Behavior Management Strategies - Pull-a-Card System

{Empowering students to take responsibility for their behavioral choices and fostering independence in the classroom are two effective management techniques that help reduce behavioral interruptions and maximize your instruction/small group time!

While clear, concise expectations and consistent classroom procedures are important to reaching these goals, many educators also employ a behavior management system.

Here's a look at several common behavior management systems...}

Pull-a-Card System

Like the clip-chart system, this behavior management method focuses on the behavior of each individual student. At the beginning of each day, all student pockets display the same card - green, indicating that the student demonstrates appropriate behavior, follows class rules, and is ready to learn! However, the color of their card can change throughout the day based on each child's behavioral choices. Students who show exceptional behavior are recognized for making good decisions and are asked to flip their card to purple. This is a great accomplishment and is usually reserved for students who are observed going above and beyond to help another classmate, have completed exceptional work, etc. For those students who are having a difficult time following directions, their card will be changed to yellow and, if necessary, red.

Paired with a behavior chart on which students track their color at the end of each day to share with parents or a weekly behavior communication home that praises students for a job well done and/or explains the occurrence of a yellow or red card {see example below}, you can keep parents in the loop about student behavior and get support from home.

Like the clip-chart system, check out these adorable classroom adaptations...

Monkey Themed Pull-a-Card System via A Cupcake for the Teacher

Crayon Themed Pull-a-Card System via Art with Mr. E

While there are sure to be pros and cons to each behavior management system {or to having a behavior management system at all!}, the flip-a-card system invites students to take responsibility for their own behavioral choices, advocates a learning environment that is conducive to learning, and offers a great segue for parent support in behavior and character building!