Read on for the very best fall classroom bulletin board ideas for back to school!

Click to jump to…

• Why Are Bulletin Boards So Important?
• Fall Classroom Bulletin Board Ideas
  • Puzzle Piece Bulletin Board
  • Welcome To First Grade Bulletin Board
  • Growth Mindset Bulletin Board
  • Amazing Work To Come Bulletin Board
  • Ready To Learn Bulletin Board
  • Birthday Bulletin Board
  • Positive Affirmations Bulletin Board
  • Friendship Bulletin Board
• Fall Bulletin Board Inspiration

Why Are Bulletin Boards So Important?

Bulletin boards are more than just decorations—they're windows into the heart of your classroom! They can:

• Bring the seasonal spirit into your classroom.
• Support learning and make lessons more engaging.
• Create a warm, welcoming atmosphere.
• Encourage students to participate and show off their creativity.

In this guide, we'll share some awesome bulletin board ideas for fall and back-to-school that are sure to delight your students and make your classroom feel like home.

Fall Classroom Bulletin Board Ideas

During the back to school season, these fall classroom bulletin board ideas play an even bigger role. You'll be welcoming your students to their classroom for the first time, and of course you want them to feel excited about the new school year!

There are lots of ways to do this – from collaborative class bulletin boards, to playful and engaging displays, to craft displays – and I've got a little bit of all of them to share with you!

Welcome Fall Bulletin Board

Use teamwork to welcome fall with this adorable collaborative coloring poster! Each student colors in a square, and then the class has to work together to put all the pieces together. The puzzle then goes up on the bulletin board, creating the ultimate fall bulletin board. (This bulletin board template comes with 10 different picture and fall phrase designs to choose from.)

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Puzzle Piece Bulletin Board

This is one of my favorite fall classroom bulletin board ideas because it doubles as a fun back to school activity! Each student colors in a puzzle piece, and then the class has to use teamwork to put the puzzle together. The puzzle then goes up on the bulletin board, symbolizing unity and honoring diversity in your classroom. (This bulletin board template comes with several puzzle size choices, so you can choose the one that works for your number of students.)

(You can get the template for this bulletin board FREE right here.)

Welcome To First Grade Bulletin Board

This is a great fall classroom teamwork activity you can do any time during the first month of school. It helps build community and gets students excited for the new school year. Each student gets to decorate one square – then put it together! (This template comes with designs for K-5, plus some non grade specific Back To School phrases).

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Growth Mindset Bulletin Board

Fall is the perfect time to introduce growth mindset and to get your students excited about learning. This bulletin board is a great way to teach your students about fixed mindset and growth mindset. Helping your students understand these ideas from the very beginning of the year can be so helpful in setting the tone for your classroom and learning environment.

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Amazing Work To Come Bulletin Board

Displaying student work is so important when creating your classroom environment. Creating a fall classroom bulletin board specifically for student work will help students get excited to start creating in their new room. This bulletin board showcases where the student work will go, so that students can feel appreciated and valued right away.

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Ready to Learn Bulletin Board

This is another back to school bulletin board idea that involves creating a classroom craft. Students brainstorm what they want to learn this year and create their craft. Then create a bulletin board to showcase all of their crafts. This visual is not only beautiful, but it reminds students of why they are excited to be in school this year.

This craft template is perfect for creating this type of bulletin board!

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Birthday Bulletin Board

Showing birthdays in your classroom is a fun way to make every student feel at home. With this back to school bulletin board idea, students see their birthdays displayed and know that they are honored and important in their new room. This bulletin board features whimsical images and calming pastel colors – always a big hit!

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Positive Affirmations Bulletin Board

Not only does this bulletin board idea help students feel welcome and valued, it's also great way to weave some social emotional learning into your day. If you like to start the day off with positive affirmations for your students, this bulletin board is a perfect companion for that!

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Friendship Bulletin Board

Teaching friendship skills at the beginning of the school year is a must. With this fall bulletin board idea, students first brainstorm ways to be a good friend. Then they add their flower to the bulletin board, creating a collaborative display together.

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

Fall Leaf Bulletin Board

This fall leaf themed bulletin board is such a fun addition to your classroom for fall. Write student names on the leaves and pin them up to create a fun display!

Fall Bulletin Board Inspiration

Back-to-school season is perfect times to refresh your classroom with these fall classroom bulletin board ideas. These boards not only celebrate learning but also enhance the classroom environment, making your room a welcoming and exciting place for students. From fostering creativity and social interaction to promoting academic skills and cultural awareness, these fall classroom bulletin board ideas offer endless possibilities to make your classroom vibrant and engaging.

Involve your students in the creation process to make the fall bulletin boards even more meaningful and to give them a sense of ownership and pride in their classroom. With a little creativity and enthusiasm, you can transform your classroom into a cozy, inspiring space where students love to learn.

Happy decorating, and enjoy the beautiful fall season with your students!

More Back To School Inspiration

Need more back to school ideas? These blog posts would be perfect for you to check out!

21 Amazing Ideas For Activities On The First Day Of School

Back To School Crafts You Need To Try This Year

Best Read Aloud Books for the First Week of School

Resources For You:

The post 10 Amazing Fall Classroom Bulletin Board Ideas You Will Love appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Whether you're setting up your first classroom or you're a seasoned teacher, clear rules make your job easier and the students' experience better. This blog post will walk you through the importance of creating rules, how to teach them, and practical tips to make sure they actually stick.

Ready to dive into the must-teach classroom rules for elementary school? Let's do it!

Looking for lessons and activities for teaching rules and routines? These are ready to print and go!

Click to jump to:

• The Importance of Establishing Clear Classroom Rules
• The Top 3 Classroom Rules For Elementary School and How to Teach Them
  • Classroom Values
  • Lesson Expectations
  • Routines & Procedures
• Tips for Classroom Rules for Elementary School
• More Ideas to Reinforce Effective Classroom Rules
• Classroom Rules for Elementary School Are Crucial

The Importance of Establishing Clear Classroom Rules

The beginning of the school year is prime time to build the foundation for a positive learning environment. When you take time to establish clear guidelines and routines, you eliminate guesswork and reduce behavior issues before they start. That doesn’t just help with classroom management—it helps get your students ready to learn.

Effective classroom rules and routines…

• Help students feel safe and confident in your classroom.
• Support academic performance by reducing distractions and disruptive behaviors.
• Gives students structure, which lowers anxiety and boosts focus. (Kids, especially younger students, thrive on consistency.)
• Keep your classroom running smoothly during transitions.

When students walk into your classroom for the first time, they look for guidance. From the first day of school, they need to know where to sit, when to raise their hand, and what to do if they finish early. These small but essential routines help guide student learning and minimize confusion. Establishing classroom expectations early creates a strong rhythm that lasts the entire class period.

No matter your grade level, from younger classrooms to older students, setting clear expectations from day one is the foundation of effective teaching.

Elementary school students thrive when they understand the classroom procedures and what's expected of them. Without effective classroom rules, you're likely to spend more time managing behavior issues than delivering engaging lesson plans. And nobody wants that.

The Top 3 Classroom Rules For Elementary School and How to Teach Them

So what kind of classroom rules for elementary school work best? Here’s an in-depth look at the top three rules every elementary classroom needs. These aren’t just specific rules—they’re categories that guide student learning all year long. They serve as the pillars of good behavior, effective classroom management, and a positive classroom community:

• Classroom Values
• Lesson Expectations
• Routines & Procedures

Now let's dive into the best way to go about teaching theses crucial classroom rules for elementary school!

1. Classroom Values: Be Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn

These values are the backbone of your classroom rules. You'll teach these first, and you'll keep returning to them throughout the school year.

• Respect means listening when others are talking, using kind words, and taking care of classroom materials.
• Responsibility includes coming to class prepared, owning up to mistakes, and doing your part in group work.
• Being ready to learn means bringing a positive attitude and staying engaged.

How to Teach It: Creating a classroom promise is my favorite way to teach these core classroom values. Here's how to do it:

1. Have students brainstorm what respect, responsibility, and readiness look like in action.
2. Reveal your classroom promise and read through each value, relating them to what students had suggested in their responses.
3. Have each student sign or decorate a handprint to go around the class promise, representing their agreement to follow those values in the classroom.

You can click here to get this classroom promise template for free – it's completely editable, so you can fill in the classroom values that you'd like to use for your classroom.

2. Lesson Expectations: Follow Directions the First Time

One of the most important classroom rules for elementary school is your rules for students while teaching is happening. Clear expectations around lessons make for effective teaching. Whether it’s during math, reading, or a science experiment, students need to understand that instructions matter. These expectations need to be reviewed frequently, especially at the beginning of the year.

