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Behavior & Classroom Management

First-Week Routines Pack

The 12 routines you must establish in the first two weeks — entry, transitions, lining up, asking for help, finishing work, end of day. With explicit teaching scripts.

Checklist Kindergarten Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Free

Preview

First page preview of First-Week Routines Pack 📄 Open full PDF →

Page count: 6. Print-ready PDF — letter / A4 friendly. Click image to see all pages.

Learning objective

Set up and explicitly teach the routines that make the rest of the year run smoothly.

About this resource

  • Subject: Behavior & Classroom Management
  • Type: Checklist
  • Grade levels: Kindergarten (ages 4-6, ≈ Reception / Y1), Grade 1 (ages 6-7, ≈ Year 2), Grade 2 (ages 7-8, ≈ Year 3), Grade 3 (ages 8-9, ≈ Year 4), Grade 4 (ages 9-10, ≈ Year 5), Grade 5 (ages 10-11, ≈ Year 6), Grade 6 (ages 11-12, ≈ Year 7)
  • Pages: 6
  • Date added: 2026-09-01
  • Credit: Qualified primary teacher

Books on setting up routines and expectations

Convenience links if you'd like to look any of these up. We've recommended these books in the resource above.

Essential reading

Classroom supplies for routines

Disclosure: Links above go to Amazon. LessonKind may earn a small commission if you buy via these links — at no extra cost to you. We only link to books and items we already recommend in our resources. We are not paid by Amazon to recommend specific titles.

Part of these collections

Curated bundles where this resource appears alongside related ones.

Collection · 8 resources

Behavior Essentials Toolkit

Practical, ready-to-print resources covering the daily reality of classroom management — routines, restorative practice, de-escalation, calm-down strategies, and reflection templates. Built around what works, not what sounds good in training.

Read more about this

Articles that go deeper on the topic this resource covers.

First-year teaching · 7 min read

Five Mistakes I Made as a New Elementary Teacher

If I could go back and shake my first-year teacher self by the shoulders, here's what I'd say.

Classroom culture · 6 min read

Why Your Routines Matter More Than Your Lesson Plans

First-year teachers spend hours on lesson plans and almost no time on routines. The teachers whose classrooms run beautifully have it the other way around.

Classroom culture · 6 min read

The Most Important Week of the Year

Most teachers think the first week is for getting to know the children. The teachers whose classrooms run beautifully use it for something quite different.

Classroom culture · 5 min read

Five Minutes That Change the Day

A short, deliberate morning circle changes how the rest of the day runs. Here's why it works — and why teachers who skip it end up paying for it.

Teacher wellbeing · 7 min read

Why September Feels So Hard (And Why That's Normal)

Every teacher knows September is hard. Fewer know that October is harder, that November is the lowest point, and that the system more or less requires you to push through. Here's what to expect and how to survive it.

Behavior & classroom management · 8 min read

The First Two Weeks: The Behavior Foundation You Can't Build Later

Most teachers know the first two weeks matter. Few know how MUCH they matter, or what to do with them. The behavior of your class in June is largely determined by what you do — or fail to do — in September.

First-year teaching · 7 min read

What They Don't Tell You in Teacher Training

Teacher training prepares you for lesson planning. It does not prepare you for what your first term as a class teacher actually feels like. Here's the honest version.

First-year teaching · 6 min read

The First Week of School (and How Not to Wreck It)

The first week of school sets the tone for the entire year. Most NQTs spend it doing the wrong things. Here's what experienced teachers prioritise.

First-year teaching · 5 min read

Managing the Class You Inherited

Inheriting a class with established habits — good and bad — is harder than starting fresh. Here's how to reset without blaming the previous teacher.

Classroom culture · 5 min read

The Classroom Rules Paradox

Many classrooms have detailed rules covering every situation. The research suggests this approach actively backfires. Here's what works instead.

First-year teaching · 6 min read

Working With Your Teaching Assistant

Your teaching assistant is in the room with you every day. How you work together determines what kind of room it is. Most teacher training says almost nothing about this — here's what actually helps.

First-year teaching · 6 min read

The ECT Induction: What Actually Matters in Your First Two Years

The ECT induction (formerly NQT) spans two years, involves formal observations, mentor meetings, and a mountain of paperwork. Here's what actually matters and what you can let go of.

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