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45 Teacher Hacks You Wish You Would Have Thought of

I wanted to share with you what I've found to be the top teacher hacks. These are all brilliant ideas that are super easy to implement and will make your life so much easier. I've found ideas for supply organization, storage, handouts, time savers, dry board erasers, storing passwords and even tips to help you keep track of all of those remotes. I hope you find some ideas that'll make life in the classroom so much easier!

This post has been recently updated with even more hacks!

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase using my link, I make a small commission –at no cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

1 | Color Coded Supply Caddies for Desks

table caddies for classroom
PICTURE SOURCE | APRIMARYKINDOFLIFE

This is a great way to organize school supplies. Look closely and see that the supply caddies are color coded to match the scissors and the glue sticks.

That way all the supplies have a home, and you can put the kids in charge of making sure they are all organized at the end of the day.

Here are some rainbow desk caddies from Amazon if you want to steal this idea.

2 | Crayon Bins That Match the Color of the Crayons

crayon organization idea for classroom
PICTURE SOURCE | SPARKLINGINSECONDGRADE

This will make for easy sorting and allow the students to easily find exactly what color they need.

These colorful bins would work great for this.

3 | Organizing Passwords

teacher hack to organize passwords in classroom
PICTURE SOURCE | CLUTTERFREECLASSROOM

How do you keep track of all the passwords for the entire class? This teacher came up with a great idea. Each child has their own key chain with passwords on it.

They are all hung on hooks so which makes easy access for students. No more “teacher I forgot my password”… Bonus points for making a pretty display with the rainbow colored key chains.

4 | Magnetic Hooks to Hold Stickers

classroom storage idea on white board
PICTURE SOURCE | PURELY.PRIMARY

So, you have a ton of little sheets of stickers, right? Well then, you'll love this idea. Simply punch a small hole at the top of the sheets and hang them on a magnetic hook on your dry erase board.

You'll no longer have single sheets of stickers scattered everywhere.

You can find some magnetic hooks here.

They also make lots of great little storage options for whiteboards that you can use for dry erase markers, paper and even teacher mail.

5 | Push Lights to Show Voice Levels

voice level posters with push lights
Voice Level Posters | Find them Here

Create a visual for your students to show them where their voice level should be.

To do this you need a voice level poster set and push lights.  Place a push light into each voice level sign and then turn the light on to remind students where their voice should be.

For this teacher hack you will need a set of puck lights that you can stick on to a wall or the whiteboard in your classroom.  I like these push lights because you can turn them on or off, change the color and even the dimness with a remote.

I created the voice level posters pictured for this purpose.  This set also comes with a cute voice level sign to explain to students what each level means.  You can the complete voice level poster set it in my Etsy shop here.

I also made a set of boho themed voice level posters that you can find here, if that is more your style. 🙂

6 | Flat Sheets for Bulletin Boards

bulletin board hack
Set of Flat Sheets | Find them Here

Here's your bulletin board hack that teachers swear by.  Instead of bulletin board paper for your background try fabric.  Fabric will give you a smooth seamless background.

But not any fabric, the best to use is flat sheets.  You can get a set of 6 flat sheets only on Amazon here.

7 | Multiple Uses For Paint Sample Cards

paint cards as number cards in classroom
PICTURE SOURCE | LEARNLOVEGROW

Yes, these are those paint sample cards from the home improvement store. This teacher used these to create a beautiful display of number cards for her kiddos.

These would also work for alphabet cards, math problems or sight words, the possibilities are endless.

8 | Makeup Remover Pads as Dry Erase Board Erasers

teacher hack for white board erasers
PICTURE SOURCE | TEACHINGJOYS

This teacher swears that these are the best dry erase board erasers. They are makeup remover pads made for your face.  Bonus points because they are colorful and cheap!

I love these makeup remover pads from Amazon because they are reusable and washable and come with a laundry bag to wash them!