How to Teach It: I love using this inclusive whole body listening chart for helping students understand their job during lessons. The visual makes it super clear what the expectations are, but there is enough flexibility to make it inclusive for student with different learning needs. Here's how to use it:

1. Ask students what they think their bodies should be doing while you're teaching. What should their eyes be doing? Their ears? Their hands?
2. Then show the anchor chart, and go through each body part and what the expectations are.
3. Explain that our bodies might need different things. One person might learn best criss-cross applesauce, and another person might learn best in a chair at their table.
4. Invite students to think about what they need in order to do their best learning. Then have them draw it out using the craft template.

You can get this anchor chart template and companion craft right here in my TPT store.

3. Routines: Know What to Do and When to Do It

Routines are the backbone of classroom rules for elementary school. Think lining up for recess, turning in homework, or putting away art materials. When kids know what’s expected, transitions become smooth and drama-free. But it takes plenty of practice and review.

How to Teach It: Teach each routine like it’s a lesson plan. Break it down into steps. Practice it with small groups or the entire class.

1. Make a list of all your routines and transitions throughout the day. It will be a loooong list. (Morning entry, turning in work, transitioning from lessons to independent work, using to the bathroom, cleaning up for recess, lining up after recess, storing materials, walking to and from specials…. you get the idea!)
2. Really think through each routine and how you want it to look in your classroom.
3. Choose a handful of routines to teach each day during the first two weeks of school, and plan to review them many times.

Here are some tips for teaching routines:

• Be sure to explain the purpose behind each routine—students are more likely to follow them when they understand the why.
• Model what following directions looks like. Role-play both correct and incorrect behavior.
• Use positive reinforcement when students follow directions right away. This helps prevent behavioral issues before they escalate and keeps lessons on track.
• Use hand signals or call-and-response cues to maintain student attention throughout the class period.
• Anchor charts work well here too. Create a visual checklist of what to do when given instructions.

These anchor charts make great visuals for your classroom routines. You can get these templates and companion crafts right here in my TPT store.

Tips for Classroom Rules for Elementary School

Here are some effective methods to make your classroom rules for elementary school work like a charm:

• Keep It Short: Your list of rules should be 3–5 max. More than that, and students (especially younger classrooms) will forget them. This also makes the rules easier to review and memorize.
• Use Visuals: Anchor charts, hand signals, and posters help reinforce the rules for visual learners. Display them on your bulletin board and refer back often.
• Make It a Class Project: Let students help create the rules. This rule-making process gives them a sense of ownership, which boosts buy-in. It also supports classroom discussions and encourages a positive classroom community.
• Practice, Practice, Practice: Just like multiplication tables, class rules need repetition. Go over them every day during the first week of school and revisit regularly. Use class meetings to review what’s working and what needs adjusting.
• Use Positive Reinforcement: Celebrate good behavior with praise, stickers, or class points. It’s an effective classroom management tool, and it encourages students to keep it up. Reinforcement doesn’t always have to be physical rewards—public praise or a quick call home goes a long way too.
• Adapt to Your Grade Level: Effective rules for first graders look different from those for older students or middle school. Tailor your set of rules to fit your group. For instance, high school students might handle more abstract guidelines, but elementary students need specific rules like “Raise your hand before speaking.”
• Stay Consistent: Consistency is everything. If a rule exists, it needs to be enforced every class period, for every student. Inconsistent enforcement undermines your credibility and opens the door to behavior issues.
• Update as Needed: Sometimes the best classroom rules need a refresh. Mid-year is a good time to check in with your class and tweak rules if needed. Classroom behavior can change over time, especially after winter break.
• Tie Rules to a Bigger Purpose: Explain how rules help create a positive learning environment where everyone can succeed. When students see rules as tools for success rather than punishment, their attitude changes.
• Display Rules Clearly: Post your classroom rules somewhere highly visible. Your bulletin board, whiteboard, or near the door are all great options. Use large, bold fonts and kid-friendly language.
• Connect Rules to Real-Life Skills: Explain how being respectful and responsible now helps them become trustworthy friends, leaders, and citizens later. Even elementary students appreciate being treated like future grown-ups.

More Ideas to Reinforce Effective Classroom Rules

1. Daily Rule Reminders: Use morning meetings to highlight one rule per day. Relate it to the day's lesson plans or upcoming events.
2. Weekly Celebrations: Choose a student who modeled the class rules and celebrate them with a small certificate or extra privilege.
3. Storytime Tie-ins: Use books and stories that reinforce themes of good behavior and clear expectations. Discuss how characters follow or break rules.
4. Interactive Games: Play rule-themed games during the first week of school to build engagement. Think Simon Says with class rules or matching activities.
5. Rule Review Videos: Record your class acting out the rules and play it back. Let students become the role models for each other.
6. Parent Involvement: Share your rules and classroom procedures with parents during open house or through a newsletter. Encourage them to reinforce expectations at home.

Classroom Rules for Elementary School Are Crucial

Classroom rules for elementary school aren’t just about control—they’re about creating a safe, supportive, and positive classroom community. With clear rules, strong routines, and a dash of creativity, you’re setting your students up for a successful school year.

From the first day of school to the last bell rings, rules and routines shape your classroom behavior and guide student learning. Whether you’re in your first classroom or your fifteenth, using effective classroom rules for elementary school is always a good idea.

Effective rules do more than keep the peace—they make room for learning, laughter, and community. So tape those rules to your bulletin board, practice them every morning, and enjoy the magic that happens when your students know exactly what to do and how to do it.

Here’s to a productive learning environment, a positive classroom community, and your best school year yet. With a thoughtful list of rules, consistent classroom procedures, and creative strategies to boost student behavior, you're building something amazing.

Whether you're a new teacher figuring out your classroom management style or a veteran looking to improve your ground rules, this blog post should be your go-to guide. From the first week of school to the end of the year, the rules you set today will shape the learning that happens tomorrow.

Classroom rules for elementary school aren’t just a checklist—they’re your roadmap to an effective, joyful, and well-run classroom. So go ahead: write those rules, model them proudly, and let your students thrive!

Which of these tips are you most excited to try in your classroom? Let me know in the comments!
xoxo Laura

Resources For You:

Articles For You:

How To Teach Classroom Rules Students Will Actually Follow

Classroom Rules and Routines: The Ultimate List of Children’s Books

5 Must-Try Classroom Routine and Procedures Ideas

21 Amazing Ideas For Activities On The First Day Of School

The post The Only 3 Classroom Rules For Elementary School You Need appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Read on for the very best morning meeting song ideas!

Want songs that are ready to go? This social emotional learning song bundle includes videos lyric prompts and movements for a variety of SEL topics. And you can embed these right into your slides!

The Importance of Morning Meeting

If you've been toying with the idea of trying out a morning meeting time in your classroom, this is your sign to start now! Morning meeting is the perfect way to bring students together at the beginning of the day. It is an incredible tool in setting a positive tone for the day. And as you implement them consistently over time, your morning meetings will…

• Help create a sense of belonging
• Establish routines
• Build positive relationships
• Start the day off with positivity and focus
• Increase classroom community
• Build important social skills

Including morning meeting songs is a MUST when planning your morning meeting time. Young children thrive when they know what to expect, and a structured morning meeting with a fun song is a great way to start the school day with joy and enthusiasm. Your students will look forward to this time, and you can use these songs to do lots of great skill-building with your class!

And the good news is, you don't have to do any work – there are so many amazing morning meeting songs already out there!

Morning Meeting Songs For Social Emotional Learning

Morning meeting isn’t just about getting the day started—it’s also the perfect time for classroom community building and working on social-emotional learning skills. Singing together helps build confidence, encourages self-expression, and fosters connections.

Songs with messages about kindness, emotions, and gratitude can reinforce positive behaviors while making learning feel like play. A morning meeting song can also help children learn to regulate their emotions and express their feelings in a healthy way.

13 Morning Meeting Song Ideas

1. Positive Affirmation Song

A great way to start the morning meeting is with a song that promotes self-confidence. A catchy song filled with positive statements like “I am smart, I am kind, I am brave” helps children start the day on a positive note. This positive affirmations song has an ABC theme that your students will love!

2. Growth Mindset Song

Encouraging a growth mindset through song is a fun way to remind students that mistakes help them learn. Try a morning meeting song like this one, which emphasizes perseverance and the magical word “yet!”

3. Calendar Song

A fun way to learn the days of the week and months of the year is through a calendar song. This morning meeting favorite can also include a weather song to discuss what the day looks like outside. Here is a free download for a calendar song about the months.

