15 Must-Do Classroom Procedures And Routines

Students go to school to learn academics and gain real-life experience within the four walls of the elementary classroom. As the real world is full of rules, elementary students must have classroom procedures and routines to prepare them for what lies ahead.  As students transition from their laidback days at home to everyday classroom learning, they need structure and daily activities. Here is a comprehensive list of classroom management procedures and routines to help you get by! 

1. Classroom Expectations

When meeting 1st Grade students for the first time, ask them about their daily routine at home and their expectations from their days of school. This is a great practice before you start discussing basic classroom rules, your expectations, and the curriculum.

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2. Collaborate on Ideas for Classroom Routines

Discussing academic classroom routines may be daunting for 1st- grade students. Encourage a collaborative atmosphere by asking for their input. As long as they are not too out of this world, try to include some of their ideas for engaging and creative classroom routines.

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3. Entry/Exit Guidelines

A basic classroom rule is for students to line up when they go in or out of the classroom during the school day. To prevent students from pushing each other while lining up, create a system of order. For a calmer classroom, get children to line up alphabetically or according to height.

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4. Morning Routine

One of the most effective morning routines is any daily activity that can perk up the kids. You can ask them to enumerate daily tasks or responsibilities that they have to do during the day or get them to participate in a fun activity like an exercise or a simple game. 

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5. Start With a Clean Desk

According to a study, a clean desk can improve a child’s productivity at home and in elementary school. After greeting students, make them clean their desks. Allow them to keep their possessions in cans and place larger classroom materials in a basket. Your classroom will look better, be more organized, and kids will learn how to clean up after themselves!

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6. Bathroom Policy

To prevent the entire class from going to the restroom during class at the same time, create a bathroom log. Make it a rule that only one student at a time can visit the class restroom. Provide a time limit so they won’t take advantage of the privilege. Also, remind them of the rules of the restroom.

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7. Make Students Accountable

It’s never too early to give children responsibilities. Make a comprehensive list of a routine for students. Create visual reminders like charts for students’ daily tasks. Provide classroom jobs and classroom leadership roles and give everybody a chance to lead.

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8. Mid-Morning Routine

Routine for students should always include a mid-morning recess or snack time. Remind students about the playground safety guidelines and to throw their garbage in the appropriate bins.

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9. Independent Work Time in Digital Classrooms

We need to embrace classroom tech because it’s becoming an important part of our daily life. A gamified learning activity is one way to embrace more fun and innovative classroom routines in a 1st-grade classroom. Remind kids to take care of digital tools.

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10. Behavior Management

Deal with disruptive behavior calmly but keep behavior logs and observe if certain behaviors become a pattern. Employ positive discipline on the child rather than punishment. This entails talking about wrong conduct and teaching kids how to redirect frustration. 

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11. Homework Management

Homework management means allotting time for homework in a 1st-grade classroom. Abide by the timeline and have homework folders and homework collection. Explain in advance what happens when a student submits late homework.

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12. Eating/Drinking in Class

With the exception of extreme situations, eating and drinking must never happen during class. Gum in class is another no-no. Effective classroom management means ensuring that students have plenty of time to eat snacks and lunch no matter how hectic the morning schedule is. 

13. Getting Student’s Attention

It’s a given that students will talk or indulge in a disruptive activity mid-lesson. You can grab a student’s attention with some favorite hand signals. Create collaborative classroom discussions to prevent them from talking to each other.

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14. End of School Day Routine 

End the day with some relaxing activities for effective classroom management. You can read a story aloud, let them write on their planners, or work on an assignment for morning work the next day. You can also include a helpful reminder of basic rules.

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15. Dismissal Procedures

Prepare the children for the end of class by singing a goodbye song, getting the bell ringer ready, and asking the kids to collect their book bags in time for the actual bell. Make sure they are excited to come back to class the next day.

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