Relief Teacher Resources for Australian Schools

Relief Teacher Resources for Australian Primary Schools

Whether you're a casual relief teacher (CRT), a supply teacher covering a last-minute absence, or a classroom teacher preparing plans for your replacement — having a reliable set of go-to resources makes all the difference.

Relief teaching comes with unique challenges: unfamiliar students, unknown routines, limited (or no) lesson plans, and the need to establish authority quickly. The best relief teachers walk in with a toolkit of activities that work across year levels, require minimal preparation, and keep students engaged and learning.

This page covers practical tips for relief teachers, no-prep activities by year level, classroom management strategies, and ready-to-use resources created by Australian teachers. Whether you call it relief teaching (SA, WA, TAS), casual teaching (NSW, ACT), CRT work (VIC), or supply teaching (QLD), you'll find what you need here.

Before You Arrive

• Build your toolkit: Keep a USB drive or folder (physical or digital) with go-to activities for every year level. Update it regularly.
• Know the terminology: Different states use different terms — CRT (VIC), casual teacher (NSW, ACT), TRT or relief teacher (SA), relief teacher (WA, TAS, NT), supply teacher (QLD). Schools may also have different names for the staffroom, front office, and playground areas.
• Prepare a quick introduction: Have a short, friendly intro ready — your name, that you're their teacher today, and your one or two key expectations.

When You Walk In

1. Find the day plan — check the teacher's desk, staffroom pigeonhole, or ask the front office
2. Identify the class helpers — every class has students who know the routines. Ask "Who can show me how things work around here?"
3. Learn the essentials — bell times, toilet procedures, playground duty areas, first aid location, evacuation assembly point
4. Check the behaviour management system — does the class use ClassDojo, a traffic light system, table points, or something else?
5. Scan for students with additional needs — check for allergy alerts, medical plans, and any notes about students requiring adjustments

Classroom Management Tips

• Start firm, soften later — it's much easier to relax rules once you've established authority than to regain control after losing it
• Use the existing system — whatever behaviour management system the class uses, use it. Students respond to familiar systems.
• Praise publicly, correct privately — acknowledge good behaviour loudly ("Table 3, excellent focus") and address issues quietly
• Keep transitions short — most behaviour issues happen during transitions. Minimise downtime between activities.
• Have a back-pocket activity — always have a quick game or activity ready for when a lesson finishes early or a plan falls through
• Write a note for the teacher — before you leave, jot down what was covered, any issues, and any students who were particularly helpful. Teachers appreciate this enormously.

These activities require no materials beyond pencils, paper, and a whiteboard. Keep them in your relief teaching toolkit for any Foundation to Year 2 class.

Literacy Activities

• Story circle: Sit in a circle. Start a story with one sentence. Each student adds one sentence. The teacher can steer the story to keep it on track.
• Letter/word hunt: Give students a letter or sight word. They search the room for it in books, posters, and displays, tallying how many they find.
• Draw and write: Give a simple prompt ("Draw your favourite place and write two sentences about it"). Works for any level — differentiate by expectation.
• Alphabet challenge: Students work in pairs to write one word for every letter of the alphabet on a theme (animals, food, things in the classroom).
• Read-aloud: If you have access to the class library, read a picture book and ask comprehension questions. This fills 15–20 minutes and settles the class.

Maths Activities

• Number of the day: Write a number on the board. Students write as many things as they can about it (even/odd, how to make it with addition/subtraction, draw it with base-ten blocks, etc.)
• Shape hunt: Students find and draw shapes they can see in the classroom. Label each shape.
• Skip counting challenge: Clap-count as a class by 2s, 5s, or 10s. Students who make a mistake sit down. Last standing wins.
• Dice games: If dice are available — roll two dice, add them, write the number sentence. For Year 2, multiply instead.

Other Activities

• Draw your teacher: Students draw a portrait of their regular teacher and write three nice things about them. The teacher gets a lovely surprise when they return.
• Free-choice drawing with labels: Students draw something they're an expert on and label the parts. Good for settling an unsettled class.

These activities work across Year 3 to Year 6 with minimal preparation. Adjust expectations for the year level.

Literacy Activities

• 100-word challenge: Students write exactly 100 words on a topic of their choice. They must count carefully — not 99, not 101. This teaches editing and precision.
• Persuasive quick-write: Give a fun topic ("Homework should be banned" or "Pineapple belongs on pizza") and students write a short persuasive paragraph. Share and debate as a class.
• Comic strip story: Fold paper into 6 panels. Students create a comic strip with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Must include dialogue in speech bubbles.
• Word challenge: Write a long word on the board (e.g., "EXTRAORDINARY"). Students find as many smaller words as they can within it. Set a target (20 words for Year 3, 30+ for Year 6).
• Silent reading + response: If the class has reading books, give 15 minutes of silent reading followed by a written response (favourite part, prediction, character description).

Maths Activities

• Maths investigation: "How many different ways can you make [number]?" Use any operations. Year 3: make 24. Year 6: make 1000.
• Times tables tournament: Pairs face off — hold up fingers for two numbers, first to multiply correctly wins the round.
• Measurement challenge: Estimate, then measure items in the classroom (desk length, door height, whiteboard width). Record in a table.
• Data collection: Survey the class on a topic (favourite sport, birth month, preferred lunch). Create a graph. Interpret the results.

Other Activities

• Design challenge: Design your dream school/playground/classroom. Include a diagram, labels, and a written description explaining your choices.
• Would you rather?: Write two options on the board. Students choose a side and write three reasons for their choice. Then debate as a class.
• Teach the class: Students have 5 minutes to prepare a 1-minute presentation about something they know well. Others ask questions.
• STEM challenge: Using only paper and tape, build the tallest tower. Or: design a paper plane for maximum distance.

If you know you'll be absent, preparing clear plans makes a huge difference to how the day runs — for the relief teacher, for your students, and for you when you return.

What to Include in Relief Teacher Plans

• Class list with any students who leave for intervention, specialist lessons, or have medical needs
• Timetable for the day including specialist lessons, assembly, and duty times
• Behaviour management system — what system you use and how it works
• Reliable students — name 2–3 students who can help with routines
• Medical alerts — allergies, asthma plans, diabetes management
• Lesson plans for each session — keep them simple. Relief teachers rarely get through complex plans.
• Early finisher activities — what students should do when they finish
• Where things are — worksheets, textbooks, reading books, maths equipment

Emergency Relief Plans

Even if you don't plan to be absent, it's good practice to have an emergency plan ready in your desk drawer or saved digitally. This should include:

• A generic day plan with go-to activities that don't require specific context
• Copies of worksheets or activity sheets that can be used for any session
• A note explaining your class routines (morning routine, transitions, pack-up)
• Location of resources, teacher guides, and your communication book

Many schools now require teachers to keep emergency plans on file. Having one ready removes stress for everyone when an unexpected absence happens.