Top 5 Routines

Top 5 Routines Planning Template

A Teacher-Friendly Planning Tool to Start the Year Strong

Top 5 Routines Planning Template
Help teachers intentionally choose, teach, and strengthen the classroom routines that matter most.

Trying to teach every routine at once can quickly lead to overwhelm — for both teachers and students.

This planning template helps teachers identify their Top 5 Core Routines so they can focus on the systems that protect instructional time, create predictability, support emotional safety, and strengthen classroom community.

This resource is perfect for back-to-school planning, classroom management support, new teacher mentoring, instructional coaching, professional development, or midyear routine resets.

What Teachers Do ✅

Teachers will:

✅ Identify the 5 routines that matter most in their classroom
✅ Clarify the purpose of each routine
✅ Break each routine into clear teacher and student actions
✅ Plan how they will explicitly teach and model the routine
✅ Define what success looks like for students
✅ Anticipate challenges before routines break down
✅ Build shared ownership so routines feel like part of the classroom community

What’s Inside 🔍

This resource includes:

• Intro guide explaining why focusing on your Top 5 routines matters
• Expert tips for teaching strong routines any time of year
• 5 routine planning templates
• 2-page planning format for each routine
• Space for purpose, step-by-step breakdown, teaching plan, visuals, success criteria, anticipated challenges, timing, tracking, and community connection
• Teacher-friendly reflection and planning prompts

The planning sheets guide teachers through both the practical and relational parts of routines — not just what students should do, but how the routine supports classroom climate, efficiency, and student success.

Why Teachers Love It ❤️

❤️ Helps reduce overwhelm by focusing on the routines that matter most
❤️ Supports clear, consistent classroom expectations
❤️ Turns routines into teachable skills, not just reminders
❤️ Helps protect instructional time
❤️ Builds predictability and emotional safety
❤️ Supports student ownership and classroom community
❤️ Easy to revisit at the beginning of the year, after breaks, or during a midyear reset

Perfect For 🌟

This planning tool works well for:

• Back-to-school routine planning
• New teacher support
• Classroom management refreshers
• Instructional coaching conversations
• Professional development sessions
• Grade-level or team planning
• Midyear routine resets
• Any grade level or content area

Built-In Teacher Support ✏️

The guide reminds teachers to choose their “sacred five,” teach routines like a skill, use multi-modal instruction, reset without shame, and measure what matters. This keeps the focus on sustainable implementation instead of trying to fix every routine at once.

What Teachers Are Saying 🗣️

Be the first to share how this planning tool helped you build stronger, clearer classroom routines that really work!

✨ Start strong. Teach with purpose. Intentionally build routines that last.