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Kids love to be helpers, so give them amazing classroom jobs for students that will build responsibility and make your teaching life in the classroom easier.
Classroom Jobs for Students in the Classroom
Consider a world where your classroom runs without students helping out. Sounds pretty tiring, doesn’t it? If your students are anything like mine, they love to help in any way possible.
Assigning classroom jobs to students helps them learn about responsibility and being part of the community. The entire class thrives when meaningful classroom jobs are given to students, and they are encouraged to be contributing members of the classroom. I hope you will find ideas helpful as you implement and improve your classroom job system.
Keep reading to hear ideas to help your classroom run smoothly, improve classroom management, and boost responsibility.
How Classroom Jobs Help Build Responsibility
Kids love having responsibilities in the classroom that make them feel like part of a community. When each child gets a chance to be responsible for a critical classroom job, they feel a sense of pride as they complete that task. Think about a time when you helped someone and how good it made you feel.
Kids thrive on having a purpose, even if it’s as simple as turning the lights on and off as they exit the classroom. They are honored to hold that responsibility in their hands.
Students will enjoy taking turns playing a part in helping the classroom run like a well-oiled machine. From this, they’ll learn about being responsible citizens, and things will run smoothly in the classroom so you can do your job: teach!
What to Teach Kids Before They Start Helping
Before kids begin their roles as classroom helpers, you will want to show them how to complete each job and what steps to follow. Some classroom jobs may be self-explanatory, while others may need more direction.
Something to touch on before you let kids begin their jobs is that not all students may have a job. Depending on how you set things up, some students may have to wait a week or so before they receive a job.
Some classrooms may have students performing their jobs for a week, while others may switch things up daily or monthly. You must determine what works best for your students and explain the process.
It may be helpful to model what it looks like to do a “good” and “bad” job with each task. Kids love seeing these things in action and will understand the expectations better when they know what they should look like.
Remind students that all jobs, no matter how big or small, are extremely important to make the classroom run. Class jobs are not to be taken lightly and help the teacher immensely! Encourage them to do their best at their jobs and to be responsible with them.
How to Set Up a Classroom Job System
There are many ways you can set up your classroom jobs, but here are some ideas to get you started:
Wall Set-Up with Popsicle Sticks & Library Pockets
Attach job cards to library pockets. Attach a number card to popsicle sticks and place them in library pockets to assign jobs to students. This is an easy way to rotate jobs daily or weekly. Plus, it’s also a space saver!
Bulletin Board Classroom Job Display
Create a bulletin board using your job headers, posters, and job cards. Assign students to jobs by putting their names on the laminated cards. Pin up their name, numbers, or pictures to assign jobs.
Pocket Chart Job Display
Use a pocket chart and have students place their name cards or numbers next to their classroom job cards. This is another quick and easy way to rotate jobs as needed.
Fun Classroom Jobs for Students
When considering which jobs to use in your classroom, think about which will be the most helpful and which you know you will need completed often. Think about jobs that will be a good fit for your classroom atmosphere and your students.
Here are some great options for classroom jobs:
- Line Leader: This student walks in the front of the line and shows the rest of the line how they should behave in the halls.
- Caboose: This student walks at the end of the line and watches the rest of the line to make sure they are walking nicely.
- Calendar Helper: This student puts up the new days on the calendar and manages all aspects of the calendar.
- Librarian: This student organizes the books in the classroom library, puts books back into the correct bins, and picks up any books off the floor.
- Tech Support: This student supervises computers when in use. They also help classmates log into their accounts and plugs in technology to charge at the end of the day.
- First Aid Helper: This student is responsible for carrying the first aid kit to the playground and lunchroom. They also pass out supplies as needed.
- Attendance Helper: This student reports how many students are present to the teacher and counts absent classmates.
- Chair Monitor: This student is especially helpful when chairs need to be pushed in or stacked on tables at the end of the day.
- Door Holder: This student holds the door when entering or exiting a room or building.
- Bathroom Monitors: These students ensure kids are doing their job in the bathroom so everyone can use the restroom quickly and return to class.
Classroom jobs for students are a fantastic way to build classroom community and practice responsibility. Students will realize that even when they aren’t home, we have to take care of the environments we are in. It takes a village. They will come to love taking care of their classroom as they try out new jobs and work together as a team.
Classroom Job Chart & System
I created a resource with 50 different classroom jobs that can be used throughout the year. This resource comes with various posters and headers to make your classroom job display, job checklists, and explanation cards to teach students how to do each job.
To make things even more fun, you may enjoy having the kids apply for their new job using a job application. This is a great way to let students pick the jobs they want to perform and practice writing skills and persuasion. The writing prompts will get them started as they brainstorm why they would be a great fit for the job in question.
The 50 editable job choices build student responsibility and are great for a lower elementary classroom.
Free Job Application & Hired Cards
Try the FREE job applications and Hired Cards to get started.
Use the job application and hired cards to encourage kids to express why they would make a good fit for a certain job and to express their commitment. They will love receiving a hired card with their new job!
Click the image below to get the free templates.
More Classroom Management Ideas
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