You’ve tried Facebook groups. You’ve tried coworkers. You had a mentor. Or worse, you’ve been all alone. Nothing has worked. Not the way you want it to. You still have chaotic parts of your Kindergarten day that keep you up at night. They may even be causing a gray hair or two. You need the…
What is a Calm Down Corner? A calm down corner is a designated classroom space for regulating emotions. Little learners have some big feelings! A calm down corner gives students a place to work through those feelings, safely. Today, I have tips for setting up and maintaining a calm area in your kindergarten classroom! What…
Giving directions in the kindergarten classroom is an art form. Not because giving directions is difficult, but because getting students to listen and follow directions is TOUGH! As a kindergarten teacher, you are competing with very short attention spans, as well as sensory distractions around the room. At the beginning of the school year, it’s…
It is so important to review routines and procedures at the beginning of the year. Students need many opportunities to both discuss and practice procedures. Classroom management is most successful when expectations are clear and enforced consistently. The best way to introduce routines and procedures in Kindergarten is with visuals. I have shared HERE and…
Going over hallway procedures is so important at the beginning of the year. Want an engaging and fun way to practice hallway expectations? Use the acronym HUSTLE to help your students remember the key words of how to walk in the hallway. These hallway visuals (print & digital) are perfect to use as you model…
Summer time is a great time to reflect on what went well for you this year, and what didn’t. Consider how many years you’ve been teaching this, and what issues you see again and again. If this was your first year teaching kindergarten, remember to give yourself grace! Nothing in teaching is ever perfect, and…
Are you a new kindergarten teacher, or are you a veteran teacher transitioning to kindergarten for the first time? Kindergarten is unique in the sense that you are gaining students who have never done school before. Everything is new to them! This can be overwhelming, but I have some tried and true kindergarten tips that…
Has the transition from in person to distance-learning been difficult for you this year? I’ve had moments where it has truly made my head spin! What has made it even more difficult is bouncing back-and-forth between live and digital instruction at different points in the year. If that has been your situation, I really feel…
Did you ever think you would use the words Kindergarten, Back to School, and Teaching Online in the same sentence?! I never would have thought we would ever start a Back to School Season this way. In fact when I first heard the news I had to have it repeated to me a few times,…
You can’t see it, but I have both my hands raised high in the air! I would love for this Back to School blog post to be filled with lots of warm and fuzzy feelings and pictures of colorful supplies. Unfortunately, it’s not, I’m sorry. Instead it’s full of nerves, anxiety, and flat out fear….
We officially got the news that school buildings are closed for the remainder of the school year. I knew it was coming. I know it is the safest way. However, I never thought on March 13th when I hugged my kiddos and said, “See you soonish…” that it wouldn’t be until next school year. Such…
In a matter of just a few weeks our day to day routine has changed dramatically. To stay safe and save lives, families are together all day, every day. As we try to navigate this new normal one major learning curve might be figuring out how to work from home while everyone is at home….
In less than two weeks our world has been flipped upside down. Teachers are out of their classrooms teaching from a distance and families are filling the role of their child’s teacher inside their home. Families are juggling the roles of teachers, guardians, keeping the household going, while also more than likely working from home…
We heard on a Friday at 1 P.M. that our school was closing for a few weeks. I was at lunch with my teammates. When I picked up my students from recess, my mind was racing… What do they need?! Do I tell them?! How do I tell them?! It was hard to process all…
I thought my directions were simple… Write name, color, cut, glue, write. Yet as I scan the room I see and hear the complete opposite. Students are talking to their friends at their table and the volume is getting LOUDER & LOUDER. Two students are under the table. One student is cutting his paper into…
At the beginning of the year it is important to introduce, model, and review expectations and routines on repeat, but it is also so IMPORTANT to… If we have been off for a long weekend, winter break, spring break, or any kind of break longer than our typical weekend (although let’s be real, sometimes after…
If you teach primary grades you know that it is incredibly important to establish clear procedures and routines with your little learners right from the beginning! This helps them understand exactly what is expected and also helps to keep your sanity, am I right?! In Kindergarten we spend a majority of our whole group instruction…
During our literacy time we have been busy learning about beginning, middle, end and story elements. To be honest, this is one of my favorite units to teach! The students always get so excited to listen to the different stories and talk about the beginning, middle, end and story elements. I feel like it is…
The back to school dreams have started, my room is almost ready, and summer has come to an end, which can only mean the first day of school is upon us! I wanted to spend some time today talking about all things Kindergarten, especially the first few weeks of school… The Good, The Bad, and…
I am linking up with Mary from Sharing Kindergarten to share some tips about teaching Kindergarten. I think this is a great linky party! Thank you Mary for hosting it. If you are new to this grade level get ready for a great year! Kindergarten is the BEST! I love teaching Kindergarten. Their love…
