Dealing with Difficult Behavior

I am super excited to join the Linky Party that is going on over at Fun in First!  I have a particularly difficult group of kiddos this year, so I have been spending the last month researching and reading tips and tricks to work with them.  (I work at a year-round school, so I had my kids for a month, but then we had a month break... in case you were wondering.)

Anyway, here are some things that I already do OR I might try doing when our school goes back in session:

1 - Behavior Chart:  The majority of primary teachers out there have a behavior chart.  Ours has a pirate-theme.  The kids start on the pirate ship every morning.  If their behavior is less-than-desirable, they start "walking the plank" to "Warning."  Next comes "Time Out" and finally there is "No Recess and Parent Contact."  For the extreme behavior that I just need a break from on those rare occassions, the child goes to our Buddy Room.



If the students do not have to "walk the plank," they receive a treasure at the end of the day.  These treasures are simply colored wooden craft shapes glued to popsicle sticks.  Once the child has earned 5 treasures, he/she is allowed to select a prize from the treasure chest.  Oh what fun!

By the way, if you are interested in having a pirate ship behavior chart of your own, let me know.  I can easily find it on my flashdrive and post it on my TPT Store... no charge of course.  :)

2 - Musical Box:  I read about this idea in one of my grad classes and at the time, it seemed like a "good idea to remember for one day."  Well... that "one day" has arrived because I have a group of TALKERS this year!  So if your kiddos are super talkative, you can simply walk over to your musical box and lift the lid.  The music is a cue to them to be quiet and that it is not a good time for free talk.  Once they are quiet, you can shut the lid.  If the children have music left on their musical box at the end of the week, you can give them a prize.  Think of something that will motivate them:  5 extra minutes of recess, a popcorn party, whatever they like!

 

(This is my little "Wizard of Oz" music box.)



 



3 - Sponge Activities:  Be sure the kids always have something to do and they know what their options are.  In my classroom, we call these "sponge activities" because they are educational learning activities or fine-motor activities that "sponge" up the time, when students finish faster than the rest of the class.  Some examples include listening to a story on tape, listening to educational songs on CD, building blocks, linking logs, read to a stuffed animal, read to a puppet, sewing, step-by-step drawing, puzzles, etc.  The picture below shows some of our sponge activities.

The students usually remember what their choices are, but we have a choice board anyway.  When you introduce each activity, be sure to take a photo of a child modeling the activity, then stick the picture on a memo board.

 

4 - Fidgets:  This is a Cindy Middendorf idea.  I love her, by the way!  You can read more about this awesome lady on my blog.  Anyway, fidgets are small objects that you give the students when they are antsy or fidgeting.  I read about this idea last year, but never felt a need for it... until this year.  I have a kiddo who just cannot seem to keep his hands off of things, including the children around him.  I am hoping this strategy works!  A set a box of fidgets near our carpet area that include pieces of soft fabric, squishy balls from The Dollar Tree, tension balls, objects that can be twisted, etc.

5 - Swimming Rings:  I have two students in my classroom this year who just... cannot... stay... seated.  I know it is early in the year, but I do not have a good feeling about the way things are going now.  If my kiddos want to stand while at their desks, I have no problem with that.  However, it becomes a problem when we are on the carpet, especially when they are bothering other children.  What to do?  What to do!?  I recently read that partly inflated swimming rings help children stay seated.  I love this idea because they are reasonably inexpensive AND they kids can take them to their chairs as well as their carpet seats.  I have to get my hands on a few of these!

Okay, after I posted about these swimming rings, I went on a serious hunt for them.  The Dollar Tree?  Nope.  Merchandise Outlet?  Nope.  Nelson's Store?  Score!  I found them for only $1.29 a piece.  Crazy that I found the exact one I was looking for, huh!?

Hmmm... I guess I should stop at 5 ideas before I lose your attention.  (Isn't that the rule with Kindergarten students anyway??)  I hope you can use some of these ideas in your own classroom! Thanks for stopping by!