Be Positive with Behavior Beads

Hello teaching friends! I'm Courtney from Polka Dot Lesson Plans. 

Are you looking to try something new for your behavior management system? Don't have a lot of time or money to spend on yet another system to manage and maintain? I might have just what you're looking for! 

This year I started using Behavior Beads in my first grade classroom and it has been wonderful! I love how it helps me create a positive atmosphere! 

I tried a few behavior management systems and nothing seemed to really work with my style of teaching. I like to keep my focus on the positive behaviors and I like something simple and easy to maintain. This summer I came across the behavior bead idea while I was rereading The Cornerstone for Teachers by Angela Watson. If you'd like to read about her original idea you can click here. 

Here is a quick run down of how it works in my room. Each student has a pipe cleaner they keep in the tray on their desk. Whenever a student makes a good choice, follows directions, helps out a friend, or gives an amazing answer I give them a bead. They are responsible for keeping up with the beads. They know I will not replace a bead they have lost, so no one in messing with them during class. 

On Friday afternoons the students trade in their beads for Fun Friday. Students need to have at least 6 beads to participate. Anything over six beads is icing on the cake because the kid with the most beads at the end of the week picks their Fun Friday station first! 

Click the picture if you'd like a free copy of these station cards! 

So what is Fun Friday? I have eight different stations the students can pick from. Only three students can go to a station and the student with the most beads picks his or her station first, so that makes for some great motivation to earn as many beads a possible. 

Students turn in their beads and take a clothespin from the station they want that day. They are responsible for getting the materials out, cleaning up, and putting them away properly. If the rules aren't followed at a station or things are left messy, I close it the following week to let students know they have to earn these privileges. 

This behavior management system is fantastic because it focuses on the positive! It is a reward for those who follow the rules and do as I'm asking. Not to mention the fact that it is basically free. I paid $3 for the beads, pipe cleaners, and clothespins at the Dollar Tree and that'll last me through the entire year. I set up the stations using things I already had. The students are just as happy with this reward as they are with a toy or candy at the end of the week.