The beginning of the year is SUCH a fun and exciting time. We have fresh supplies, clean classrooms, new books for our library, fresh notebooks for our students, sometimes even new furniture.. and GRAND ideas of how our classroom is going to be run. HOWEVER, this year, and ALL years, CLEANLINESS needs to be top of mind for the classroom.

Guide to keeping a clean elementary school classroom.

Below I outline 5 steps to set our students and ourselves up for CLEANLINESS success this year:

1. Set EXPLICIT expectations for ALL classroom furniture

Flexible seating expectations for elementary students.

Looking for a quick (and editable) flexible seating expectation set? Snag what I use here and or click here to read more about how I set up flexible seating in my classroom.

2. Set CLEAR expectations for ALL supplies

Snag this EDITABLE classroom supply expectation chart set here.

3. Set ROUTINES for all activities including using the bathroom, washing hands, entering/exiting the classroom.

For example: Bathroom Routine:

You can even attach this to your bathroom pass as a constant reminder for students.

It might seem excessive, but it will pay off in the long run! For younger students, add images or keep your directions more simple.

4. Attend to SOCIAL EMOTIONAL needs.

Morning Meeting to boost social emotional learning in the elementary classroom.

5. Set aside time for cleaning each day.

For example:

You should also have a daily list:

But most importantly.. students need TIME to do this. If you want it to be a priority, you have to make time for them to be successful. You will also need to provide tools for students to be successful. This might mean making sure students have plenty of Clorox Wipes or whatever cleaning supplies your school allows.

What are you implementing to make sure your students are successful in cleanliness this year?

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