4. Friendship Song

Teaching kindness and friendship through music is always a hit. This song about being a good friend and including everyone is a great way to reinforce positive social skills.

5. Birthday Song

A special day deserves a special song! Make birthdays in the classroom extra fun with a unique birthday morning meeting song that includes the child’s name.

6. Mindfulness Song

A mindfulness song helps children slow down, take deep breaths, and focus. This morning meeting song is a great way to encourage calm and self-awareness at the beginning of the day.

7. Listening Song

Teaching listening skills through music is a fun way to get students to pay attention. A song that includes lyrics like “Eyes are watching, ears are listening” is perfect for reminding young learners to focus.

8. Diversity Song

Teaching about diversity through song is a great opportunity to celebrate differences and similarities. This song builds classroom community by emphasizing that our differences make us stronger.

9. Welcome Song

A welcome song is an example of morning meeting songs to make every student feel included. Singing a morning meeting song that includes children’s names makes everyone feel special.

10. Being Kind Song

A song about kindness encourages children to treat others with respect. A great way to reinforce class rules, a catchy tune about kindness helps students remember to be considerate. I love this free download kindness song!

11. Classroom Community Song

Morning meeting songs that focus on classroom community can be a great way to start the day. This song focuses on strength in unity.

12. Feelings Song

A feelings song helps students express emotions in a healthy way. Singing about different emotions is a fun way to encourage self-awareness and social-emotional growth. This morning meeting song encourages students to identify how they're feeling and to recognize that feelings change throughout the day.

13. Gratitude Song

A morning meeting song about gratitude encourages students to reflect on great things in their lives. Ending the morning message with a gratitude song helps set a positive tone for the day. This is a catchy gratitude song that could be fun to use during November, or any time you're focusing on gratitude in your classroom!

How to Incorporate Morning Meeting Songs

Adding songs to morning meeting doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few easy ways to incorporate music:

• Use the song to open up your morning meeting. Music and movement can be a great way to get all your learners to focus and be ready to listen.
• Repeat the song throughout the day. You can do your songs again during transitions or at the end of the day. This helps students learn them more quickly and feel connected with them as a familiar routine.
• You can use a tool like Powerpoint or Google Slides to create a presentation to guide students through your morning meeting. Song videos can be embedded directly into the slides so all you have to do is press play!
• Involve students. You can let students help choose the song for the day, or even have a couple of leaders each day to stand in front of the class and lead the singing.

Tips and Tricks for Morning Meeting Songs

• Use movement – Encourage students to clap hands, snap fingers, or dance along to a fun song.
• Personalize lyrics – Insert children’s names into welcome songs to make them feel special.
• Make it routine – Start every morning meeting with a familiar catchy song.
• Introduce a new song – Keep things fresh by adding a new song every few weeks.
• Use visuals – Display lyrics on a screen or poster so students can follow along.
• Keep it engaging – A catchy tune and enthusiastic participation make a morning meeting song more fun.
• Encourage participation – Let students take turns leading their favorite songs.
• Use props – Hand out small instruments like tambourines or rhythm sticks to keep children engaged.
• Adapt to different learning styles – Some children love to move, while others prefer to listen. Mix in songs with movement and calmer songs for balance.
• Celebrate special days – Add a special day song to celebrate birthdays, holidays, or classroom achievements.
• Use a morning message – Pair songs with a simple morning message with your morning meeting songs to introduce the day’s theme.
• Rotate themes – Keep things fresh by switching between welcome songs, weather songs, and gratitude songs.

Get Started With Morning Meeting Songs

Morning meeting is the perfect way to build community, teach social-emotional skills, and start the school day on a high note. Adding a morning meeting song is a great way to make this time even more engaging for young children. Whether it's a welcome song, a calendar song about the months of the year, or a mindfulness song, music is a fun way to create a warm and inviting classroom environment. With so many great morning meeting songs to choose from, there’s no shortage of ways to make the beginning of the day fun and meaningful!

Want songs that are ready to go? This social emotional learning song bundle includes videos lyric prompts and movements for a variety of SEL topics. And you can embed these right into your slides!

Resources For You:

More Articles For You:

The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now

How To Plan Kindness Week Ideas For Students In Elementary

How To Create A Positive And Supportive Culture In Classroom Communities

Essential Social Emotional Learning Activities To Help Your Students Thrive

The post The Best Morning Meeting Songs To Start Your Day appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Here, we’ll explore what makes Kindness Week so impactful and offer ideas on how to make it a memorable experience for your students. Whether it’s celebrating World Kindness Day or incorporating fun kindness activities, you’ll find plenty of inspiration to get started. From group activities to independent crafts to anchor charts to book recommendations to a kindness challenge – these week of kindness ideas for students are the best you'll find!

Read on for the very best kindness week ideas for students in elementary!

Looking for kindness week plans and activities that are ready to go? This Kindness Week bundle is for you:

Click to jump to…

• What Is Kindness Week?
• Planning Your Kindness Week Activities
• 15 Kindness Week Ideas For Students
• Kindness Week Lesson Plans

What Is Kindness Week?

Kindness week is a week or several days devoted to promoting kind acts in your classroom. Some teachers take a bit of time every day, or their morning meeting time, and focus on different ways of being kind. This can be a great opportunity to encourage kind acts and build positivity in your school community.

During this time, it's helpful to explicitly teach students tools and strategies to be kind. Elementary students are still learning important ideas like good deeds, empathy, and spreading kind acts within their school community. Kindness a great way for teachers to promote values that help shape students into compassionate and considerate individuals. For elementary students, it’s not just about doing good deeds but also about learning how to build connections and make the world a better place, one small act at a time.

Incorporating Kindness Week into your lesson plans is the perfect opportunity to…

• Create a culture of kindness that permeates the school day and beyond.
• Develop interpersonal skills like empathy, cooperation, and active listening through kind gestures.
• Emphasize social-emotional learning skills and social skills like empathy and friendship
• Give students practical strategies to express kindness, from leaving positive messages for a family member to participating in a kindness challenge.
• Bring kind acts into your school community.

Planning Your Kindness Week Activities

I've found that a great way to organize your Kindness Week activities into your school day lesson plans is to have a theme for each day. I like to read a kindness book, do a group kindness activity, and then make a kindness craft for each day that all tie into the theme.

Here are the daily themes that I use in my Kindness Week lesson plans:

• Day 1: Being A Kind Friend
• Day 2: Using Kind Words
• Day 3: Kind Actions
• Day 4: Being a Bucket Filler
• Day 5: Celebrating Kindness

Next I'll share the Kindness Week ideas for students that I use for each day – these are tried and true activities that will get students to use kind acts in the classroom!

15 Kindness Ideas For Students

Day 1: Being A Good Friend

This anchor chart is a wonderful visual to help students understand actions that make them a good friend. Invite students to brainstorm how to be a good friend, and how not to be a good friend. Often times, including these negative traits can be helpful for students, who need things laid out explicitly.

(You can get the template for this activity in my TPT store right here.)

This is one of my favorite children's books for teaching students the importance of kind acts and inclusiveness. Each Kindness is a poignant story of a new student who isn't welcomed into the classroom. The main character in the story must then examine her own actions and reflect on how she didn't make a kind choice.

This next Kindness Week idea for students is a kind friend flipbook. This is a great way to help students remember ways to be a kind friend. It offers them specific strategies for being kind, which are concrete ways they can practice kindness in their school community.

(You can get the template for this activity in my TPT store right here.)

Day 2: Using Kind Words

Remembering to use kind words can be tricky for our students! Use this class anchor chart to help students brainstorm kind things they can say to their classmates. It's so helpful for students to have examples of phrases they can use to be kind – you'll definitely be hearing those words around your classroom in no time!

(You can get the template for this anchor chart in my TPT store right here.)

Writing kindness notes with positive messages is one of my favorite Kindness Week ideas for students. This kindness craft activity invites students to write kindness notes to their peers using these kindness note templates. There are lots of ways you can organize this:

You can have students write to whoever they want to in the class, or assign them a student to make a kind note for. You can make them anonymous, or let students sign who they're from. You can do this once, or make the notes available at a certain time of day for students to write again and again. (One recommendation: It's best if they turn them into you, and you deliver them – this way you can make sure everyone is receiving at least one, and you can preview them if you are worried students might abuse this work and include a not nice message.)

(You can get the template for this activity in my TPT store right here.)

The children's book The Smallest Girl In The Smallest Grade provides a good illustration of how powerful kind words can be. In this story, a girl stands up for other students aren't being treated kindly. She uses her kind words to help them – this is a great story for empowering students use their words to help their school community.

