In my classroom, classroom jobs for students are an absolute must! It is one of my favorite classroom management strategies that work.
Students love having a job to take care of each day. They take responsibility for their classroom jobs and, most importantly, put in a reasonable effort with some guidance. Classroom jobs help students build leadership skills by being helpers.
Spend time during the first week or two of the school year introducing each of our classroom jobs. Here’s why spending time on that is so important. Discuss what each job entails, what it looks like to do a “good” and “bad” job, and practice.
Once ready, assign each student to a job. Some classroom jobs take only one person, and others take a few. Remember to review expectations frequently and switch things up if you feel kids getting bored or needing a refresher.
The easiest method to organize and manage my job system quickly and efficiently has been using popsicle sticks and library pockets.
To do this, write each student’s name on a stick and place their stick inside the library pocket. Label each library pocket with a job and post them on the wall in a classroom job display or bulletin board. You could add a photo of your students at the end of the sticks for a cute display!
Rotate student jobs every two weeks instead of one. They need some time to get good at the job before moving on, and they also seem ready after two weeks for a change. This way, kids can try each job at least once or twice throughout the school year. However, some people prefer to change jobs every month or two. This is up to you and what works for your class!
We change the jobs together as a class so that they can remember which new job is theirs. As I call out each job, I ask students to give me a thumbs up if they know what their job is and a thumbs down if they need me to remind them what to do for that job. I monitor that first day closely to see if students need extra support getting started and understanding the expectations.
I like to include many different jobs that students can do independently with some practice. Some of our favorite jobs are Teacher Assistant, Messenger, Chair Helper, and Pencil Monitor. Get creative! You can even ask students what jobs are needed in the classroom. Combine their ideas and your own to create a functional job system that suits your needs.
Here are 25 classroom job ideas to get you started.
Which would you include in your classroom job system? Try to keep in mind the jobs that kids can complete with little direction and reminders. Shoot for fun jobs that kids will enjoy and take pride in completing!
Teach your students to be responsible and complement your classroom management routine with this Editable Classroom Helper System with 50 classroom jobs. This classroom job resource includes a variety of posters, activities, tools, and ways to set up to help you develop a well-rounded job routine.
Use this resource in your classroom management system to teach responsibility. It allows your students to pick and choose which jobs they would like to do, write about why they would be the best fit for the position, and learn how to complete a job with the included job checklists.
The best part? This resource saves you time as the job boards are easy to set up. This resource includes everything you’d need to set up a leadership system! Create a bulletin board display, set up in a pocket chart, or use library pockets wherever you have space to get your new job chart up and running.
Find all your classroom management essentials with the Class Management bundle. It includes eight engaging resources that kids will love!
Try the FREE job applications and Hired Cards to get started.
Use the job application and hired cards to encourage kids to express why they would make a good fit for a specific job and to express their commitment. They will love receiving a hired card with their new job!
Click the image below to get the free templates.
Try the Classroom Management Bundle by Proud to be Primary to make teaching in the classroom easier. It includes eight different classroom management resources to help you create the ideal environment in the primary classroom.
It has everything you need to make your management plan the best it needs to be. Use the printable rewards, classroom jobs, schedule, and more to decorate the room and keep kids on task.
Find 8 of the Proud to be Primary Classroom Management resources inside this big bundle:
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