Behavior Management Techniques for Teachers (I wish I knew from the start)

Are you searching for easy behavior management techniques for teachers? When I first started teaching I wasted so much time and energy trying to figure out how to keep my classroom running smoothly. 

 If I had known these 7 tips when I first entered the classroom, I wouldn’t have experienced all of that stress and could have had so much more time to teach!

But I am here for you!  

Below, I am going to pull back that curtain on the behavior management techniques for teachers that I incorporated into my classroom.

After reading this post, you will have seven easy strategies in your behavior management toolbox.  Sound amazing?  Let’s get to it!

Behavior Management Techniques for Teachers

Technique One: Communicate Expectations Clearly

I do not think there is a more critical behavioral technique.  How can students possibly do what you want if they don’t know what you want?  There are several steps to doing this effectively.

1. Model, model, model:  My favorite way to do this is through role play.  If you want students to come to the carpet quietly, choose a student to do it correctly and a student to do it VERY loudly.  Have your other students share which child they think was modeling the behavior you want.  

They will absolutely love this and will likely giggle their little heads off.  The most important thing is that they will remember this far longer than you standing up there and lecturing them about how they need to be quiet when going to the carpet.

2. Give visual cues: You could make a list of things they need to get out of their desks on the board.  You might incorporate a visual schedule for them to follow throughout the day. ( I have a free one for you here.)

3. Wait for it: I absolutely cringe when I see new teachers giving directions while no one is listening.  You need to wait for their attention.

Technique Two: Use Music

Do you like to play some music on the way to work or on the way home?  Music is a wonderful way to relax and destress.  Did you know it has other benefits for children?

According to unicef.org, “Music ignites all areas of child development and skills for school readiness, particularly in the areas of language acquisition and reading skills.”  This can even begin before birth in the womb.  Wow!

I use music in a few different ways throughout the day.

1. I play or sing certain songs when it is time to come to the carpet or rotate centers.  This signals students to begin the transition.  If I have modeled and practiced this with students, later in the year students will complete the transition without me needing to do anything but start the music.
2. I play music for dancing!  Brain breaks are important for young children. (and adults!😉 )
3. I play classical music and dim the lights for a few minutes after recess.  This gives students a chance to wind down and refocus on learning.
4. You can use songs to teach behaviors that you want students to exhibit.  Check out the Please and Thank You song below on Youtube.

Technique Three: Find a Buddy Classroom

This is one of my favorite things to do!  The benefits of pairing up with an older or younger student are fantastic.  I have done reading buddies, writing buddies, and technology buddies. 

I have seen even the most difficult students be a great big buddy to a younger child or follow the appropriate behaviors of an older child.

Technique Four: Praise the Positive Regularly

Even the most challenging child is secretly craving love and acceptance.  Praise them as often as you can!

I’m going to say it louder for the people in the back.  PRAISE THEM!

I find that if I loudly compliment one or two students for modeling appropriate behavior, so many of the other students will quickly follow suit.  High five the heck out them! 

What about that difficult child?  Sometimes it can be hard to catch that child in the act of doing the right thing.

I like to use encouraging notes as another way to praise students.  After school, I can sit at my desk and think about those students.  What kind of recognition can I give?  I keep a stash of these notes in my desk, so I can quickly sign one and place them on students’ desks.

I definitely don’t give a note to every student each time.  You want it to be special.  However, I do keep a running checklist in my teacher binder, so I make sure to recognize every child a few times throughout the year.

I also have a whole bulletin board in my classroom dedicated to recognizing students with shout-outs.  I use these forms, and I even let the other students use them too.  If you think they love praise from the teacher, you should see what praise from another student can do!

Technique Five: Pick a Mystery Student

This tip is so versatile and EASY PEASY! At the beginning of the year, make a popsicle stick for each student and place them in a jar.  If there is a time in the day that I want to amp up classroom behavior, I simply draw a popsicle stick out of the jar and place it in an envelope that I have hanging on my whiteboard.

I announce that I have selected a mystery student, and I will be watching to see if that student is on-task on the way to specials, during centers, or whatever time frame I designate.  Keep it a fairly short window of time.  

Then, if the student was on task, I read the name and congratulate the student.  The whole class claps for that child.  You then reward the child with a prize of your choosing.  It could be anything from a new pencil to extra tech time, to sitting by a friend for the day.  You should decide based on what works well for you and your students.  Different classes respond better to different things.

If the student was not on task, I do NOT call out that child. I simply say that I am disappointed that I can not give out a reward because my mystery student was not on task. Later in the day, I pull that child and let him/her know that they missed an opportunity for a reward. This is a moment for reteaching the expected behaviors.

Technique Six: Use Proximity

I definitely learned this tip in my university courses, but I want to reiterate it here.  This tip is totally free and absurdly easy to implement.

If a child is talking during your lesson or playing in his/her desk, continue teaching but go and stand next to that child.  That is it.  That is the whole tip!  

For some reason, it seems hard when you first start teaching.  You think you need to be up at the front of the classroom where you can keep your eyes on all of the children.  However, you are going to see a lot more as you move about the room and are going to naturally recapture the attention of your students.

Technique Seven: Implement Classroom Jobs or Helpers

Every year, I use classroom jobs or student helpers.  Did you know that this is a secret behavior management technique for teachers?

Students think it is so much fun!  I am 44, and I can still remember hoping to be in charge of the class pet or being allowed to water the plants. That’s crazy!

You might think that this is a tool for teaching responsibility.  It definitely works for that.  The child must remember to do the job and follow the directions for that job.

However, you can also use it to help manage behavior.  In my classroom, if you can’t manage your behavior, you certainly cannot be responsible for the pet or leading the line to special area classes and lose the right to do that job.

Any student that has a job will work a little bit harder (or a lot harder) on following classroom rules to keep that special role for the day or week.

In case you scrolled to the bottom, here is a recap!

Behavior Management Techniques for Teachers

• Technique One: Communicate Expectations Clearly
• Technique Two: Use Music
• Technique Three: Find a Buddy Classroom
• Technique Four: Praise the Positive Regularly
• Technique Five: Pick a Mystery Student
• Technique Six: Use Proximity
• Technique Seven: Implement Classroom Jobs or Helpers

Now that you have my toolbox of the easiest classroom management techniques, you can enjoy teaching those lessons that you worked so hard to prepare.

Did you know that there are also strategies to setting up your classroom to improve behavior?  Be sure to hop over and read this post as well.

What is the behavior technique that you wish you knew before you started teaching?  Tag me on Instagram and let me know!