6 Ways to Promote Positive Student Behavior

I support the beliefs that students should come to school and act respectfully and follow the rules at all times. Many teachers may also feel, in addition to those first beliefs, that rewarding students for something they are expected to do is a waste of time.

Well, Allstate is still handing out Safe Driving Bonus checks.

Allstate rewards its’ customers for doing something they are supposed to do—drive safely and avoid traffic accidents.

Why am I bring this up?

Even though I expect my students to behave in the classroom, I still reward them when they display positive behaviors. Why? I do it because I want to encourage them to keep it up.

Will they need to learn to not expect something good every time they do something good? Yes, they need to learn that principle, and I teach them that too. It’s all about balance. My belief is that students will be encouraged to display positive behaviors we want to see, when they see that their teacher values it.

Here are a few ways to promote positive student behavior in your classroom.

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Click on the images and links below to find out more about these resources. There’s a lot of freebies in the bunch!

Aimee from Primarily Speaking created these brag tags as a way for teachers to recognize students who display positive behaviors. Students get the opportunity to collect the brag tags and add them to a necklace.

This one is from yours truly. I created Kudos to celebrate students who were “caught being good.” I keep a stack of these near my computer desk. When I notice a student displaying one of these behaviors, I write a note for them and slip it in their mailbox. My students are so proud when they receive Kudos, and parents enjoy seeing them come home too.

Jennifer from A Dab of Glue Will Do uses behavior punch cards to encourage students to make good choices. Students get a hole punch in their behavior card each day based on the color they earn from the school-wide color behavior plan. I use behavior punch cards in my classroom and it has worked well.

Anna from Hanging With Mrs. Hulsey has DIY idea for Scratch-Off Reward Cards. I really want to try this idea as an end of the month reward or as a reward when my students complete their punch cards.

Amy from the Land of 2^nd Grade shared an idea for Shout Outs on the collaborative blog, The Primary Peach. She picks 3 students to shout out every afternoon as a way to praise them for something great they did that day.

The Pinspired Teacher’s idea is pure genius. She created praise magnets to give to students to place on their refrigerator.

In the comments below, tell me what you use to promote positive behaviors in your classroom.

• CALLING ALL FIRST AND SECOND GRADE TEACHERS! Join me and a great group of other fabulous 1st and 2nd grade teachers in my Facebook group, Taming First & Second Grade. We have great discussions and you can gain some much needed inspiration.
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