Allowing children to help with important tasks in the classroom teaches them to be responsible and makes them feel significant. You can give your preschoolers opportunities to help in the classroom by assigning them classroom jobs.
Why are classroom jobs important?
Preschool classroom jobs such as line leader or snack helper, promote a sense of responsibility in the classroom, help children practice collaboration skills, and foster community. Being a classroom helper also helps to boost children's confidence as they assist the teachers with important classroom duties. Using a visual jobs chart to assign classroom jobs can also help your children develop early literacy skills as they view the chart to identify their jobs.
If you decide to implement this in your preschool classroom, discuss the importance of classroom jobs with your children and share the job descriptions, choosing job names that are relevant and familiar to your children and the classroom context. Assign a job to all children and have them work in pairs or larger groups. Decide the cadence for switching job assignments (for example, daily, weekly, or monthly) and consider the different levels of expertise as the children demonstrate mastery of the job duties.
Preschool classroom job ideas
You can encourage your classroom helpers by assigning each child a specific preschool classroom job. Here are a few to consider:
Gardener
Class gardeners water and care for plants in the classroom. This job helps children develop a sense of responsibility and build empathy as they think about the plants’ needs and care for them to keep them alive and healthy.
Librarian
Class librarians return books to bookshelves after storytime. Being a class librarian teaches children to organize and put away materials and helps them develop problem-solving skills.
Materials helper
Materials helpers pass out worksheets and supplies to the other children in the class. This task helps children develop a sense of responsibility and boosts their confidence and social skills as they interact with every child in the classroom.
Pet caretaker
Pet caretakers feed and care for the class pet. Being a pet caretaker helps children develop a sense of responsibility, empathy, and boosts their confidence. Taking care of the class pet teaches children to show kindness and compassion to animals, pay attention to how animals respond to their behavior, and try new things, such as petting an animal they’ve never touched before.
Recycling helper
Recycling helpers go around the classroom with recycling bins after activities to collect recyclable items, such as scraps of paper and empty containers. This job promotes the concept of recycling and teaches children to care for the environment.
Weather reporter
Weather reporters look out the window to determine the day's weather and report the weather conditions to the class (sunny, rainy, snowy, windy, cloudy, etc.). Being a weather reporter teaches children to categorize the weather, helps them learn to describe what they see, and improves their observation and communication skills.
Classroom jobs chart examples
A classroom jobs chart is a visual aid that lists all your classroom jobs and the name of the child assigned to each job. A classroom jobs chart makes it easy for the children to see their job for each day or week.
Classroom job chart for preschool
Our free guide to classroom job charts features a full list of job ideas plus job icons that you can print and laminate for use in your classroom.
Classroom jobs chart with library pockets
This classroom jobs chart uses a poster board with library pockets labeled with classroom jobs. The name and a picture of each child is glued on individual popsicle sticks. Each child's popsicle stick is placed in the library pocket that corresponds with their job.
Classroom jobs chart with clothespins
With this job chart, you can use labeled clothespins to assign classroom jobs. Cut stars out of construction paper, write each child's name on a star, and glue each star to a clothespin. Pin a clothespin to each job on the chart to assign jobs to the children.
Final thoughts
Assigning your children classroom jobs allows them to learn and apply new skills while helping in the classroom. Be sure to regularly rotate your children through the classroom jobs so that each child can try each one. Giving your children these jobs will not only help them become more confident and improve their social skills, but it will also help you foster a sense of community in the classroom.
