7 Ways Early Childhood Teachers Can Make Classroom Management Easier

Classroom management is one of the biggest challenges early childhood educators face. You can have a great lesson plan, plenty of classroom materials, and exciting activities planned, but if children are constantly running, arguing, waiting too long, or unsure of what they're supposed to be doing, the day can quickly become stressful.

The good news is that effective classroom management isn't about controlling children or expecting preschoolers to sit quietly all day.

It's about creating an environment where children understand expectations, stay engaged, and have opportunities to learn appropriate behaviors.

Here are seven practical classroom management strategies early childhood educators can begin using right away.

1. Look at Your Classroom Arrangement

Sometimes what appears to be a behavior problem is actually an environment problem.

Take a few minutes to stand in different areas of your classroom and look at the space from a child's perspective.

Are there large open areas that encourage children to run?

Can you easily see children in every learning center?

Are high-interest centers overcrowded?

Can children move from one area to another without disrupting other activities?

Use shelves, tables, rugs, and learning centers to create clearly defined spaces. Avoid creating long, open pathways that can become "runways."

A thoughtfully arranged classroom can prevent many challenging behaviors before they begin.

2. Keep Children Engaged

Young children need opportunities to move, explore, talk, create, and make choices.

Long periods of sitting and waiting can quickly lead to unwanted behaviors.

Instead of asking children to wait while everyone finishes an activity, think about what they can do during the transition.

They might:

• Sing a song.

• Look at a book.

• Participate in a fingerplay.

• Help with a classroom job.

• Practice counting.

• Play a quick movement or listening game.

The less unnecessary waiting children experience, the fewer opportunities there are for challenging behaviors to begin.

3. Make Expectations Clear and Simple

Children need to know what is expected of them, but classroom rules shouldn't be a long list of things they aren't allowed to do.

Keep expectations short, positive, and easy to understand.

Instead of:

"Don't run."

Try:

"We use walking feet inside."

Instead of:

"Stop yelling."

Try:

"Let's use our inside voices."

Tell children what you want them to do—not only what you want them to stop doing.

4. Give Children Choices

Choices can be a powerful classroom management tool.

Young children are developing independence, and appropriate choices allow them to feel that they have some control over their day.

For example:

"Would you like to clean up the blocks or the cars first?"

"Would you like to sit on the carpet or in the chair?"

"Would you like the red crayon or the blue crayon?"

Both choices should be acceptable to the teacher.

You're still maintaining the expectation while allowing the child to participate in the decision.

5. Use Hands-On Activities Instead of Relying on Worksheets

Preschool children learn through play, exploration, movement, and hands-on experiences.

When activities aren't developmentally appropriate or engaging, teachers may see more wandering, refusal, talking, or disruptive behavior.

Instead of completing a worksheet about colors, children could use tweezers to sort colored bears onto matching color cards.

Instead of tracing letters repeatedly on a worksheet, children could form letters using playdough, write them in sand, build them with manipulatives, or practice writing on a dry-erase board.

Hands-on learning doesn't just support development—it can also improve classroom engagement.

6. Teach the Behavior You Want to See

We sometimes assume children already know how to behave in certain situations.

But young children are still learning.

If you want children to clean up properly, teach and practice cleaning up.

If you want them to walk in a line, show them and practice it.

If you want them to solve conflicts with words, model the words they can use.

Classroom expectations are skills, and skills have to be taught.

A child who doesn't yet know how to perform an expected behavior may need teaching and practice—not punishment.

7. Build Relationships Before Problems Happen

One of the most powerful classroom management strategies doesn't come from a behavior chart or reward system.

It's your relationship with the child.

Talk with your students.

Learn what interests them.

Notice when they're doing something positive.

Celebrate their accomplishments.

Listen to their stories.

Let them know you're happy to see them.

Children are more likely to respond positively to adults with whom they feel safe, respected, and connected.

Classroom Management Is More Than Discipline

Effective classroom management begins long before challenging behavior occurs.

It includes your classroom arrangement, daily schedule, transitions, activities, expectations, teaching strategies, and relationships with children.

Before asking, "How do I stop this behavior?", try asking:

"What is this child communicating, and is there something about the environment, activity, routine, or expectation that I can change?"

That one question can completely change how we approach classroom management.

Need More Support in Your Classroom?

Teachers Helping Teachers exists to help educators learn, grow, and feel supported—not judged.

We provide resources and affordable support for early childhood professionals, including classroom resources, professional development assistance, and affordable weekly preschool lesson plans.

Our weekly lesson plans are only $4, and proceeds help Teachers Helping Teachers continue providing training opportunities and classroom support to educators.

When you purchase a resource, donate, or support one of our programs, you're not only helping your own classroom—you're helping us support other teachers, too.

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Visit TeachersHelpingTeachersNC.org to explore our teacher resources, lesson plans, programs, and ways to support our mission.

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