Building strong classroom routines is one of the most important things we do at the beginning of the year!
In first grade, there are SO many little questions throughout the day.
“What do I do next?”
“Where do I go?”
“What page are we on?”
“What do I need?”
And if we aren’t careful, we can spend the whole day repeating the same directions over and over again!
One classroom management tool that has made a huge difference in my classroom is using daily slides. They help my students know what to do, where to go, and what to expect throughout the day. Instead of asking me every question, students learn to check the board first!
In this post, I’m sharing how I use daily slides to build independent classroom routines, create smoother transitions, and save time all year long!
In this post you’ll learn:
- How I use daily slides to build classroom routines
- The daily slides I use throughout the school day
- How I teach students to use the board independently
- Why this classroom management system saves me time every day
Why Classroom Routines Matter in First Grade
The first few weeks of school are all about building routines. Every procedure, expectation, and transition takes practice, but the time you spend teaching them at the beginning of the year pays off for months to come!
When students know exactly what to do, they feel more confident and successful. They aren’t constantly waiting for directions or wondering what comes next. Instead, they can work more independently, which means fewer interruptions and smoother transitions throughout the day.
That’s why I try to make as many parts of our day as predictable as possible. Whether it’s our morning routine, center rotations, or dismissal, my students know where to find the information they need. Over time, checking the board simply becomes part of our classroom routine!
One simple system that has helped me build these classroom routines is using daily slides. They keep everyone on the same page and help my students become more independent every single day.
How Daily Slides Support Classroom Management Routines
My daily slides are much more than something to display on the board. They’re one of the classroom management tools I use every single day to help my students become more independent.
From the very beginning of the school year, I teach my students that the board is the first place they should look if they have a question. Need to know what we’re doing next? Check the board. Forgot what supplies you need? Check the board. Not sure which center you’re going to? Check the board!
Of course, this doesn’t happen overnight. During those first few weeks of school, I constantly remind my students to look at the board before asking me. The more we practice, the more it becomes a habit.
Before long, my students know exactly where to find the information they need without waiting for me to repeat directions. That means smoother transitions, fewer interruptions, and more time for learning!
What I Include on My Daily Slides
Over the years, my daily slides have changed quite a bit! I’ve continued adding pieces that help answer my students’ most common questions and keep our classroom routines running smoothly.
Here are some of the things I include on my daily slides:
Morning Routine
Our morning routine is one of the first classroom routines I teach at the beginning of the year. There are so many little things students need to remember when they walk in the door: unpacking backpacks, turning in folders, sharpening pencils, making a lunch choice, using the restroom, and getting started on morning work. That can feel like a lot for first graders!
Instead of repeating each step over and over again, I display our morning routine on the board. At the beginning of the year, we go over each step together and practice what it looks like and sounds like. I model the routine, and then students practice using the slide to help them remember what to do.
After a few days of practice, students begin walking in and checking the board on their own. This makes such a big difference! My students can start the day more independently, and I can focus on greeting students, checking folders, and taking care of all those little teacher tasks. Read more about our calm morning routine in 1st grade here!
Once my students are comfortable following our morning routine independently, I like to transition to using a morning message slide. Students still have the visual morning routine at the bottom of the slide as a reminder, but now they also get to read a short message from me each morning.
I love using the morning message to welcome my class, share reminders, ask a question, or give students a sneak peek at our day. It’s a simple way to build reading practice and classroom community while still reinforcing our morning routine.
Visual Schedule
Another part of my daily slides that I use every single day is our visual schedule. My students love knowing what’s coming next, and having our schedule displayed on the board helps answer so many of those little questions throughout the day.
We also go over our schedule together every morning during morning meeting. This gives students a chance to see what our day will look like, ask questions, and prepare for anything different in our routine. Then, throughout the day, they can refer back to the visual schedule whenever they need a reminder.
Instead of asking, “When is recess?” or “What are we doing next?” students can simply check the board! Over time, they learn to rely on the visual schedule instead of asking me, which helps build independence and keeps our classroom routines running smoothly.
Of course, things don’t always go exactly as planned! If our schedule changes because of an assembly, fire drill, or special event, it’s easy to update the slides so my students always know what to expect. I think this helps students feel more confident because there are fewer surprises throughout the day.
One of my favorite features is that I can use editable schedule icons to customize our day. Whether we’re following our regular routine or doing something special, my students always have a visual reminder of what’s happening next.
Learning Target
Displaying our learning target or objective is one of my favorite ways to start our daily lessons. It helps students understand what we are working on and gives us a simple goal to come back to throughout the lesson.
At the beginning of the lesson, we quickly read the learning target together and talk about what it means. Over time, students start to understand our learning goals and can even verbalize what they are working on!
On these slides, I also have an I Need section. This is where I can add picture icons to show students what materials they need for the lesson. For example, I might add a notebook and pencil so students know exactly what to get out before we begin.
