Classroom Management: What To Do When Your First Grade Class Isn’t Being Kind

In this episode of The Firstieland Podcast for Elementary Teachers, your host Molly Schwab shares practical, real-life ways to teach elementary students about kindness in a way that actually sticks.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated by unkind behavior in your classroom or wondered how to build a stronger classroom community, this episode is for you. You’ll learn how to weave it naturally into your everyday classroom routines, language, and discipline.

Molly shares a personal story that sparked this episode and then walks you step-by-step through simple strategies she used year after year in kindergarten and first grade to help students understand what kindness looks like, how to practice it, and why it matters.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

✔️ Why modeling kindness as the teacher is more powerful than any worksheet or lesson

✔️ How to use picture books to spark meaningful conversations

✔️ Simple role-playing and writing activities that help students practice kind choices

✔️ A fun “secret mission” idea that encourages daily acts of kindness

✔️ How to use intentional language during discipline to reinforce kindness

✔️ A classroom “gifts” strategy that helps students see value in themselves and others

By the end of this episode, you’ll have practical, manageable ideas for building a classroom where kindness becomes part of the culture, not just a lesson. You’ll walk away with tools you can start using immediately to help your students treat one another with respect, empathy, and care.

Kindness Unit - https://firstieland.com/kindness

Blog Post - 30 Picture Books About Kindness – https://firstieland.com/kindess-books

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https://firstieland.com/podcast

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Have a wonderful day and remember to make learning feel like play… see you next week!

Molly 💜

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