As an early education teacher, setting clear rules, procedures, and expectations in your classroom is critical. It’s important to dedicate the first few weeks of school to explaining, modeling, and practicing these rules and procedures repeatedly. To assist in this initial explanation and implementation of your class rules, consider using these Books To Teach Rules To Your Little Learners.
1st Day of School
The first day of kindergarten is full of firsts. Get out your many “1st day of kindergarten” books and read to your students. Not only will they enjoy this, but they will begin to learn the rules of sitting and listening as a whole group. (Here is a list of 1st week Books.)
2nd Day
On the second day, I dive into teaching rules and procedures with a special book as the center of attention. Using a book seems to help little learners understand and remember the rules better, and it gives them a chance to revisit the story again when they come across it in the class library. One of my go-to books for this lesson is “Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen.”
This book is just one of many that can help teach little learners the significance of following rules at school. Here are three book suggestions that also highlight the importance of school rules.
Following a discussion on what rules are and reading books that explore the concept of rules, we create an anchor chart that outlines the rules for our classroom and school. (Anchor Charts For Kindergarten)
Friends
Next topic I liked to focus on is Friends. Kindergartners often need instruction and tips for making and maintaining friendships. These three books are a great place to start teaching these social skills.
Interrupting
One of the most valuable lessons to impart to kindergarteners is the importance of not interrupting or blurting out during class. This can be especially difficult for students who are new to the school experience. A book that is an absolute must-have for teaching this rule is “My Mouth is a Volcano!” Little learners adore this book and I always found it in someone’s book bin, as they re-read it! And if blurting out becomes a reoccurring problem, or you have an influx of new students, just re-read this book to remind your students. They will love it!!!
Tattling
Tattling is a frequent problem in kindergarten classrooms, but it’s essential to nip it in the bud early on. To combat this issue at the start of the school year, I highly recommend the book “A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue.” It’s the perfect resource for tackling this problem and creating a positive classroom environment.
Bullying
Bullying is a prevalent issue in not only schools but society at large. While it’s essential to take action, it’s crucial to tread lightly on this sensitive topic. Sometimes, addressing the problem can bring more attention to it, causing more people to become upset.
To prevent bullying, I suggest reading Mean Jean The Recess Queen in the first week of class as a reminder that everyone is equal and that you can play with anyone you want. This is an opportunity to discuss friendship and the importance of using kind words with our classmates.
In education, there are numerous social issues that require addressing and teaching in the classroom. If you’re looking for more books to help teach your little learners about rules and procedures, check out my previous post “Books to Teach Rules and Procedures” for a wide selection of books.
I hope this list of my favorite books helps kickstart your new school year. To ensure a successful kindergarten experience, it’s important to establish clear expectations and model rules and procedures during the initial two weeks of school. Keep these books in your classroom library, so your students can refer back to them throughout the year.
