Kindergarten is it’s own world and teaching classroom procedures and routines in kindergarten can make or break your year. You will have students who have never been in a social setting before. Some may have never seen a chair before (no joke). That’s why I put together this BIG list of kindergarten procedures and routines you need to teach.
I am going to start by highlighting some of the most important procedures and routines I teach at the beginning of kindergarten. You will then be able to find the entire printable list at the end.
How to Use Supplies
When planning how to teach supplies, err on the side of no one has ever seen these supplies before in their life.
At the beginning of the year, I introduce one supply at a time. When I introduce the supply, I first tell students what it is and how it can and cannot be used.
I then model how to use it and let them tell me what they notice. Then, I will use it the wrong way and let them correct me.
They get to practice using the supply before they add it to to their table caddie or pencil box. We use the practice sheets included in the Back to Kindergarten no prep pack. This pack includes printable practice activities for each school supply.
How To Sit At the Carpet
If you’ve ever asked kindergarteners to come to the carpet the first week(s) of school, you know it can be a little like that seen from The Office when Michael does a somersault on the couch and yells PARKOUR!
Teaching kindergartners how to sit at the carpet at the beginning of the year is an art and it’s one of the most important classroom procedures and routines you will teach because this is something you will do multiple times a day every day.
I use visuals when teaching students how to sit at the carpet and then I refer to them every time we come to the carpet throughout the year as well:
You can see the visuals next to my chair in the above picture. I use these visuals when I show my students how I want them to sit.
You can also refer to these expectations each time you come to the carpet. I will point to them and say, “I see people who are sitting criss cross. People looking at me with laser focus. Wow! I see people with safe hands.”
If I need to correct someone, I will use the exact same tone of voice, “I see people looking at me. I see people with safe hands. Hannah sit on your bottom. I see we are ready to learn.” If you were just listening to the tone and not the words, you wouldn’t know I was correcting someone and that helps students not feel embarrassed.
Do the visuals work? Yes! I was just looking back at pictures from the first day of school, and I saw every single student sitting how I taught and listening to our story. On the first day of kindergarten!
Grab the visuals for yourself:
I included a few different versions in this set of free classroom engagement carpet expectation visuals.
Grab them here.
Teaching How To Line Up in Kindergarten
Kindergarten students have no concept of personal space. That’s why I mark spots for them to put their toes on.
On tile floor, I use electrical tape and put them a tile apart. On carpeted floor, I used sit spot markers I purchased for $5 on Amazon. They stayed put all year, even with daily vacuuming!
To teach students how to line up, it’s as simple as 1-2-3!
I teach students that 1 means “get your body ready” which means that they sit up straight and look at me. 2 means “stand like a statue.” Remember, statues don’t wiggle or take little baby steps to get to the front! 3 means “line up safely.”
If everyone is walking then no one should be able to race and cut in line. I teach them to all walk the same direction around the furniture and slowly weave into a line like cars merging into one lane.
We practice this with lots of modeling and encouragement from me. It works like a charm!
More Classroom Procedures and Routines To Teach in Kindergarten
I made an entire printable list for you full of classroom procedures and routines you MUST teach in kindergarten! You can use it as you plan out your first few weeks of kindergarten.
Grab the printable list here.
New to kindergarten or looking to change things up? You may like these blog posts:
7 Tips For New Kindergarten Teachers
Introducing Centers at the Beginning of Kindergarten
Writer’s Workshop in Kindergarten
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Thank you so much!
I am moving from 1st to Kinder. The routines and procedures will really help me this coming year.
Thank you so much for sharing all of your ideas, lessons, documents and management tools and tips. I. Very excited about the CVC books as well. Thank you from one teacher to another. ❤️
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed them!
Although I have been teaching for 30+ years having a routines and procedures refresher is always needed! Thank you for all the amazing information and freebies!
You’re welcome! Thank you for the kind words! ❤️