Day 3: Kind Actions

A kindness chain is one of the most fun Kindness Week ideas for students, and it gets the whole class involved! Observe your students and mentally note anytime you see a random act of kindness. Choose a time of day to recognize students and share what you saw. For each act of kindness you saw, add a paper link to your kindness chain. Your students will love watching your kindness chain grow! (You can also have students share any kind acts they witnessed!)

(You can get the template for this activity in my TPT store right here.)

This Sprinkle Kindness Like Confetti anchor chart is the perfect way to help your students brainstorm kind actions that they can do at school. Invite your students to share their ideas and fill it up with kind things they can do for their classmates and teachers.

(You can get the template for this anchor chart in my TPT store right here.)

I love the children's book When We Are Kind for illustrating random acts of kindness and their effects. This book shows simple acts of kindness that we can carry out in our classroom and home communities.

Day 4: Being A Bucket Filler

If you've never read Have You Filled A Bucket Today? then this is your sign to do it now! The bucket filler books are one of my favorite kindness week ideas for students – they have such a wonderful metaphor for kind deeds and unkind deeds and how they affect one another. It's a great illustration that students can really relate to and understand when it comes to talking about kindness.

This Bucket Filler anchor chart is another kindness week ideas for students that encourages students to think of ways they can fill people's buckets throughout the day.

(You can get the template for this anchor chart in my TPT store right here.)

Then students can make their own Bucket Filler craft – filled with the ways they want to spread kindness in their school community!

(You can get the template for this craft in my TPT store right here.)

Day 5: Celebrating Kindness

I absolutely LOVE catching students being kind, so this is something I actually do all year long, but it's also perfect for Kindness Week ideas for students. This anchor chart is filled with positive traits of kindness. Throughout the day, make a mental note when you notice a student acting out one of these positive traits. Then pick a time of day to share what you noticed, and invite the students to place a sticker under the word that they showcased. Students will love being recognized for their kind acts!

(You can get the template for this anchor chart in my TPT store right here.)

Turn Kindness Week into a party with these adorable kindness crowns! These crowns are one of the best Kindness Week ideas for students to celebrate all the kindness your class has spread throughout the school this week.

(You can get the template for this craft in my TPT store right here.)

This book, Tomorrow I'll Be Kind, explores different positive traits and how we can live them. It's a perfect companion book to the anchor chart celebrating the kind traits you see your students showing in the classroom.

Kindness Challenge

One of the best Kindness Week ideas for students is a kindness challenge! This increases the fun to a whole new level and really gets students excited about spreading kindness.

(You can get the template FREE right here.)

This kindness bingo challenge provides different acts of kindness that students can do in their classroom community. Challenge your class to see how many bingos they can get!

(You can get the template for this bulletin board in my TPT store right here.)

This is another kindness challenge that becomes a kindness bulletin board for your classroom. Each day, students choose a random act of kindness from a paper heart. Once they've completed their random act of kindness, they put it up on the bulletin board. At the end of the week, your bulletin board will be full of different acts of kindness!

Tips For Getting Students Involved

Involving students in planning and executing Kindness Week activities is the best way to ensure engagement. Here’s how:

Invite Students to Lead

Give students leadership roles by assigning them to plan specific activities or projects. For example:

• A group could organize a “Kindness Bingo Challenge” with tasks like helping a peer, sharing a toy, or writing a letter to a family member.
• Another could design a “Day of Kindness” schedule to implement small kindness projects throughout the school day.

Use Small Groups

Divide the class into small groups to work on different kindness projects, such as creating thank-you cards for school staff or collecting donations for an animal shelter. This approach helps students develop teamwork and encourages collaboration.

Incorporate SEL Lessons

Design an SEL-themed lesson plan that focuses on empathy and the “ripple effect” of kindness. Discuss how one random act of kindness can inspire others and create a chain reaction of positivity. Role-playing scenarios where students practice responding to various situations with kindness can be a better way to teach these concepts.

More Tips for Teachers

1. Plan Ahead: Use detailed lesson plans to organize activities effectively.
2. Start Small: Even a little bit of kindness can have a big impact.
3. Celebrate Efforts: Acknowledge students’ contributions with rewards or shout-outs during the week.
4. Make It Relatable: Share stories or examples from your own life to connect with students on a personal level.

The Broader Impact of Kindness Week

Kindness Week is more than just a series of activities; it’s an opportunity to instill values that shape students’ character. By focusing on kindness, you’re helping to create a classroom community where everyone feels valued and supported. The lessons learned during this week extend beyond the school year and into the students’ lives as they grow into empathetic, responsible individuals.

So, whether you’re organizing a week of kindness or simply integrating more kindness week activities into your teaching, remember that your efforts make a difference. You’re not just teaching—you’re shaping the future, one act of kindness at a time.

More Kindness Inspiration

Need more kindness activities ideas? These blog posts would be perfect for you to check out!

Crafts About Kindness You Need To Try In Your Classroom

11 Fantastic Week of Kindness Ideas To Try In Your Classroom

15 Friendship Picture Books Your Students Will Love

Resources For You:

The post How To Plan Kindness Week Ideas For Students In Elementary appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Building empathy is a hugely important friendship skill that is important for all children. And often, students need our help building their empathy. But the truth is… there are a lot of friendship skills that are needed to help children build empathy. As we work on these, students develop their natural empathy.

Want to learn how to teach children this crucial friendship skill? Read on!

Click to jump to…

• Why Is Empathy An Important Friendship Skill?
• The Friendship Skills That Build Empathy
• Friendship Activities To Try
• Friendship Skills In The Classroom

Why Is Empathy An Important Friendship Skill?

Empathy is a crucial skill for everyone to develop, and it starts with childhood. The Oxford Dictionary defines empathy as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of others”.

As teachers, we do a lot of work to help students understand the perspectives of others. Empathy is the number one friendship skill that students need in order to do this successfully. It plays a huge role in being able to form positive relationships, especially friendships.

Whenever we do work around friendships with students, empathy will be at the center of this work. This important friendship skill will affect how students are able to interact with their peers and create positive relationships at school.

But how do we help students build empathy? There are 5 key friendship skills that we can teach and reinforce with students that will help increase empathy.

The Friendship Skills That Build Empathy

What are the most important friendship skills to work on with students?

1. Self Awareness: Being aware of our actions and how they affect others is a huge part of being empathetic. We can help students set goals about being a good friend, which helps them focus on their actions and the effects of those actions on their classmates.
2. Making New Friends: Making new friends is a skill that even adults struggle with! It takes a lot of bravery, and it also requires learning how to connect with people you don't know very well. When we try to reach out to others, we take on their point of view which exercises those empathy muscles.
3. Being Inclusive: Learning to include others is a huge form of empathy. At school, there are so many important opportunities for students to practice this friendship skill. Coaching students to be inclusive helps them consider the feelings of others, sometimes over their own feelings.
4. Fixing Friendships: Navigating conflicts in friendships is pretty much a constant during elementary school. As we help students learn to apologize and forgive, they build more empathy and understanding for others. This is a key skill that teachers must help their students with.
5. Kindness: Kindness is a term that is thrown around a lot in education, but it's something we have to actively help students practice. Concrete examples of kind actions, alongside the opportunities to put these into action, can greatly help our students increase empathy.

Okay, okay, this sounds great. But how the heck are we going to practice all of these friendship skills in the classroom? Don't worry, I've got you covered! The next section is going to dive into some specific activities you can easily do with your students.

Friendship Activities To Try

Ideally, we would be carving out time every day for this type social emotional learning. And it doesn't have to be hard!

I think a lot of times, social emotional learning gets put to the wayside because we have so much to teach. But we need to set aside time to teach these strategies, allow students to practice, and then review them. (That's why I created the Friendship Skills Curriculum!)

Here are some of my favorite ways to practice friendship skills to build empathy in the classroom:

1. Friendship Goals Anchor Chart

If you're trying to help students build empathy, this is a great place to start. Having students brainstorm what it means to be a good friend will help students start to be more considerate of others. Then take it a step further by having them set a goal for themselves to focus on that week.

Some examples you can give to get the conversation started:

• Letting someone else choose the game
• Waving hello
• Asking how someone is doing
• Helping someone who gets hurt
• Asking someone to play
• Sitting with someone new at lunch
• Sharing a favorite game or toy
• Giving a compliment
• Getting to know a classmate better
• Helping someone with their homework

Once you get started, you can see there are lots of possibilities! And your students will quickly notice how it makes them happier to be friendlier.

2. Making New Friends Booklet

Making new friends at school can feel daunting. But it can also be so beneficial for students, even ones who have close friends that they've known for a long time.