9 | Stop Passing Out Papers

classroom idea to stop passing out papers
PICTURE SOURCE | HOW_I_TEACH_HIGH_SCHOOL

Here's a little time management hack for you. Just as the picture says this is a brilliant way to stop passing out all of those papers every day. Load the daily handouts in these mail holders and then have the kids grab their own handouts in the morning or right before a new activity.

10 | Save Your Printer Ink

bulletin board letters hack
Black and White Bulletin Board Letters | Find Them Here

Save your printer ink by printing black and white bulletin board letters on colored paper.  The cute ones pictured, come in 23 different designs and you can find them here!

11 | Grab a Pencil

pencil teacher hack
PICTURE SOURCE | THECLASSROOMSPARROW

If you're always loaning out pencils and never getting them back this is the perfect hack for you. The students have to sign for their pencil and can erase their name when they return it.

Not only does it hold the kids accountable, but it also saves you the time and distraction from stopping an activity to get a student a loaner pencil.

Clips like these metal magnetic ones would work perfectly.

12 | Remote Binder

remote binder teacher hack
PICTURE SOURCE | TEACHERAPPROVED

There are so many remotes to lose in a class full of kids, especially those little projector remotes.

Here's an easy way to keep them organized and always in the right spot when you need them. You can use double sided Velcro to attach the remotes to the binder.

Happy Mail

Happy Mail Student Reward
Happy Mail | Find it Here

Send home happy mail as an easy student incentive that is also a fun way to communicate with parents.  Find printable happy mail slips here.

13 | Over the Door Crayon Organizer

over the door crayon organizer teacher hack
PICTURE SOURCE | TEACHERAPPROVED

I love so many things about this one. First you can fit this in any space even on a wall or over a door. I also love how the teacher organized the colors in rainbow order to create a spot for each color crayon.

This lets the students have independence in getting and putting away their own supplies.  You can find a door hanging shoe organizer here to create your own crayon organizer.

14 | Keeping Track of Pencils

teacher hacks for pencils
PICTURE SOURCE | BUSYMISSBEEBE

I've seen a lot of pencil hacks out there. Here's a great idea to keep track of your classroom pencils.

The magnetic clips can be found here. If you did this on a magnetic dry erase board, you can have your students sign out for the pencil too.

15 | Monster Pick Sticks

pick sticks teacher hacks
PICTURE SOURCE | _TEACHERPOLLY

This teacher created these cute little monster pick sticks. Each student is assigned one and then they're used when she needs to randomly select students.

As a bonus for the first week of school to reward good behavior she allows students to pick which monster will be theirs!

16 | Pick Me Piggies

pick me classroom hack
Image Source | missaliceinteacherland

Here’s an alternative to pick sticks.  Assign each student a number and they will get a kick out of you picking a piggy out of a jar to choose students.

17 | Dice Containers

teacher hack for dice
PICTURE SOURCE | TEACHINGMADDENESS

These little dice containers keep the dice together when the students shake them. No more lost dice or dice shooting across the room. As a bonus tip she lined them with felt to keep them quiet too, genius!

You could use magnetic spice containers if you want to try this idea in your class.

18 | Turn in Papers Procedure

turn in papers procedure teacher hacks
PICTURE SOURCE | FOURTH GRADE FLAIR

This fourth-grade teacher implemented this reflect and highlight turn in procedure. You can read all about it from the link above. She has her students reflect on their level of understanding with the assignment.

Each student highlights their name with the color that represents their level of understanding. This also helps remind them to write their name on their paper without her having to tell them 50,000 times. Brilliant idea!

19 |Filing System for Student Work

file folders for student work teacher hack
Image Source | suzannes_plans

Use file folders to store student work for the week will make it so much easier to hand back work to take home.

20 | Color Coded Supply Caddies

color coded table caddies teacher hacks
PICTURE SOURCE | MISS.B.CLASSROOM

I'm a huge fan of color coordinated organization. That's why I love these table caddies to hold all the supplies the students need in colors that coordinate with the table color.

Here are some plastic caddies that would work perfectly for colorful table caddies!

