How to use it

1. The chart opens on the behavior preset, with the school day down the side from morning to home time. Rename the blocks to match your day, or add and remove them.
2. Choose Monday to Friday or all seven days.
3. Type the name and reward, then use the notes line for the rule for earning a smile.
4. Pick smiles, stars, hearts, dots or boxes for the cells, and choose a color.
5. Print on US Letter or A4. To reuse it, laminate it and use a dry-erase marker.

Why teachers and parents use it

• Each time block gets its own mark. A child who lost it at 9 am can still earn a smile at 10.
• You choose the blocks. A home chart might say breakfast, getting dressed, playtime, dinner and bedtime.
• Switch to the whole class preset to get one row per child with your saved class list.
• The chart saves itself in your browser, ready for a fresh copy each Monday.
• Nothing is uploaded. There’s no account.

Behavior charts in kindergarten and preschool

Keep the chart private to the child. Tape it inside a folder or on the side of the desk, not on the wall. Pick the blocks and rule so the child can earn a smile in most blocks on the first day. A rule like kept my hands to myself is clear to a five year old. Made good choices isn’t. At the end of each block, fill in the chart with the child, talk about it in a sentence or two, and let them color the smile. Send it home on Friday so the conversation at home starts with what went well.

Using a behavior chart at home

At home, the blocks follow the routine: getting up, breakfast, getting dressed, after school, dinner, bath, bed. Pick one behavior to work on, not five. Write it on the notes line in the words you’ll use out loud. Tie the reward to a number of smiles rather than a perfect week. Twelve out of twenty is a reasonable first target. When the behavior has been steady for a couple of weeks, retire the chart and pick the next thing.

Making it work

A behavior chart works when the smile comes straight after the block, every time, and the reward comes soon. Never take away a smile once it’s earned. Don’t add a sad face column. A chart that records failure is just a public list of bad moments. If the chart isn’t working after two weeks, the goal is too big or the reward is too far off. Shrink one of them.

FAQ

Is the behavior chart free to print?

Yes. Every layout, color and preset is free to make and print. No signup, no account.

Can I make a behavior chart for the whole class?

Yes. Pick the whole class preset and load your saved class list, or type the names. Each child gets one row with a box for each day. A big class spreads across two pages.

What should I put on a behavior chart for a 4 year old?

Three or four blocks of the day and one behavior to work on, written in words the child uses. Record smiles earned, not smiles lost. Set the first reward at a number the child can reach in two or three days.

Is a behavior chart the same as a clip chart?

No. A clip chart moves one marker up or down in front of the whole class. This chart gives each block of the day its own box, so a bad moment does not cost the rest of the day. The record stays private to the child.

Can I use it as a daily behavior chart?

Yes. Set the days to Monday to Friday or all seven. Each column is one day, with a box for every block. For a single day, print it and use one column.

Will the chart still be there next week?

Yes, on the same computer and browser. The chart saves itself as you edit it. Nothing is uploaded.