Teaching young children the procedures and routines of the classroom is important for a safe and (less) chaotic environment. The benefits of implementing visual procedure cards are huge.
To get the most out of visual procedure cards, first…
* Learn why they are important, then…
Now, get some A+ tips for implementing visual classroom procedure cards.
You can use pre-made procedure cards or create your own by taking pictures of the steps in each routine. Either way, these tips will help you make the most of the cards you created.
TIP 1: Print your procedure cards at 25% or 4 pages to a sheet. This will make small cards that you can make into procedure strips for individual students. These work great to carry around too. Attach them to a retractable lanyard or put them in a teacher apron pouch. That way you can pull out the procedure you need no matter where you are.
TIP 2: Use velcro pieces. Add velcro to the back of the procedure cards and to a piece of sturdy card stock. Children can take off the procedure as it is finished. Pro tip* label the cards with numbers so you know what order to put them back in when re-assembling.
TIP 3: Laminate and cross off. Laminate the procedure strip and allow a student to use a dry erase marker to cross off the steps. This works particularly well when using individual (smaller sized) procedure strips.
TIP 4: Make the cards into a book (see the video above). Place in an old cheap photo album or staple together the procedure cards to make a procedure book.
TIP 5: Use the cards as a sequencing activity. Use the activity during small group to help reinforce particular procedures.
TIP 6: Make the cards larger by using the ‘poster’ option when printing. Larger cards/strips make it easier for more students to see at once. This works particularly good for whole group procedures like sitting at the carpet, lining up or lunch time.
TIP 7: Add songs. Your auditory learners will thank you. Make up a song or use the songs provided in my Classroom Procedure Cards pack.
TIP 8: Add movement. Teach children movements that they can do that go along with the procedure steps. Add the song in and you have procedures for visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners! This is particularly helpful for procedures that children are struggling to grasp.
Don’t you just love when something in the classroom can be used in more than one way? Yeah, me too!
Have you made your classroom procedures cards yet?
