks" bucket on your desk

Everyone gets a little brain drain now and then. To avoid overworked brains, keep a Brain Breaks bucket on your desk of activities to give the kids a learning break. Get their blood flowing by giving them quick exercises such as "15 jumping jacks" or "10 arm circles." Learn more on Mrs. Heeren's Happenings!

4. Create a simple "Where Are We?" chart

Stop by the dollar section at Target for supplies and create a DIY "Where Are We?" chart to keep track of where your students are at all times. See this and other classroom organization systems on The Teaching Excellence Program!

5. Use positive reinforcement for motivation

Keep a jar in the front of the classroom for positive reinforcement. Once the entire jar is filled (with marbles, coins, pom-poms, etc.), have a pizza party for the classroom to reward them for being on their best behavior! See how Wolfelicious made hers here.

6. Use a Behavior Clip chart

Have all of your students start at "Ready to Learn" at the beginning of every day, then keep track of students' behavior with this simple chart throughout the day! Acknowledge students for being on their best behavior by rewarding them with stickers on their name clip as they move up the chart. Learn more about this chart by visiting Kindergarten Smiles.

7. Use different hand signals for different questions

Create your own poster of hand signals. By having your students use these hand signals, you're less likely to be interrupted in the middle of class! Find out more about these fun signs on The Happy Teacher.

8. Hand out Quiet Critter Friends

Make your own pom pom Quiet Critter Friends and keep them in a container. When it's time for the class to quiet down, take out the Quiet Critter Jar and reward the students with a Critter Friend to take care of as they continue to work quietly. Learn about how they were first created and used on Learning Adventures with Mrs. Gerlach!

9. Hit the Books

Go back to the books to learn some of the most popular and effective teaching ideas of today! Kagan, for example, offers a huge collection of books, tools, and other resources that will help you become an even better educator.

With an open mind and a little creativity, there are limitless possibilities for coming up with classroom management ideas! What are some ways that you manage your classroom?

 

Get more back to school tips and resources:

As a part of our 2015 Summer of Literacy program, we're giving away free teacher materials and resources! Our newest downloadable resource is the "Reading Journal Starter Kit." The free kit includes everything you need to encourage reading comprehension: downloadable reading logs, activity sheets, and more. You can also visit our site for inspiring new book recommendations for the school year!