As teachers we can help in two ways:

1. By helping students practice the skills to make new friends, like with this craft booklet. It's always most helpful to give students concrete strategies, such as asking about someone's favorite color, inviting them to play a game, or asking if they can sit with someone at lunch.
2. Creating opportunities during the school day for students to work and sit with new people. I always recommend assigning partners and seats for at least part of the day, so that students get the chance to work with a variety of peers.

A fun book to read when introducing this concept is Let's Play.

3. Inclusivity Fortune Teller

My elementary school has a rule, which is that if someone wants to play with you, you have to say yes. This might sound crazy, but this “inclusivity rule” actually had a huge effect on the community of the school overall.

Even though may not be able to go that far, you can still make inclusivity a rule for your classroom. Having students brainstorm what it means to be inclusive can help them see what this means. Some examples of inclusive acts are:

• Inviting someone new to join the game.
• Sitting with someone new at lunch time.
• Standing up for someone who is being left out.
• Starting a group game that anyone can join.
• Including all your tablemates in the conversation.

You can make this fun with a cute activity like this fortune teller. Students can see which strategy they land on, and try to put it into action that day. As students practice this friendship skill, their empathy towards others automatically grows.

4. Social Stories About Apologies and Forgiveness

Social stories are a great way of helping students think critically about conflict resolution. Asking students for their thoughts on what the characters should do next also helps them build greater independence with this friendship skill.

Here are a few ways to work social stories into your school day:

• Social Stories Worksheets are great for independent practice. Students think about what they would do in that situation, and the helps them later when real friendship conflicts come up.
• Read Alouds where characters are having friendship problems help model various social situations for students. A few of my favorites are The Sour Grape, My New Friend Is So Fun, and Enemy Pie.
• Puppet Shows are a wonderful way for younger students to see friendship conflicts in action. As you act out various social stories about friendship, ask students for their thoughts about what the characters should do next.

The more students are asked to think through these types of situations, the more their empathy and other friendship skills will strengthen.

5. Friendship Challenge

You and your students will LOVE doing a friendship challenge to jumpstart empathy in your classroom. It's totally fun, and not that hard to put together. Here's how it works:

• Each day, you reveal a new row of the challenge. You read all the squares, and students think about one that they would like to do that day.
• Have a time of day to check in with students on their friendship goal. You can check off on the chart, or have another way of recording acts of friendship, such as a gem jar or a paper chain you add on to.
• At the end of the week, when the whole chart has been revealed, you have students reflect on the friendship, kindness, and empathy they participated in.

Friendship Skills In The Classroom

I hope these ideas about empathy and building friendships skills have given you some inspiration to try out some friendship activities with your students. Remember, these are lifelong skills, so your students aren't going to master them in one lesson. It will take many friendship lessons, real-life experiences, and loving examples for students to build up their empathy.

If you want more friendship lessons, check out my Friendship Skills Lesson Plans.

What friendship activity idea are you going to try out? Let me know in the comments!
xoxo
Laura

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How To Use Mindfulness In the Classroom: A Complete Guide

10 Growth Mindset For Kids Activities Your Students Will Love

The post The Top Friendship Skill That Your Students Need appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Read on to find out what is Palentine's Day and how to celebrate in your classroom this year!

This blog post may contain affiliate links. I make a small commission when you make purchases through these links.

What Is Palentines Day?

Let's start with the big question – what is Palentines anyway?

Well officially, Palentine's Day is celebrated on February 13 as a celebration of friendship (think “Galentine's Day” only more broad).

But for us teachers, Palentines can be celebrated literally any time in February as a celebration of kindness and friendship. This is especially helpful if you're trying to take the “lovey-dovey” nature out of your Valentines classroom celebrations (highly recommended if you have any students who are the “crush” train…).

So Palentine's Day becomes a day, or week, or couple of weeks, where your class can be engaged in activities promoting kindness, friendship, and cheering each other on. Who wouldn't want to celebrate those things??

Palentines How To

Okay, Valentines' Day at school is coming up, and you're ready to give Palentines a try in your classroom. But what would that look like? How would it go?

Here's a step-by-step guide to making your Palentine's celebrations a breeze:

Step 1: Plan your Palentine's Schedule

The first step is deciding when you want to celebrate. And there are lots of choices, so you can pick what works best for you. There are three options I would recommend:

• February 13 or February 14: You can keep it super simple and just celebrate Palentines on one day. (I think you can go ahead and celebrate it on February 14th, but if you want to be exact then the 13th is fine too.)
• Valentine's Week: One easy way to do this is to have a week of Palentine's celebrations, and do one or two activities per day. Then you can culminate it with a little party on the 13th or 14th This builds excitement, and helps spread that Palentines joy for a little longer.
• 10 Days Leading Up to Valentine's Day: Do one Palentines activity each day, for 10 days leading up to Valentine's Day. Save your biggest activity for the last day!

If you want some sample Palentine's Day schedules, go ahead and scroll to the bottom of this post.

Step 2: Pick Your Palentine's Activities

When it comes to Palentines Day activities, there are lots of options. Pretty much any of your typical Valentine's Day crafts can be given a “friendship” twist to turn them into kindness spreaders.

You can easily slip 30 minutes into your day for one activity per day leading up to Valentine's Day. Or, you can choose 4-5 to do as a big Palentine's Day party.

Here are a 10 examples of my favorite Palentine's Day activities to give you inspiration.

How To Be A Pal-entine

This cute activity is perfect to kick off your Palentines celebrations. Students learn what it means to be a PAL-entine by brainstorming things they can say to make their classmates smile.

Valentine's Door Display

Creating a cute Valentines-themed door display is a fun way to celebrate with your class.

Palentines Mailboxes

Creating mailboxes where students can leave each other kind notes is a great activity for Palentines. (Just make sure you have a way of checking notes before they get delivered!)

My Palentines

Crafts are always a good choice for this time of year! Students get to make their own 3D boxes (3D creations are always a hit with my students!) containing all the names of their classmates.

We Love ____

Spread kindness by having students write down what they love about other classmates. Then slip the notes into an envelope for the students to take home and read!

Valentine's Math Games

Slip your Palentines celebrations into your school day by incorporating Valentines-themed games as part of your academic activities.

Spread Love Bunting

Create some cute classroom decor with the help of your students! This cute bunting encourages students to think about how they can spread love. And it's a super cute decoration to add to your classroom.

Valentine's-Themed Games

Slip a fun Valentines-themed game into your day as part of your Palentines celebrations. These are perfect for brain breaks or indoor recess.

Bee Mine Crown

Another cute craft that students will love – a Valentines-themed crown!

Valentine's Day Snack

If you're allowed to bring snacks for your students, a Valentines-themed dessert would be a super fun way to celebrate during a class Palentines party.

Palentine's Day Sample Schedules

Here is how I would put together those activities to create some different Palentines celebration schedules. Feel free to swap out different activities when putting together your own schedule:

One-Day Celebration:

• Morning: “How to Be a Palentine”
• Recess: “Valentines-Themed Games”
• Before Lunch: “My Palentines Craft”
• After Lunch: “We Love ___ Activity”
• End of the Day: “Valentine's Day Snack”

Week-Long Celebration:

• Day 1: “Valentines Door” and “How to Be A Palentine”
• Day 2: “Bee Mine Crown” and “Valentines Math Games”
• Day 3: “Palentine's Mailboxes” and “Valentines-Themed Games”
• Day 4: “My Palentines Craft” and “Spread Love Bunting”
• Valentine's Day: “We Love ___ Activity” and “Valentine's Day Snack”

10 Days of Palentines:

• Day 1: “How To Be A Palentine”
• Day 2: “Valentine's Door”
• Day 3: “Bee Mine Crown”
• Day 4: “Valentine's Math Games”
• Day 5: “Palentine's Mailboxes”
• Day 6: “Valentines-Themed Games”
• Day 7: “My Palentines Craft”
• Day 8: “Spread Love Bunting”
• Day 9: “We Love__”
• Valentine's Day: “Valentine's Day Snack”

Palentines Day

I hope you have everything you need now to try out Palentines Day in your classroom this year! It's guaranteed to spread some kindness and joy.

What Palentines activity are you going to try out? Let me know in the comments!
xoxo
Laura

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The post What Is Palentines Day And Why Your Students Will Love It appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

Every teacher wants to help their students learn to be kind. But it can be hard to know where to start when talking about kindness in the classroom. I find that crafts about kindness are one of the most effective ways you can teach your students about kindness.

Kindness crafts are a fantastic resource because they are a fun activity that students will want to do, they can be pulled out any time you need them, and they really do help reinforce kindness. Now, there are so many ideas for crafts about kindness, it can be very overwhelming. Luckily, I've done the work for you and rounded up the very best kindness crafts I could find.

