Let me paint you a picture: it’s winter in New York. The air outside feels like ice, and the air inside is so dry it could rival the Sahara. My skin? Sandpaper. My trusty water bottle? Sitting there, silently judging me. Hydration? A total afterthought.
I know I should drink more water. But let’s be honest, remembering to do it? A whole other story.
Lately, I’ve been trying a little trick called habit stacking to get those hydration levels back on track. It’s simple and kind of genius: you pair something you need to do (drink water) with something you already do automatically (like making coffee). So now, my morning coffee comes with a pre-game glass of water. Before lunch? Another glass. Heading to the gym? Chug, chug, chug.
It’s like turning your brain into a little efficiency engine, and you don’t even have to think about it. And here’s the cool part: it’s not just for grown-ups like me who forget to hydrate—it’s perfect for kids, too! Let’s talk about how we can teach habit stacking to students and how you can use it in all kinds of school settings.
What Is Habit Stacking?
Habit stacking helps students build routines by pairing a new habit with an existing one. It’s easy to teach in just a few minutes:
Explain Habit Stacking: Use this simple language.
A habit stack is when you add something new to something you already do every day. It’s like connecting two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly!
Simple, right? It’s all about linking a new habit to an old one that’s already second nature.
Give a Relatable Example:
“After I hang up my coat, I’ll check my backpack for homework.”
“Before I start my math homework, I’ll sharpen my pencils.”
Guide Them to Create a Habit Stack:
Use sentence starters:
“After I ___, I will ___.”
“Before I ___, I will ___.”
Practice Together: Role-play the habit stack as a group and let students come up with their own!
It’s easy to teach and even easier to practice. Think of it as a life hack disguised as a fun little activity.
Habit stacking has been popularized in recent history by S.J. Scott in his book Habit Stacking: 97 Small Life Changes That Take Five Minutes or Less and then expanded on by James Clear in Atomic Habits. The concept dates back to research done by psychologist, B.F.Skinner.
How to Teach Habit Stacking to Students
Habit stacking works at every grade level (and beyond). Here’s how you can tweak it for different ages and contexts:
Kindergarten to 2nd Grade
Focus: Keep it simple and visual.
Activity
- Introduce a class-wide anchor habit like:“After we line up for lunch, we’ll give a quiet thumbs up to the teacher.”
- Use pictures or icons to represent the habit stack and post them on the wall.
- Role-play the habit stack together—it’s like a mini performance!
You’ll be amazed how quickly younger kids latch onto these routines when they’re fun and visual.
More Ideas
Visual Routine Cards: Create laminated cards with images representing each step of a habit stack (e.g., a coat for “hang up coat” and a backpack for “check homework”). Use Velcro or magnets to let students physically connect the steps.
Interactive Role-Play: Turn habit stacks into a game where students act out the routines. For example, “Pretend to hang up your coat, now what’s next?”
Printable Cards: Habit Stacking Visual Cue Cards – Printable cards for common school routines like lining up, washing hands, and organizing desks.
3rd to 5th Grade
Focus: Encourage independence.
Activity
- Have students come up with their own anchor habits, like: “After I pack up my folder, I’ll double-check the board.”
- Let them write their habit stacks on sticky notes or worksheets and place them somewhere visible.
- Check-in weekly to see how it’s going. Bonus points for sharing successes as a group!
This age group loves owning their routines, so give them the freedom to create stacks that make sense for them.
More Ideas
Personalized Habit Posters: Have students design their own poster with their anchor habit and new habit written inside puzzle pieces. Display them around the classroom.
Habit Stack Journal: Provide a simple journaling sheet where students write their stack (e.g., “After I… I will…”) and reflect weekly on how it’s going.
Habit Stacking Tracker: A printable worksheet where students can write their habit stack and track it for a week.
Small Groups
Focus: Practice small, simple ways of habit stacking
Activity: Use habit stacking to build social or emotional skills. For example: “Before I start morning work, I’ll take three deep breaths.” Practice these habit stacks with role-playing scenarios.
More Ideas
Shared Habit: Create a shared stack, like: “Before we start our group activity, we’ll review our group rules.”
Reflection Bowl: Use a bowl or jar where students write and drop in reflections on how their habit stack helped them that day or a way they could connect a new habit to an established habit.
Whole School
Focus: Reinforce goal setting and healthy habits school-wide.
Create a school-wide anchor habit like: “After the morning announcements, everyone writes down one goal for the day."
- Post visual reminders around the school (hallways, classrooms, even the bathroom mirrors—why not?).
- Celebrate classrooms or students who are rocking their new habits with shoutouts, certificates, or even a school-wide challenge.
When the whole school gets involved, habit stacking becomes more than just a strategy—it becomes part of the culture.
More Ideas
School-Wide Challenge: Set a weekly challenge, like: “After announcements, write your goal for the day.” Highlight a “Habit Hero” each week who exemplifies strong habit-building or use an example of a famous person.
Bulletin Board: Create a visual display, like a “Habit Heroes” board.
Tips for Teachers
Focus: Share simple tips with teachers
Teachers can use habit stacking as a way to streamline transitions and encourage positive behaviors—plus, it’s one less thing to think about during the chaos of the day.
Suggest quick and easy classroom habits, like:
- After students enter the room, they put away their belongings and begin their warm-up.
- After students turn in homework, they check off their assignment tracker.
- Before students leave for recess, they can write one thing that went well this morning.
More Ideas
Team Habit Goals: Encourage teacher teams to create shared habits, like: “After our weekly meeting, we’ll email one positive parent note.”
Staff Meeting: At a staff meeting, have teachers share stackable habits and routines they use in their classroom.
Tips for Parents
Focus: Build helpful routines at home.
Morning Routines: Help parents create morning routines like
- “After breakfast, your child puts their lunchbox in their backpack"
- "After your child brushes their teeth, they can pick out their clothes for the next day.
Evening Routines
- Before dinner, your child can pack their backpack for school tomorrow.
- Before bedtime, lay out tomorrow’s shoes by the door.
Parents love simple strategies that reduce the morning madness, and habit stacking is a great way to make routines feel effortless (well, almost).
Trying creating a one-page PDF explaining habit stacking with examples for home routines.
Your Turn: Share the Stacks!
Alright, I’ve spilled the beans on how I’m using habit stacking to fend off winter dehydration and how you can use it with your students. Now it’s your turn:
How could you use this strategy with your students, staff, or even your own kids What’s one habit stack you could try in your life?
Let’s swap ideas in the comments below—I can’t wait to hear what you come up with!
