Streamline Your Classroom Dismissal with a How We Go Home Chart

Is the end of the school day leaving you feeling frazzled, overwhelmed, & a little stressed? 

It’s often the time of day when you are trying to remember all the last-minute things as your students walk out the door. 

The best way to bring calm back to the chaos of the end of the day is to limit the number of things you are trying to remember…how your students are getting home is one of them. 

Incorporate this how we go home resource and SIMPLE routine into your classroom for a stress-free dismissal time. 

What is a How We Go Home Chart?  

A how we go home chart is a poster with a few different circles that show different options for how students can travel home. 

All you need apart from this is maybe some ribbon to hang (more on this in a bit) and some clothespins. 

On each clothespin, write your students’ names or numbers. 

With these two simple objects, you have a way for each student to show how they will be traveling home each day by clipping their clothespin to the circle they need. 

How We Go Home Routine 

The concept behind this routine is simple: your students will let you know how they are getting home daily. 

But here’s the beauty – you won’t need to remember or help them remember. 

Use a how we go home chart to collect and store all of that information for you. 

This allows you to know how your students are traveling home at a glance. 

AND it’s very flexible. This means you can say goodbye to all those sticky notes with calls from the office about who is getting picked up and how. 

Okay, so let’s talk about what this routine would look like in your classroom. 

1️⃣ First, establish a time during your school day for students to move their clothespins to show how they are getting home. 

I would recommend incorporating this into the beginning of your school day routine for a couple of reasons. First, the knowledge is fresh for your students. Second, you probably already have a morning routine that has space for students to spend seconds moving a clothespin. And don’t worry, you can always make changes as needed! 

2️⃣ Then, during your end-of-the-day routine, remind students how they are getting home.

Snap a picture of the chart with your phone so you can easily reference it once you leave your classroom! 

3️⃣ Finally, create a student job to move all of the clothespins BACK to the starting circle at the end of the day so it is fresh for the next day.

Displaying the Chart

There are a couple of different ways you can display your how we go home chart in your classroom. 

You can either stick it directly to the wall or a bulletin board. 

Or, attach the individual circles to a ribbon and then hang the ribbon on the wall. 

Photo Credit to @lifew1stgrade on Instagram 

Miss Gilbert has used a ribbon to connect all of her circles AND make it easy for students to attach their clothespins to the circles. 

Once you have attached the circles to the wall all that is left is to add the clothespins with your students’ names and numbers on them. 

Here is how Sarah- @_bigheartlittleminds_ attached her chart directly to the wall, then added mini clothespins!

Choosing Your Chart

Now for the fun part. 

I have designed 6 different how we go home charts so you can find the one that matches your classroom decor perfectly! 

All of these themes include the same 7 transportation options AND an editable PowerPoint file so you can customize the text or font to make it work in your classroom. 

Calm Colors 

Add soft, calm colors to your classroom with this how we go home chart. 

You can never go wrong with this calm colors dismissal chart! 

Tropical Vibes

This dismissal chart will bring a hint of ocean spray, pineapple, and coconut into your classroom. 

Okay, maybe not entirely, but these beachy colors will help add to the calmness of the end of your day as much as this routine will! 

Simply Neutral

If you are looking for something with more neutral colors, check out this poster set. 

The simply neutral design is a great fit that still adds color and decor but in neutral tones. 

Retro

This is a great set for classrooms with a groovy vibe. 

Even without any other retro elements, the colors in this how we go home chart are SO fun even on their own! 

Boho Rainbow

This boho rainbow chart has soft rainbows in the background of each transportation option. 

What a fun way to add some rainbows and boho elements into your classroom! 

Happy Hues

You can never go wrong with bright, vibrant colors in the classroom! 

Keep the excitement level high with this happy hues dismissal chart. 

Regardless of the decor theme you choose or how you decide to hang up your chart, adding this resource and routine into your day will simplify your dismissal time. 

For more tips on how to save yourself time during your school day, check out my favorite strategies here!