Read on for the 10 best crafts about kindness for the classroom… I've even listed a children's book about kindness you can read to your class for each craft!

(Looking for some kindness activities that are ready to print and go? Check out my Kindness Activity Bundle right here.)

This post may contain affiliate links. I make a small commission when you make a purchase using my links.

Crafts About Kindness

Before I dive into my favorite crafts about kindness, here are my top tips on how to use these to the best effect in your classroom:

• Choose a clear teaching point
• Pick your timing
• Make it fun

The very best kindness crafts should have a clear teaching point. Yes, we want them to be fun and cute. But the most important part is helping our students get a better understanding of kindness. The kindness activities I pick for my students are always chosen with a clear intention.

For example, let's say I'm noticing that students are using unkind words with each other. Then I'll choose an activity that gets students to think and practice kind ways of speaking. Or, if I'm seeing a lot of competition and arguments, I'll look for a craft on kindness that focuses on patience and flexibility.

Timing is important too. Sometimes I'll choose to do a whole Week of Kindness if I feel that we need a really hefty dose of kindness in our classroom (read this post to find out how to do a Week of Kindness in your classroom)! Other times, I'll just sprinkle in one of my favorite crafts about kindness on a specific topic whenever I see the need.

Finally, it's important that it not feel like a lecture or a punishment. Students will get so much more out of it if it's a fun break from academics. After all, crafts about kindness should be fun, right?

Kindness Crafts To Try

Okay, without further ado, here are my top 10 favorite kindness crafts! I've included the specific teaching point that I think they would be great to use. I'm also going to list a children's book about kindness that would be absolutely perfect to pair with each kindness craft. (Want to see all my favorite children's kindness books? You can shop my favorite books on kindness here.)

Notes To Classmates – Spreading Kindness

This is the perfect way to get kind vibes spreading all over your classroom. In this craft about kindness, students write kind notes to give to other students. You can make these available for students to grab and write on their own Or, you can assign students other students to write to in order to make sure everyone gets a note.

The kindness children's book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? would be a perfect companion to this craft.

Kindness Rocks – Spreading Kindness

If you're a teacher who loves hands-on, crafty projects, then this is perfect for you! Painting kindness rocks is a kindness craft your students will absolutely love. Pair this craft with the kindness book A Small Kindness.

First, help your students think of kind phrases that would cheer people up. Then let them paint their rock with the phrase and decorations. Finally, hide the rocks around the playground for kids in other grades to find and keep! This is one of the best crafts about kindness for practicing generosity as well as spreading kindness.

Bucket Filler – The Effects of Kindness

This craft for kindness is perfect for emphasizing the effect that kindness can have on all of us. The bucket metaphor is one that students can immediately grasp – when someone is kind, it fills their bucket, but when someone is mean, it dips their bucket.

If you've never checked out the book How Full Is Your Bucket? you definitely need to add it to your list! It's always on my list to read to my class year after year.

Kindness Crown – What Kindness Means

The word “kindness” gets thrown around all the time, but there are lots of other fantastic words that go hand in hand with kindness. I like to introduce students to our “WOW words” – like generous, inclusive, helpful, flexible, etc. Talking about these traits helps students understand how to be kind. Plus, you then have a list of wonderful adjectives to use when noticing your students and positively reinforcing their kind behavior.

Weaving in a crown craft is a great way to learn about and celebrate these WOW words. This is one of my favorite crafts about kindness because it ends with something students can wear! Always a big hit.

The book Tomorrow I'll Be Kind describes many of these important words, and it would be a perfect companion book for this kindness craft.

Class Quilt – Friendship

Creating a class quilt is a wonderful way to display your students' commitment to kindness in your classroom. First, students decide how they want to be a good friend. Then they trace their hand and decorate their square of the quilt. Finally, display these in your classroom on a bulletin board!

I Walk With Vanessa is a story of friendship and kindness. This is a great book to have students brainstorm ways to be a kind friend.

Kindness Bingo – Putting Kindness Into Action

This kindness bingo board is one of the most fun crafts about kindness! Throughout the week, students try to complete the kind acts on their boards to get bingos. You can celebrate bingos with a sticker or a small class cheer. (If you want a full class activity version of this, I have a class anchor chart version you can check out here.)

The children's book When We Are Kind helps students reflect on the effects of kindness. It would be a wonderful companion to the kindness bingo craft.

Kindness Cootie Catchers – Putting Kindness Into Action

In this fun kindness craft, students create cootie catchers with kind actions inside. When they play with a friend, whatever kind action the friend lands on – they have to do that! A great way to make kindness into a fun game.

A book that would be wonderful to go with this craft is Be Kind. It helps demonstrate the importance of kind acts every day.

Friend Flipbook – Friendship

Being a good friend is a skill that students are working on at school just as much as the academic skills. Teaching explicit ways to be a good friend helps students in their social life, but it also helps your classroom run smoother. Students are friendly to one another can work well together, making partner and group activities much more successful.

Finding crafts about friendship are an important piece of your crafts about kindness. Friendship and kindness are so interwoven, and it's such a big part of classroom dynamics.

Each Kindness is a poignant children's book that really gets students thinking about the effects of their actions and behavior towards others. It will help them examine whether they are being a good friend to other students who are in need of a friendly word.

Kindness Flower – Acts of Kindness

In this craft for kindness, students write down acts of kindness on the petals of a flower. This helps students think of different ways to be kind throughout their day.

Class Kindness Rainbow – Acts of Kindness

Students brainstorm acts of kindness and add it to a handprint cutout. Make sure you pass out handprints in all the colors of the rainbow. When you put the handprints together in a display, they make a beautiful kindness rainbow! For a larger rainbow, invite students to make more than one handprint.

Read Kindness Is My Superpower with this craft about kindness. It will help students brainstorm different ways they can be kind throughout the day.

Crafts For Kindness

These crafts about kindness will help fill your classroom with positivity and happiness. It's no secret that when students are treating each other kindly, schoolwork and teaching is easier for everyone. Finding time in your week to slip in a kindness craft and book here and there will have undoubtedly have a positive effect on your classroom.

If you're looking for enough kindness activities to use throughout the year or to do a kindness unit, check out my Kindness Activity Bundle. It includes 10 printable craft templates, 5 anchor chart templates, and 5 days of lesson plans with companion books.

Which craft are you excited to use? Let me know in the comments!
xoxo
Laura

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The post Crafts About Kindness You Need To Try In Your Classroom appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Read on for 15 growth mindset kids books recommendations.

This post may contain affiliate links. I make a small commission when you make a purchase using these links.

Growth Mindset Kids Books

Why teach with children’s books? For starters, picture books are one of the best ways to hold our students’ attention. If the storyline and characters are compelling, students won’t just listen, they’ll be invested in the story and the lessons it’s teaching. 

Plus, growth mindset is kind of a dense topic. It’s helpful for students to see it play out with characters in a story. Children’s books about growth mindset can showcase different characters struggling with and learning how to use their growth mindset to achieve their goals. Those types of examples are far more helpful than verbal explanations. 

Finally, students are more likely to remember what we teach when we use children’s books. As they hear the characters’ stories in growth mindset kids books, they relate to those characters. Then later, if they are faced with a similar situation, they’re more likely to remember and use their growth mindset strategies.

Growth Mindset Books For Kids

These books are my top picks for teaching growth mindset for children. Ranging from children to animals to facts to fantasy, these stories will give students a great foundation for what growth mindset is and how they can use it. I've divided these suggestions into five categories, to help you choose what kind of book would be most helpful for what your students need: Growing Pains, Fixed vs. Growth Mindset, Messages To Tell Myself, I Can't Do It YET, and Goal-Setting.

Growing Pains

These growth mindset kids books are all about the growing pains we experience when we try new things. The characters in these books struggle to master something new, and have to learn to persevere and embrace the mistakes they make.

She’s Got This

Zoe is so excited to learn gymnastics after watching it on TV. But when she comes to her first gymnastics class, she discovers that all that flipping and flying is a lot harder than it looks! Zoe has to learn lessons about mistakes, perseverance, and believing in yourself.

The Most Magnificent Thing

Determined to make a magnificent invention, a young girl works hard on creating something using her imagination and whatever materials she can find. But when she’s finished, her invention doesn’t look so magnificent. She has to deal with anger, frustration, and patience before she discovers that maybe she did make something magnificent after all.

Rosie Revere Engineer

Rosie has big dreams to become an inventor, but she hides it from her family. When Rosie finally shares an invention with her aunt, and it turns out to be a failure, she learns important lessons about mistakes and growth. 

