Kindergarten teacher Jennifer Noble likes to start her days, both at home and at school, with a little organization.

"I make a list with the kids. We go over our daily schedule so they know what to expect. When they know what to expect, they know how to act," she said.

That's one small tip that Noble, a teacher at Knollwood Elementary School, would offer parents looking to have their home run as smoothly as a kindergarten classroom.

A second tip: Set up routines. "Routines are really important," Noble said. "Kids are more successful when they know what's going on."

The routine that Noble and other teachers use in their classrooms will work at home and can be incorporated at bedtime, as well.

Noble thinks bedtime routines cut down on stressful and potentially whiny evenings. "If they make their routine relaxing … and it's all the same (each evening), the kids are like, 'This is my time to relax,'" she said.

A third tip: Don't be afraid to give your child a bit of control. This doesn't mean letting little Bobby call the shots. It means providing some choices for kids, which gives them the sense of having control over their lives.

Give them clothing choices - choices that you approve - in what they wear to school. Let them pick from two or three

acceptable breakfast options.

"They like to have some of that control," she said. "It's really motivating."

It's a tip she uses in her own classroom. When it's math time, her students have the choice of playing several math games. The same goes for other subjects.

"It does take a lot of the power struggle away. … They don't have those issues in the classroom, I feel, because I give them all those choices," she said.

A final tip: Let emotions cool before dealing with a child. A child in the middle of a crying jag or a fit probably won't hear anything you say. Noble suggests taking a deep breath and saying something such as, "I'm ready to listen when you're ready," she said. "Let them calm down."

Then, when emotions are cooled, address the issue in a calm manner.

Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at 394-8414 or lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com.