How to Make a Kindergarten Behavior Chart
Kindergarten teachers often use behavior charts to visually remind their students of how they are doing in class each day. Some are basic sticker charts, others use happy and sad faces, and still others some variation of the green/yellow/red stoplight concept. In most classrooms, the children are responsible for changing their chart status following a poor behavior choice. All children start fresh each day at the "good behavior" level on their classroom chart. This is designed to remind them what the expectations are. Children who move to a less than good level can typically earn their way back up the chart by making good choices and following classroom rules.
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Things You'll Need
- 1 36 x 24-inch piece of heavy-weight poster board
- 15 letter-size envelopes
- Glue
- Colored markers
- Scissors
- 3 sheets red heavy card stock
- 3 sheets yellow heavy card stock
- 3 sheets green heavy card stock
- Pushpins
Instructions
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1
Cut each envelope in half to make pockets. Glue the pockets, smooth side facing out, to the poster board, making four rows of seven pockets each.
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2
Write each child's first name on a pocket in alphabetical order. If children share a first name, add the first initial of the last names to distinguish the two.
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3
Cut each page of card stock in half width-wise. Cut each half into five equal-sized 5 1/4-inch-high rectangular cards. Make sets of cards using one green, one yellow and one red card for each student. Green represents good behavior and yellow is used for minor infractions or failure to respond to a verbal warning. Red means the child has repeatedly failed to follow the rules, or has committed a more serious infraction, such as hitting another child.
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4
Place one set of cards in each pocket with the green cards facing out. Place the yellow card behind the green card and the red card behind the yellow card.
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5
Use the pushpins to hang the behavior chart in a prominent place at the front of the classroom. Be sure to hang it at a level the children can easily reach.
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6
Explain to the students how the chart will work. Clearly state what behaviors are acceptable and expected. Tell them which behaviors will result in replacing their green cards with another color. Typically, minor misbehaviors require the children to put their green card behind the others, leaving the yellow one visible. Additional poor choices or certain egregious behaviors require the student to move the yellow card so the red one shows. Yellow and red may have certain consequences attached, such as losing a privilege.
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7
Return the cards in each pocket to green for the start of each new school day.
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Tips & Warnings
If desired, use orange or another color to add a fourth level to allow greater discrimination between behaviors.
Be sure the chart, the rules and the consequences are clearly explained not just to the students, but to their parents as well.
References
- Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
