Grades K–1
Safe or Not Safe?
A cut-and-sort for K and 1st grade: twelve school choices, like walking in the hall or climbing on desks, sorted into safe and not safe.
Classroom management printable · Classroom rules and expectations
Why Do We Have Rules?
A thinking page about why rules matter: rules in three places, what would happen with no rules, and a drawing of a rule that keeps us safe.
- Grade level
- Grades 1–3
- Time
- About 15 minutes
- Answer key
- Not needed: answers vary
- Kids practice
- Classroom expectations, Safe and kind choices, Shared responsibility, Problem solving
What kids do
“Think about rules at school, at home and in the world. Answer the questions and draw a rule that keeps people safe.”
Printed on the sheet:
- A rule in the community
- What might happen at recess if there were no rules?
- Why is this rule important?
Teacher tip
Play a quick game with no rules, then talk about what went wrong.
How to use it
- Write the rules together in the first weeks of school so kids own them.
- Keep rules short and positive: say what to do, not what not to do.
- Introduce the sheet once, model it, then make it part of a routine so kids know what to expect.
Watch for
Too many rules. Keep the list to three to five that cover most situations.
Talk about it
- How do rules help everyone learn?
- What is one thing that went well this week?
Take it further
Make a class book or poster of the rules and post it where everyone can see it.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More classroom rules and expectations worksheets
Grades 2–4
Class Rules Quiz
Eight multiple-choice classroom situations, from a broken pencil during a test to a friend talking at story time, to check that the rules make sense.
Grades 2–5
Tablet and Computer Rules
Classroom device expectations for tablets and laptops: carrying, charging, safe sites, kind messages and passwords, with a student promise to sign.
Grades K–5
Indoor Recess Expectations
A poster for rainy days: what indoor recess looks like, sounds like and where things go, plus the clean-up signal and your own choices list.
Free for teachers
Get the free Classroom Drawing Kit
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