Classroom Expectations | Dhspinclusion

It is vital that you establish and maintain very clear rules in your program. Without clear rules, kids will continually test adults to find out what the rules are. Your rules should be posted where people can see them easily. Every child in the classroom should be able to tell you what the rules are. Solid rules will help to provide structure and consistency to your classroom. It is important to frame your rules in a positive manner in order to set a more positive tone for the overall classroom environment as we want to focus on the positive versus the negative.

Rules can be brainstormed with children to ensure a sense of ownership and responsibility within themselves. Once they have been reviewed and finalized by adults, have the children sign their names as the final step (hand-prints or thumbprints can also be used).
Word rules in the positive. Avoid negative statements (no hitting, no kicking, no swearing = quiet hands, quiet feet, kind words). We want to tell kids what to do not what not to do.
Make sure rules are posted in an appropriate place in the classroom that is always visible.
- It is often helpful for the rules to be accompanied by visuals.

Have a conversation about consequences with your classroom. Pair each of your expectations with a specific consequence so that both the children and the adults in the room are fully aware of what the protocol should be when a rule is broken.
Classroom expectations can be gone over daily. This helps to reinforce them as well as to make it clear that they apply throughout all activities each day.
Make sure that all staff members are on the same page. The motto “What one staff says, all staff say” works well. Children are often sneaky and will go in multiple directions until they find their desired outcome. It is helpful if all staff sit down and list negative behaviors and then decide, as a group, what the consequence will be for each of these acts. Once the expectations are consistent across staff members, they are able to respond to all behavior in a similar manner.
Make sure staff model what they want the children to be doing.
Instead of stating why a child can’t do something, try firmly stating your position instead.
- I.e. If a child wants to take a classroom toy home, instead of responding with a “No”, which will evidently prompt his response as to why not, state more clearly, “No one can take the classroom toys home, they belong here.”

When working with older children (preteens, teens), make sure to include the rules about the use of electronics within the program. Just like every other set of rules, discuss, set expectations, set consequences, and follow through.