This saves so much time! Instead of answering, “What do I need?” or “Do we need our notebooks?” students can look at the board and get ready independently.
Center Rotations
If you’ve been around Happy Hearts in 1st for a while, you probably know that my Center Rotation Slides are one of my favorite classroom management tools! I use them every day during guided math and literacy centers to help students know exactly where they should be.
Instead of calling out groups or answering, “What center am I in?” students simply look at the board. They can quickly find their group, see where they’re going next, and get started right away. This makes transitions so much smoother and helps students become more independent.
I also love using the built-in timers! Students can easily see how much time they have left, which helps keep everyone on track and makes transitions between centers much easier.
I use the same center rotation system during both literacy and math centers, so students already know exactly how it works no matter what subject we’re learning.
Teaching students to check the board before asking me questions has made such a difference during center time. Once they know the routine, they can move through their rotations with very little teacher direction, giving me more time to focus on my small groups.
If you’d like to learn more about how I organize our centers, check out my post about planning math centers.
Visual Directions
Another feature I use all the time is my Visual Directions Slides. Whenever my students are working independently, I display step-by-step directions on the board so they always know what to do.
Instead of repeating directions over and over again, I can simply say, “Check the board!” If a student forgets what to do next, they don’t have to wait for me to help them. They can look at the visual directions and keep working independently.
I especially love using these during centers, independent work, and small group time. Since I’m often working with a small group of students, it’s so helpful to know the rest of my class can refer back to the board if they need a reminder.
Just like the rest of my daily slides, I spend time teaching students how to use the visual directions at the beginning of the year. Before long, checking the board becomes a habit, and I find myself repeating directions much less often!
Transition Routines Slides
Smooth transitions can make or break your classroom management. One thing that’s helped my classroom so much is using transition slides with built-in timers. Instead of giving constant countdowns or reminders, students can see exactly how much time they have left and begin cleaning up when the timer ends.
We practice this routine during the first few weeks of school just like every other classroom routine. Before long, students know exactly what to do when the timer appears on the board. I don’t have to raise my voice or remind students to clean up because the slide does the work for me.
I use transition slides between centers, before lunch, after recess, and anytime we’re moving from one activity to another. Those predictable visual cues help our classroom run much more smoothly throughout the day.
Dismissal Routine
Dismissal can feel a little hectic in first grade! There are folders to pack, backpacks to grab, spaces to clean, and reminders to remember.
That’s why I display our dismissal routine on the board each afternoon. We practice the steps together at the beginning of the year, and before long, students can follow the routine independently.
Having a visual reminder helps dismissal feel calmer and smoother for everyone!
How I Teach Students Our Classroom Routines
One thing I always tell teachers is that simply displaying daily slides isn’t enough. Just like any classroom routine, students need to be taught how to use them!
One of my favorite tools for teaching these routines is my Back-to-School Procedure Slides. During the first few weeks of school, we use them to introduce each classroom routine, model what it looks like, and practice it together. From morning arrival to center time and dismissal, the slides give us a visual to refer back to as we build our classroom routines.
Taking the time to teach this routine at the beginning of the year has made such a difference in my classroom. My students become more independent, our transitions run more smoothly, and I spend much less time repeating directions throughout the day.
Keep Classroom Routines Fun All Year Long
One of my favorite things about using daily slides is that I can keep our classroom routines the same while changing the look throughout the year!
As the seasons change, I switch to matching seasonal slides for back to school, fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, winter, Valentine’s Day, spring, and more. My students always get excited to see the new designs, but because the layout stays the same, they still know exactly where to find our schedule, learning target, directions, and reminders.
It’s a simple way to keep our classroom feeling fresh and fun without having to reteach our classroom routines!
Why Daily Slides Are My Favorite Classroom Management Tool
Daily slides have made such a big difference in my classroom!
They help students know what to do, where to go, and what to expect throughout the day. Instead of answering the same questions over and over again, I can remind students to check the board.
This saves so much time during the day! It helps our transitions run more smoothly, gives students more independence, and makes our classroom routines feel more predictable.
And once students learn how to use the slides, the routine stays the same all year long. I can change the designs for different seasons or themes, but students still know exactly where to look and what to do.
If you’re looking for a simple way to strengthen your classroom routines this year, daily slides are such an easy place to start!
Ready to Build Independent Classroom Routines?
If you’re ready to create smoother classroom routines this school year, my Classroom Slides Bundle includes all of the daily slide resources I use every day in my first grade classroom all in one discounted bundle!
👉 Shop the Classroom Slides Bundle
Looking for Individual Classroom Routine Resources?
If you only need one part of my classroom management system, you can shop each resource individually below.
⭐️ Morning & Dismissal Routine Slides
⭐️ Visual Directions & Learning Target Slides
⭐️ Back-to-School Procedure Slides
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