Behavior Expectations and Think Sheet for Elementary Classrooms

The first few weeks of kindergarten are crucial for teaching behavior expectations and setting the stage for a structured, positive classroom all year long.
Young learners thrive when they know what’s expected of them. That’s why it’s so important to explicitly teach, model, and reinforce classroom behaviors through hands-on activities, discussions, and visual supports.
One of my favorite ways to do this? Good and bad choices activities, behavior sorts, and reflection sheets!

How to Set Up Behavior Expectations in Kindergarten

During the first weeks of school, I spend a lot of time teaching classroom expectations. Here’s what works best:
✅ Whole-group behavior sorts – Students decide whether actions are good or bad choices.
✅ Classroom discussions – We talk about why certain behaviors are helpful or disruptive.
✅ Visual supports & hands-on activities – These make behavior expectations clear and engaging!
💡 Pro Tip: These activities aren’t just for the start of the year—they work great as a mid-year refresher when students need a reminder!

Good and Bad Choices Activities

One effective activity that we do is are behavior sort where students:

🟢 Identify if an action is a good or bad choice
🟢 Sort good and bad choices independently (Grab the freebie at the end of this post!)

🟢 Illustrate or write about positive behavior
🟢 Color an emergent reader that reinforces classroom expectations

These emergent readers also double as coloring pages—a fun, low-prep way to reinforce classroom rules!

Encouraging Positive Behavior with Visual Supports

To help students stay focused and motivated, I use visual posters in my classroom.

🎯 Ways to Use Them:
✔ Choose one expectation per week and display it as a focus point
✔ Turn it into a game – Reward students for meeting expectations a certain number of times- I have included little certificates that can be given out to reinforce the behavior when you see it in student. 

✔ Pair with behavior reflection sheets to reinforce accountability

Holding Students Accountable: Visual Think Sheets

Teaching expectations is only the first step—holding students accountable helps them truly internalize positive behavior.
That’s why I use visual think sheets that are:
✔ Perfect for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Special Ed students
✔ Designed to encourage self-reflection
✔ Great for parent communication and documentation
These picture-supported think sheets make it easy for early learners to process their choices. Students simply color what they did and a better choice they can make next time.

Cool Down Strategies for Self-Regulation

Some students need extra support to manage their emotions and behaviors. Posting cool-down strategies in your classroom gives students healthy ways to calm down before acting out.

Ideas include:
🌀 Deep breathing exercises
🎵 Listening to soft music
🖍️ Drawing or coloring
🪑 Sitting in a quiet space

Grab These Behavior Management Resources!

🚀 Want to make behavior management easier? Get these resources today!

📌 Find the full Behavior Think Sheets and Activities in my TPT store:
👉 Visual Think Sheets and Behavior Sorts

🎉 Get your FREE Good and Bad Choices Student Sort here:
👉 Download the Freebie

By consistently teaching, modeling, and reinforcing kindergarten behavior expectations, you can create a structured, positive, and engaged classroom all year long!

💬 What’s your favorite way to teach behavior expectations? Drop a comment below!