I have such a fun post lined up this week. I often get questions on what teachers should buy for their classroom so today I created a list of some of my TOP Classroom Management Must Haves and all of them are from Amazon! Because it doesn’t get much easier than buying from Amazon!
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Anchor Chart Tablets and Markers
Anchor Charts has always been one of my favorite learning tools. They were fun to create with the class and always were a great reference point in whatever we were learning!
Large Tablet paper, especially the sticky kind, is the perfect tool to build your charts.
I believe that Anchor Charts can be extremely powerful for kiddos. All children learn differently and a lot of students of mine have been visual learners. Just a quick glance at our anchor charts and it is a good reminder! Don’t feel like you need to be an amazing drawer or great at penmanship to do a good anchor chart. Kiddos will think you are a rock star no matter what you do. Although if you do want to get a little fancy, there are resources on TPT that help you build an amazing chart – just cut and paste!
The three anchor charts I recommend ALWAYS having up are: your class expectations, the manners anchor chart, and the expected behaviors sort.
Don’t forget your markers either! I always think scented markers make it more fun 🙂
Organizers for easy classroom management
If your room is chaotic, you will feel chaotic. I always told myself that I was the person that knew where things were in the mess I had… and if they were actually put away, I wouldn’t be able to find them. That was a total lie. The truth was, I was horrible at organizing! So I called on the organizing queen: my mom.
She helped me pick out baskets and bins and we got to work. I told her what items that I needed to be accessible and she would find a way to organize the items and make them work. The year that followed was so smooth. Organization is an important thing! You will appreciate it and your students will appreciate it. Make your room a calm one!
Some helpful organization tools:
- Desk organizers
- Table top drawers (I put these on my bookshelves!)
- Paper trays
- Mailbox set (perfect for organizing papers that need to go home!)
Behavior Charts for behavior management
Of course this depends on how you run your classroom. I have explained how I used (and sometimes didn’t use!) charts in my classroom. You can read all about that here. Bottom line… charts were a lifesaver for me.
Whether you go with a system with multiple colors:
Or the simple green, yellow, red system:
I feel this is something you need for your class. Depending on what type of class you have each year can determine whether you want to have it up or not. If you choose to not post it for the class to see, I definitely recommend having it somewhere hidden so that YOU have access to it and use it throughout the day. Whether you post behavior or not, it is important to document how children do throughout the day and this will help you keep tabs!
Treasure Box
In my previous post, I shared my passion for NOT having a reward system in my classroom. With that being said, I still had a treasure box in my class filled with fun goodies. I loved giving items out when students met GOALS and worked hard (never as “being good”) or when students won games. The students really loved these too!
For me, a treasure box is a FUN must-have!
And don’t forget your fun goodies to fill it!!!!
Door Bell and/or Light
In my class I always used a crown on my head when I was working in small groups which was a visual to the students letting them know not to interrupt. I absolutely love the idea of using a special light instead of my crown! Having a fun light is much more eye catching to students.
If your students are having a hard time with transitions, definitely consider getting a doorbell. It is a loud, quick way to grab everyone’s attention and let them know it is time to clean up and get ready for our next activity! This one even comes in many cool colors to match your classroom theme!!!!
Amazon Echo
If I was still in the classroom, this would be a STAPLE. I often encourage teachers I work with to get one as well. I honestly can go on and on about the uses for an Echo. The Echo is the “tool” for your classroom that contains a speaker but you will mostly be using Amazon’s “assistant,” Alexa.
Some quick ideas to use this:
- Students can walk up an ask Alexa a questions about a fact they would like to know more about: “Alexa, how big was a T-Rex?!” Not only will they get their answer, but it helps you with the students that keep asking question after question (especially those that have nothing to do with your lesson)
- Alexa can set a timer for you
- You can play music in your classroom (which we all know can be a game changer with behavior)
- Busy doing something but had a thought pop in your head about something you need to do? Tell Alexa do “add it to your list”
- Need to order something for your class? Have Alexa do it for you!!!
- Connect your class calendar with Alexa. Your class can ask her what is on the Calendar for the day and she can respond with your important tasks.
Isn’t all that so fun?! Grab one now!!!
Lamps
I truly believe that changing the lighting in your classroom does a lot for behavior. You can read about my journey with this HERE.
You will need lamps
I have found that spending a bit more for some quality LED lights will last you years!!! Before getting these I was changing cheaper light bulbs every 6 months to a year!
There ya have it! These are what I consider to be essentials for the classroom! Now tell me, what would you add to this list?