Fixed Vs. Growth Mindset

Learning what a fixed mindset is versus a growth mindset can be so helpful for students as they try to incorporate perseverance and growth mindset into their learning. These growth mindset children's books explains these two ways of thinking in terms that a child can understand and really appreciate.

Fantastic Elastic Brain

A great book for explaining the science behind our brains and learning new things. This book uses kid-friendly language to explore the importance of trying new things and how practice really does help our brains get better at challenging tasks.

Bubblegum Brain

This book explains the difference between fixed mindset and growth mindset with fun characters “Bubblegum Brain” and “Brick Brain”. The story shows clearly how much we miss out when we decide not to try new things, and how being brave and making mistakes can lead to a lot more fun.

Making a Splash

In this book, Johnny and Lisa are learning to swim. They each experience different kinds of mindsets, and they learn how a growth mindset can help them learn new things.

Messages To Tell Myself

Part of practicing a growth mindset is sending yourself positive messages when things feel tough. These growth mindset books for kids provides concrete examples of positive affirmations to use when those negative messages start creeping in.

I Can Do Hard Things

This is a wonderful book that provides lots of positive affirmations that children can tell themselves. It explores the insecurities and doubts that children can face in different situations, and offers strategies to flip those into confidence-building moments.

My Strong Mind

This story follows the protagonist, Kate, as she faces different challenging situations. Kate offers a model for how we can use positive self-talk to help us embrace mistakes, persevere through difficulty, and remember to be grateful.

Beautiful Oops

This book celebrates mistakes as new possibilities. Rather than getting upset about a torn paper, a messed up brush stroke, or a mistake, we can turn it into something new and continue on.

I Can’t Do It, YET

The idea of YET can be very powerful for students feeling discouraged during new learning. Emphasizing this word can bring home the idea that just because we can't do it now, doesn't mean we won't get it with time. There are some wonderful growth mindset books for children that embrace this word.

The Magical Yet

This beautifully illustrated book shows the magic of trying new things that are still out of your reach. It encourages children to shift their mindset when things get tough. They can’t do it YET, but with practice and time, they’ll get there!

I Can’t Do That, YET

Enna struggles to believe in herself, and she doesn’t like trying hard things. After a special dream, she realizes that the possibilities for herself are endless, if she’s just willing to put in the work and not give up.

Not Yet

The main character in this story shows how you can go through your day with mistakes and frustrations, but understand that they are a part of learning and growing up.

Goal-Setting

Setting goals to learn new skills can be both exciting and scary. In these growth mindset kids books, the characters learn that it takes practice and bravery to conquer new learning.

Jabari Jumps

Jabari is ready to jump off the diving board, but he’s feeling nervous. After putting it off and making excuses, Jabari finally learns how to put his fear aside to reach his goal.

Whistle For Willie

Peter wants to whistle for his dog, Willie, but nothing but air comes out of his mouth when he tries. But Peter doesn’t give up – he keeps practicing and practicing, and he’s determined to reach his goal eventually.

The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do

Lou is afraid to try climbing a tree with her friends. She makes excuses and puts it off before finally deciding to face her fears. This story explores ideas of courage, making mistakes, perseverance, and support as we try to learn new things.

Growth Mindset For Kids

Hopefully, you were able to pick some favorite growth mindset books for kids that you’d like to try with your students. There are so many possibilities, so have fun! 

But you don’t have to stop there – there are lots of other ways to weave growth mindset into your classroom. Children’s books are a great place to start, but we can do more to make a growth mindset a permanent part of our teaching.

Classroom activities, anchor chart and bulletin board displays, and crafts can all help in creating a growth mindset classroom environment.

If you’re looking for more support, check out my Growth Mindset Curriculum.

Which books are you excited to try with your students? Tell me in the comments! 
xoxo 
Laura

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The post 15 Growth Mindset Kids Books Every Teacher Needs To Have In Their Library appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

This post is about all the reasons why classroom management is important and what you can actually do to prepare.

What Is Classroom Management?

Classroom management refers to the rules, routines, environment, and atmosphere of your classroom. So, that means…

• What you allow and don’t allow your students to do (and how you enforce those rules)
• Also, how you manage materials. For example, transitions, material storage, and classroom procedures.
• And finally, the choices you make in the environment and atmosphere of your classroom can also play into your overall classroom management technique.

Phew! That is a whole lot to think about for two little words! No wonder everyone goes on and on about why classroom management is so important. But what can we do about it?

Well, it turns out, there’s a whole lot you can do to prepare when thinking about how to get started or how to change up your classroom management. Let's dive in!

(Interested in boosting your classroom community? I've got the tools to help you here!)

Classroom Management With Rules

Thinking about the rules you want to have in your classroom is a great place to start. Rules are one of the most important pieces of classroom management strategy, because they provide a foundation of safety and structure for our students. 

Clear and Explicit Rules

As tempting as it might be to be “the cool teacher” and assume your students know how to behave, it’s far more effective to be explicit and clear about rules. 

Trust me, I’ve made the mistake of not being clear. Many students will not assume that they need to raise their hand to speak, or that they need to go to the back of the line, or that running is not a good idea inside a classroom(!!)

And actually… students like to know what to expect. I still remember the story one of my education professors told us about a little boy who went home crying after the first day of school saying “I don’t know what any of the rules are!” 

Class Agreements

So, take a deep breath, and give yourself permission to explicitly list out all the rules. Deciding what these need to be is a big part of your classroom management strategy. If you’re still feeling weird about it, enlist the help of your students! Chances are, if you ask them “What rules do you think we need in our classroom?” they can come up with most of the rules you would want.

They might not follow them without prompting and guidance, but they usually know what they should be. You can make a list of rules together as a class that can become like a class agreement.

If It’s Not Working – Change It!

And guess what? You can absolutely change, add onto, or delete your rules list anytime you want to! There is no law against teachers deciding that something that used to be allowed is now a no-no. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to sit down with my students and say,

“You know what… I’m noticing that this has become a problem now. I think we need to make a new rule.” 

Just so you know, you will probably not get it right the first time – your classroom management style is something that needs to be tweaked, amended, and changed throughout the year.

And every group of students is different! One class might be able to handle having desk pets out during independent work time. And another class may be totally distracted by them! So give yourself permission to make changes as you learn more about your students.

Reinforcing

Rules only matter if they are enforced. No teacher wants to doll out punishments, but it’s absolutely important to have consequences and follow-through if rules are broken. It doesn’t have to be a huge, drastic consequence, like a phone call home or a trip to the office. Usually, a small consequence, like an apology note, or having to try the task again, or being excused last, is enough to remind students of the rule.

The important part is following through every single time. Students can tell when rules get bendy – and they’ll lean into that to see just how bendy you’ll get. It’s not a fun game to get into. 

Classroom Management With Routines and Procedures

Classroom management is important because it also includes the routines and procedures that you create to help your classroom run smoothly.

Make a List

I remember one of the top classroom management tips I've ever received:

Sit down in the summer and make a list of every single transition and routine.

For example, the beginning of my list would look like this:

1. How I greet students every morning
2. What students do when they enter the classroom every morning
3. Where they store backpacks and lunchboxes
4. Where their school supplies are stored
5. How we transition into morning circle time
6. Circle time routines: songs, morning message, calendar
7. How they get excused from the rug to their seats

Woah – the list can get really long really quickly!! But thinking about these things ahead of time can save major headaches down the road. If you take the time to teach these procedures properly (check out some tips on how to do that here), your classroom will be humming along before you know it. Students thrive on routine and structures that they can predict and then master. 

Remember… You Can Change Your Mind!

And once again… you are allowed to change any procedure you want to!! I repeat – if something is not working, change it!

If the transition into lunch time always makes you want to pull out your hair, then think about what you can do to make it smoother. Do you need to read a book as you excuse students to spread them out more? Or maybe you want them to be excused one at a time from their seats so you can check that they really did clean up.

Having to make changes and tweaks isn’t a sign that you’re a bad teacher – it’s actually a sign that you are a good teacher, and that you know how to adjust and adapt when you need to.

