By Kate Zuritsky | 08/14/2025
When you think of preschool classroom management, chaos might immediately come to mind. However, effective classroom management isn’t just about crowd control, tidying up, or adjusting the noise level. It’s about creating structures, building predictable routines, and rewarding positive behavior in a way that feels safe and encouraging for children.
“Classroom management strategies are foundational to all learning that occurs in school,” explains Kathleen L. Mangeri, a licensed professional counselor and Department Chair of the Human Development and Family Studies Program at American Military University (AMU). “But it is particularly important in an early childhood setting as preschool may be the child’s first formal encounter with education.”
Whether you’re already teaching a preschool class or currently working toward your early childhood education degree, it’s essential to learn how to manage your classroom. From creating engaging lessons to handling disruptive behavior, instituting strong preschool classroom management strategies can make or break your lessons.
What Is Preschool Classroom Management?
What is preschool classroom management, exactly? It refers to the classroom routines and strategies that preschool teachers use to create structure, guide behavior, and keep their students inspired to learn.
“The importance of daily routines, rules, and classroom structure cannot be overstated, as they play a critical role in early childhood classroom management,” says Mangeri. “They are vital for creating a productive learning environment as well as promoting social and emotional growth and development.”
Mangeri adds, “It is important to remember that preschoolers are still developing socially and emotionally. They are still learning what is appropriate behavior as well as what is expected of them in this new setting. As a teacher, you are continually guiding their behavior.”
According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), positive guidance is key to building strong teacher-child relationships and creating meaningful, effective classroom interactions.
For preschool teachers, classroom management includes:
- Establishing clear rules and routines that children can understand and follow
- Creating a predicable environment where children can feel safe, secure, and supported
- Using positive guidance and visual cues to encourage good behaviors
- Promoting social-emotional learning so children learn how to resolve conflicts, express emotions, and get along better with peers
- Minimizing disruptions while encouraging curiosity and exploration
A well-managed classroom is more than just quieting rowdy children and using class rules to keep order. It’s about teaching children how to follow directions, take part in group projects and activities, and interact with classmates with respect and kindness.
The goal behind good classroom management isn’t just behavior control. It’s to build the social and emotional skills children will need in school and adulthood.
Preschool Classroom Management Strategies Start with Building Strong Relationships
According to Mangeri, good preschool classroom management starts with building strong relationships – not just with preschool students, but with their families, too. These connections are the foundations for effective learning and help create a supportive environment where children grow socially, emotionally, and academically.
“Take the time to get to know and to build relationships with each student in your class, as well as their parents,” Mangeri advises. She explains that the better you understand your students’ temperaments, strengths and struggles, the easier it’ll be to navigate tricky situations in class.
“If they’re comfortable with you and feel safe, then when they are hiding under a table because they are having a bad day, you will have the foundation of a relationship to help talk them out from underneath,” Mangeri says. “The bonding between a teacher and student can be instrumental in overcoming anything from small frustrations to major meltdowns.”
7 Preschool Classroom Management Tips for Preschool Teachers
Preschool teachers have one of the most rewarding and fulfilling roles in education, but managing a classroom full of energized young children comes with its own set of challenges. That’s why creating a structured and supportive learning environment not only leaves a lasting positive impact on your preschool students, but it also helps you manage your classroom with greater ease and confidence.
“Establishing a relationship with each child is a key classroom management strategy,” advises Mangeri. “That means getting to know them, their temperament, their strengths as well as their weaknesses. Having a strong teacher-student bond can be one of the most effective tools in the classroom management tool bag, especially when challenging behaviors arise.”
If you’re wondering how to handle common preschool classroom challenges – and prevent disruptions before they begin – there are seven preschool classroom management tips that can make teacher life easier:
- Use positive reinforcement and guidance
- Establish clear and consistent classroom routines
- Create and implement preschool rules
- Set up a classroom structure that promotes growth
- Support inclusion and special education needs
- Manage large classes with diverse learners
- Plan fun and engaging activities
Tip #1: Use Positive Reinforcement and Guidance
To reinforce and encourage positive behaviors, teachers can use stickers, verbal praise, or small treats as rewards. These rewards are known as positive reinforcement – presenting a student with something they love right after that student displays good behavior.
But positive reinforcement is just one part of a broader strategy known as positive guidance, according to Mangeri. “Positive guidance focuses on teaching children appropriate behavior while helping them to develop self-regulation as well as social-emotional skills,” Mangeri explains.
“It does not focus on punishment. Instead, the teacher role models appropriate behavior, provides encouragement for when improvement is needed, and works to acknowledge the child’s feelings while helping them to learn to express their emotions appropriately,” she continues.
In addition to positive reinforcement, positive guidance includes techniques that focus on developing social and emotional skills to help children deal with different situations. “It is especially important as emotional regulation continues to develop through the preschool years,” Mangeri advises.
Together, these classroom management strategies help build a well-managed classroom where behavior and conflict resolution are taught and not just punished.
Tip #2: Establish Clear and Consistent Classroom Routines
“Another effective strategy is to establish clear and consistent classroom routines,” says Mangeri. “Routines help children learn what is expected of them and gives them a sense of what is coming next.”
Predictability builds confidence. When a daily schedule is consistent and familiar, students feel safer and more secure in their classroom environment. Over time, routines give children a stronger sense of independence and reduce anxiety about what is next.
Once preschool kids get used to routines and no longer need to rely on a visual schedule, they’ll begin to feel a sense of relief and may view their classroom as a safe space.
As Mangeri explains, routines give students a “sense of control over their class environment.” When you’ve created an environment where students feel safe and supported, they’ll be even more excited to learn and engage in class.