21 | Brain Break Sticks

brain break sticks teacher hacks for the classroom
PICTURE SOURCE | MISS.B.CLASSROOM

These brain break sticks are the fun way for your students to choose a little break. This teacher added washi tape on the popsicle sticks for an extra fun touch.

22 | The Perfect Student Desk Setup

desk setup idea for the classroom
PICTURE SOURCE | LITTLE.MISS.SABRINA

This teacher has her students desk set up down to a science. First, for the name plates she laminated these and stuck them down with a Velcro dot at the beginning of the school year.

That way when students change seating, they can just erase the name and write their name on their new spot. Bonus when she has new students, she doesn’t have to re-print name tags.

Second, she has this straw taped to the desk. Student keep a pencil in the straw at all times. That way they always know where it is and she can quickly see who's missing a pencil.

23 | Wireless Doorbell to Get the Class’s Attention

wireless doorbell for the classroom uses
PICTURE SOURCE | FIRSTIE_THINGS_FIRST

This teacher saves her voice by using this wireless doorbell that she found on Amazon. You can find a similar wireless doorbell here.

She uses it when she needs the class to freeze, when she needs to give an announcement, or when she wants them to show her that they're ready in line. Her pro tip is to keep it on your lanyard so you have it at all times.

24 | Glitter Salt and Pepper Shakers

salt and pepper shakers for glitter teacher hacks
PICTURE SOURCE | TINYMINSDAYCARE

This is one of those classroom hacks that you're just like why didn't I think of that. I know a lot of teachers that just don’t do glitter at all.

But this little hack would at least make it manageable.  Put the glitter in salt and pepper shakers to cut down on a ton of the mess.

Here's a set of six salt and pepper shakers that would do the trick!

25 | Magical Quiet Spray

teacher hacks to keep class quiet
IMAGE SOURCE | _OUR_DAY_IN_PREK_

Ms. Denise, a pre-kindergarten teacher from Florida, created magical quiet spray, which is water and some sequins in a spray bottle with a homemade label.

When the class starts to get a little noisy, she simply sprays this a few times around the room and the kids get quiet, works like a charm!

26 | Border Hack

teacher hacks for bulletin board border
IMAGE SOURCE |  THATTEACHERTAYLOR

Taylor, a kinder teacher from North Carolina, realized that that a huge magnetic border was too expensive, so she created her own.

She took magnetic dots with adhesive backing and stuck them to the back of her border and had her own moveable and reusable magnetic border!  If you love this idea here are the magnetic dots to use.

27 | Sub Tub

sub tub teacher hack
Image Source | kotsi_kinders

Create a sub tub and sub binder with all the resources needed when you are out.

What to include in your sub tub:

  • Sub plans or lesson plans for the days you'll be out
  • ​Class Schedule
  • ​Helpful School Resources
  • ​A little treat
  • Sub tickets (see below)

28 | Sub Tickets

sub ticket classroom incentive
Sub Tickets | Find them Here

29 | Boho Sub Tickets

sub tickets for classroom management
WHERE TO FIND | SUB TICKETS

If you do create a sub tub you may want to add some sub tickets. Sub tickets are a helpful classroom management tool to provide to a substitute when you’re gone.  The sub can hand these out to students that have exceptional behavior.

When you get back to school you can ask which students received the sub ticket and then give them a small prize or a positive phone call home!

30 | Color Code Your Glue Sticks

color coded glue sticks teacher hacks
IMAGE SOURCE |  TEACHINGWITHMISSPENEY

Miss Peney, a teacher from Australia found a way to take care of the problem of disappearing glue stick lids.  She uses these colored dots and puts one on the glue stick and the other on the lid.

Now if one of her students find a glue stick with out a lid the kids all hunt down that matching colored lid.

Here's a great sticker pack with ten different colors of stickers that you can use to make this idea come to life in your class.

31 | I’m Done! Now What? Hack

teacher hacks for students
IMAGE SOURCE |  THEPRIMARYPARTNER

Libby, a first-grade teacher, was always answering the same question from early finishers of what they can work on when they’re done.  So, she put up activities that students can work on when they’re finished with their assignment.