Classroom Management With the Environment

Creating a classroom environment that you love can be a very fun part of your classroom managements strategies. And before you get worried, you don’t need to break the bank decking out your classroom with rainbow sparkle themed everything. (But no shame if you want to! I definitely love a good classroom décor theme) 

Choices You Can Make With Your Classroom

There are lots of practical ways you can make your physical classroom help work in favor of your classroom management efforts. For example, some things you could consider are:

• How you lay out your desks/tables. Do you want students in groups or separated? Do you have a special table where you will work with individual or small groups? Where can you put your teacher desk to make it easiest for you. Do you need to access your computer to run slides? 
• How items are stored. Where will students keep their belongings? In a desk or a crate or a bin? How will they access centers, independent work, writing paper, etc? Will there be student­ cabinets that house these materials? Where will you store your teacher materials? Do you want to group them by subject or by month?
• Classroom displays. What will you visually feature in your classroom? How can you include diverse representations? Will certain subjects have a bulletin board space? Will there be any student-created displays? Do you want the classroom rules or agreement displayed somewhere?
• Social emotional areas. Some classrooms have special displays or a special corner for calming down. These might have some visual guides for big emotions, or even have physical items that can help students work through their feelings.

Community and Connection

The biggest reason of why classroom management so important is that it’s the beating heart of your community. It dictates how you treat your students and how you expect them to treat each other. Classroom community is one of my all-time favorite things to talk about (you can read all about classroom community here), and getting your classroom management down is a huge part of the puzzle.

What are you goals with classroom management? Tell me in a comment below!
xoxo
Laura

You may also be interested in reading:

The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now

5 Must-Try Classroom Routine and Procedures Ideas

11 Fantastic Week of Kindness Ideas To Try In Your Classroom

The post Why Classroom Management Is Important and What You Need to Know appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

This article is all about activities to build classroom community!

In a rush? You can check out my Classroom Community Builders MEGABUNDLE on TPT right now:

This product may contain affiliate links. I make a small commission on products purchased through these links.

How To Build Classroom Community

There certainly isn’t one correct answer for how to build community in the classroom. But over the last 9 years of teaching, I’ve developed a way that works for me every time. When I start to think about my classroom community and the classroom culture I want to create, there are three pieces that I find to be the most important. Here’s my magic recipe if you want to learn more about how to build a classroom community:

1. Back to School Classroom Community Builders: Use classroom community builders that help students feel seen, included, and celebrated during first few weeks. 
2. Rules and Routines for Classroom Community: The way these are established are going to have a big impact on how we build classroom community as a group. 
3. Build Classroom Community with Kindness: Having explicit discussions around treating each other with kindness is important for establishing a positive classroom community. I find it’s helpful to revisit these conversations throughout the school year.

Let’s dive into each one of these and I’ll share some specific activities to build classroom community!

Back to School Classroom Community Builders

Back to school season is the perfect opportunity to think carefully about how to build community in the classroom. The activities you do during the first few weeks of school are an important part of setting the tone and helping students feel safe and happy in their new space. Here are some of my favorite activities to build classroom community during that back to school time:

First Day Feelings

Talking about our feelings on the first day of school can be especially helpful to start building classroom community. Starting a new school year is a lot to process! It’s always a good idea to have some first day of school activities that help students feel safe in their new classroom environment.

On an anchor chart, write or draw some different feeling emojis (happy, nervous, excited, sad, etc.). Lead your class in a discussion about how feelings are normal and everyone’s feelings are different. (“First Day Jitters” and “A Tiger Tail” are two great book choices to read with this activity)

Give every student a sticky note to write their name and let them put the sticky note on the anchor chart next to the feeling that they most identify with.

Heart Maps

Creating heart maps is another activity to build classroom community at the beginning of the year. Share with your class some things that are important to you in your life and add them to your heart map. Then have each student create their own heart map filled with the things that are most important to them. Displaying these can help students get to know each other, and it can help you learn about the passions and interests of your students.

Friend Scavenger Hunt

Make a checklist for students that includes items like “A classmate who has two younger siblings” or “Someone who has the same favorite color as you” or “Someone who went to a different school for kindergarten than you”.

Students then go around the classroom trying to find a student’s name to write next to every item on the list. This gets them walking around, meeting new people, and talking to each other! This is definitely one of my favorite activities to build classroom community!

You can snag this Find a Friend Scavenger Hunt for free right here!

Celebrating Names

Celebrating names is a wonderful way to help students get to know each other at the beginning of the year. Also, it provides an opportunity to promote inclusiveness and respect between students from different cultures. Reading the book “Your Name Is A Song” is one of my favorite activities to build classroom community. I love these bookmarks to go with it!

Reach for the Stars

If you are looking for a gorgeous bulletin board for the first week of school, look no further! This display celebrates the goals that students have, and helps establish a community of learners.

These resources and more are available in my First Week of School Activity Bundle!

Rules and Routines for Classroom Community

Establishing your classroom routines and rules is a key part of building classroom community. Every classroom needs routines and procedures to create a structure that children can learn and participate in. And of course, teaching classroom rules is a huge part of classroom management. Classroom rules help children feel safe. Therefore, introducing them thoroughly and revisiting them often is so important to build classroom community. Here are some of my favorite ways to introduce those oh-so-crucial classroom rules and routines!

Class Promise

First, Lead your students in a discussion about what a great class should look like, sound like, and feel like. Then, consolidate all of their ideas on an anchor chart. Finally, have children decorate a handprint, heart, or cutout person of themselves to go around the class promise, sealing everyone’s pledge to one another. I like to display the class promise in the classroom for the whole year, as a visual reminder of the classroom community we committed to.

Classroom Routine and Procedures Visuals

Providing clear visuals that students can refer to every single day is such a helpful way to reinforce your classroom routine and procedures. There are so many gorgeous classroom decor ideas out there to give you lots of inspiration for how you could do this in your own classroom!

For example, anchor charts are great activities to build classroom community because they involve the whole class and create a helpful visual.

Classroom Material Flipbook Craft

Crafts are another way to teach these important skills. Emphasizing care and respect for the classroom environment is an important part of building classroom community. This craft helps students learn how to care for their classroom materials.

Classroom Rules Flower

Crafts are great activities to build classroom community! This craft is a fun and engaging way to introduce your classroom rules. Each student contributes a square of paper with something they’re committed to trying. Then take all the squares of paper and put them together to make a class display. 

Classroom Map

Helping students students feel at home in their new classroom can help them feel like part of their classroom community. A classroom map can help students learn where everything is.

All these resources and more are included in my Routines and Procedures Activities Bundle!

Build Classroom Community with Kindness

Every year, I make sure that kindness is set as a standard for how we treat one another in the classroom. Encouraging kindness between students is hugely important if you want to build community in the classroom. Here are my favorite classroom community builders that really help to make kindness an everyday expectation.

Bucket Filler Chart

The book “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” provides a helpful metaphor for kids to understand the importance of how we treat one another. Reading this book can help inspire students to be a part of building classroom community by being a “bucket filler”.  Another fun activity idea is to have students brainstorm ways they can be a “bucket filler” at school and record them on an anchor chart.

WOW Word Wall

One of my favorite ways to build community in the classroom is by creating a WOW Word Wall. First, we talk about words that are important to our classroom community. Some examples might be “kind”, “respectful”, “helpful”, or “patient”. Then we post them on our WOW Word Wall. After that, I am constantly on the lookout for students exemplifying the words we discussed. Throughout the day, I take time to acknowledge what I noticed them doing, and then they get to place something special next to that word. You could use a sticker, or a star – I like to use these beautiful plastic butterflies. Later in the school year, I turn it over to the students, and they get to be the ones who acknowledge their classmates doing great things.

Kindness Chain

This is a fun and easy way to promote kindness in your classroom. Have a time during the day when students can share ways that their classmates were kind to them. For every kindness that gets shared, add a colored strip of paper to a paper chain. My class always loves to see how long the chain becomes!

Kindness Bingo

If you’re classroom community is needing some help, this can be a fun activity to get things back on track. Create a kindness bingo board with different acts of kindness in each square. As you notice students doing the activities, they get to color in a square on their bingo board. I like to make it a challenge to see if the whole class can reach a certain number of combined bingos so that it doesn’t become an individual competition.

Kindness Shout-Outs

Another fun way to build classroom community is to create a way for students to leave each other positive notes or messages. Shout-outs, positive notes, or compliments can be made available for students to fill out and give to other students. Some teachers even set up student mailboxes for these to be delivered! (Make sure to personally check notes before they are delivered to ensure that they stay positive.) 

To get your hands on these kindness crafts and resources, plus many more, check out my Kindness Activities Bundle!

I hope you now have lots of ideas for activities to build classroom community! Spending time with your students to build relationships and community is always worth it! 

Which activity are you excited to try out with your students? 
Xoxo 
Laura

Resources you may be interested in:

Other articles you may be interested in:

21 Amazing Ideas For Activities On the First Day of School

Week of Kindness

5 Must-Try Classroom Routine and Procedures Ideas

10 Powerful Community-Building Ideas

The post The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now appeared first on Love Grows Learning.