When creating a classroom routine, it’s important to make sure the time spent on each activity is appropriate for their age. Preschool kids can become antsy or bored quickly if things drag out for too long.
As Mangeri notes, “While the routine may include designated activities at specific times, time should also be allotted for free choice of activities where children can choose for themselves the activities in which they want to engage.”
Tip #3: Create and Implement Preschool Rules
Preschool rules and effective classroom management go together. The rules set clear expectations for how students are expected to demonstrate good behavior, interact with other kids, and participate in learning activities.
“Rules should be stated as simply as possible, using words that children are familiar with and understand,” explains Mangeri. “The rules should be simple, easy to remember, and positively stated. Displaying visual images of the classroom rules is ideal.”
When you set rules, you’re really creating guidelines for how your students should treat one another and function in small groups and the community. Clear, consistent rules give young children structure and help them understand not just how to behave in the classroom and in the community, but why it matters.
“Each day should start with a reminder of the rules as well as frequent reminders throughout the day to reinforce the rules,” states Mangeri. “A developmentally appropriate number of rules for this age group is 3 to 5.”
Some common examples of preschool rules may include being kind to their friends, keeping the classroom organized, and listening to the teacher. Following these rules helps build a positive and respectful environment.
“When a child is observed breaking a classroom rule, they should be reminded of the class rules and redirected to act in a manner that is consistent with those rules,” adds Mangeri. “Rules are most effective when they are consistently enforced and reinforced throughout the day.”
Tip #4: Set Up a Classroom Structure That Promotes Growth
Effective classroom management strategies also include making sure your preschool classroom is set up for success. As Mangeri explains, “Classroom structure also plays an integral part in classroom management. Preschool classroom structure facilitates developmental growth, learning, and appropriate behavior. How the classroom is arranged and organized can set the tone.”
Research shows that students learn better when they’re taught in a carefully structured and organized learning environment. Ideally, you want to make sure your preschool classroom management ideas support focus, spark creativity, and promote good behavior.
For example, when you create designated areas with bean bags for picture books, art, and free time, it helps reduce distractions. It also provides students with a space to regroup and recharge throughout the day.
“Quiet centers should be located away from active centers. A calm-down corner should be included somewhere in the classroom structure,” says Mangeri. “It should be a quiet place where your students can practice self-regulation and calm their emotions.”
Keeping classroom supplies neatly organized and easily accessible not only promotes student independence but also encourages active listening, helping to minimize chaos and confusion. “Shelving should be easily accessible and well organized. Open bins and other containers allow children to see what materials are available to them,” explains Mangeri.
“Early childhood classroom materials should be considered part of the classroom structure and offer a wide range of activities,” Mangeri adds. “The materials selected for the classroom should be open-ended to allow for diverse learning, imaginative play, and maximize growth and development.”
Tip #5: Support Inclusion and Special Education Needs
Today, inclusivity isn’t just a buzzword, but a way of living. Make sure that your classroom environment, daily schedule, and teaching methods support students with special education needs. For teachers, that means finding flexible, responsible ways to support every child’s individual learning style, social skills, and emotional needs.
“As a result of inclusion, more and more students with special needs will be learning alongside their peers in the preschool classroom. It is a good practice to individualize learning as best as possible for all children,” advises Mangeri.
“That may mean breaking tasks into smaller steps, providing a quiet space in the classroom where an overwhelmed child can take a few minutes to regroup, or simply remaining near a student who is having difficulty focusing on a task,” she continues.
Incorporating sensory activities can also help students regulate their emotions and stay engaged. These activities are especially helpful for children who become easily overstimulated or have difficulty with the traditional learning process.
According to Mangeri, “The solutions to working with children with special needs should be as diverse as the individual. The key is to understand what their unique needs may be and to meet those needs in the best possible way.”
Tip #6: Manage Large Classes with Diverse Learners
Managing a large preschool class means meeting a wide range of learning needs – and that starts with recognizing that all students learn differently. According to Mangeri, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an effective strategy that helps make lessons accessible and engaging for all students.
“Even though a classroom may be large, it is still important to identify the individual needs of each child and to meet those individual needs as best as possible,” she explains.
UDL encourages teachers to present concepts in multiple ways, such as auditory, visual, and hands-on, to reach different learning styles. Small groups allow teachers to create more effective lesson plans and tailor activities specific to students with different learning styles or language barriers, making directions and expectations easier to understand.
While this approach may take more coordination and administrative tasks like tracking progress or organizing group schedules, it leads to fewer behavior issues and better outcomes for students and teachers.
Tip #7: Plan Fun and Engaging Activities
A top preschool classroom management strategy is to remember that your preschoolers are still little kids. Play is an important learning strategy, so activities need to be fun and engaging.
In your class schedule, include activities like singing songs, playing games, or gathering for circle time. These moments give children a chance to connect with each other, release their energy, and reset their attention spans.
The B.A. in Human Development and Family Studies at AMU
Figuring out the best preschool classroom management strategies doesn’t have to be a guessing game. AMU is committed to helping future educators build the skills they’ll need as educators and improve their professional development through the online Bachelor of Arts in Human Development and Family Studies.
“Our bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies offers coursework in child development and classroom management tips. It provides a clear understanding of the social and emotional development that occurs in children, which is key to managing the preschool classroom,” says Mangeri.
For more details about this degree, visit AMU’s education degree program page.
Note: This program does not award professional licensure and does not qualify you to apply for teaching licensure. This program may be helpful in preparing to earn certain professional certifications.
Also, individual states/professional organizations often require additional hands-on training, internships, or site visits not provided by our University. It is your responsibility to become familiar with all licensure/certification requirements in the state in which you plan to seek employment or from the certification body.