Then she got these push lights.  She tells the students if the light is on they can work on that activity when they are done!  What a smart idea!

You can find a colorful set of push lights here.  They come with a wireless remote so you can change the colors too!

32 | Magnetic Tape

magnetic tape teacher hack for whiteboards
Image Source | creationsineducation

Magnetic tape is a game changer when you’re trying to switch around items on your magnetic whiteboard.

33 | Straw Dispenser to Dispense Pencils

straw dispenser to dispense pencils teacher hack
Image Source | borntoteachprimary

Primary teacher, Mrs. Born asks students to start each day with a sharp pencil. Then if their pencil breaks during the day instead of wasting time at the pencil sharpener she simply has them dispense a new one out of the pencil dispenser.

34 | Waiting Room

waiting room teacher hack
Image Source | luckylittlelearners

Instead of having a group of students crowed around your desk waiting to ask you a question have them grab a number.  They can then return to their desk and continue to work until their number is called.

35 | Guess Who for Attendance

Guess who for classroom attendance
Image Source | includ.ed

To pull off this hack replace the cards in guess who with pictures of your students.  Have students flip down their picture when they come in every morning.  You can quickly do morning attendance because the absent students will be facing up only. You could also use this to pick students, to show who is done with their assignment or as a fun classroom game.

36 | Classroom Snack Dispenser

classroom snack dispenser hack
Image Source | thebenderbunch

How about using a cereal dispenser and cupcake liners as a small and neat snack available for students.

37 | Computer and Cord Organization Hack

teacher hack for computer organization
Image Source | mrsleeteaches1st

Here’s a simple system to keep computers organized and cords untangled. Used colored washi tape to assign a color to each computer.  Put the color on the computer, the cord and the cabinet to keep everything tidy.

38 | QR Code Library

QR code classroom library
Image Source | kimberlyjayne.teacher.xox

Here’s a space saver for your classroom library.  Add a ton more eBooks and audiobooks with a QR code classroom wall or bulletin board display.

39 | Classroom Job Organization System

classroom job organization hack
Image Source | thirdgrade.fairytale

Here’s an easy way to organize classroom jobs that does not take up a lot wall space.  Simply put student names on clothespins and then every week rotate the pins clockwise.

40 | Duct Tape Marker Caps

duct tape markers teacher hack
Image Source | secondgradeserenity

Put a large piece of duct tape over the top of all your markers.  This will prevent lost lids and random markers floating around the classroom.

41 | New Student Bag

new student bag
Image Source | kristinaharrill

At the beginning of the school year create a new student bag with everything they need.  This will save you a lot of time in the future. When you find out you have a new student in the classroom just grab the bag and you’re ready to go.

  • Classroom procedures
  • School information and resources
  • Teacher business cards or meet the teacher sheet
  • Form for parent contact information
  • School supplies &
  • ​A small gift for the new student

42 | Hall Passes on Lanyards

hall pass organization idea
Image Source | rachaelburnett_

Hang hall passes on command hooks on lanyards by the door for easy access.  Bonus points for making it look super cute like this!

43 | Create a Shh Light

shh lamp teacher hack
Image Source | lettersfrommikelle

A shh lamp can be turned on during small group time.  When the light is on students know to be quiet and to not interrupt you. To create your own shh light, start with a touch lamp like this.  Then add the letters shh with your Cricut or Letter Stickers.

44 | Missing Work Visual Aid

missing work visual aid teacher hack
Image Source | tn.teacher

Copy this idea to easily see who is missing work at a glance.

45 | Dry Erase Clipboards for Student Work

dry eraser board teacher hack
Image Source | schoolwithjules

Assign each student a dry erase border and label it with their name or a number.  These can be used for assignments that students are still working on.  If you want to copy this idea you can get some dry eraser clipboards here.

Ok, so now you've seen the best teacher hacks to make your school day running a little smoother. I love these smart, easy ideas that make life a little bit easier and more organized, don’t you? Feel free to click on the P on your favorite hack to save it to your Pinterest Boards!

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