Let’s not beat around the bush and pretend that there aren’t a million little things we need to teach at the beginning of kindergarten. Because… there are. But, we also don’t have to be overwhelmed by figuring out how to teach every single one of those things in an over-the-top way that keeps the attention…
Cupcake Crunch is a super easy snack to make for a classroom snack on Valentine’s Day. Here’s how to create this easy snack for your Valentine’s party. This cupcake crunch recipe is a snack mix that’s both easy and very popular with young kiddos. Let me show you how to make it and give you…
Give your kindergartners the opportunity to keep their handwriting skills sharp with these quick, printable lowercase letter strips. I’m all about working smart in the classroom. It’s the reason why I decided to teach handwriting based on letter formation using similar strokes as opposed to any other way. These little letter strips are designed to…
This year I wanted to ask other teachers to find out “What does a teacher really want for teacher appreciation week?” and I did. Over 70 teachers responded and there are three running themes in their responses. So, if you want to know what to get teachers for teacher appreciation week to show you share…
Work on decomposing numbers 11-19 by breaking numbers into groups of tens and ones. Here is a free Valentine-themed printable workmat and matching number cards that you can use with your kindergarten class. Let me show you how to use it, make it and give you some ideas on how to get the most from…
Let’s plan fun Valentine’s day activities for the kindergarten classroom. Here are free mini-projects, reading resources, sight word activities, and math mats – all with a Valentine’s Day theme. Don’t feel like just because there are a lot of fun Valentine’s Day ideas for the classroom out there that you have to do a lot….
Want to find kindergarten-friendly videos that hit the mark in time for learning about dental health? Here is a list of teacher-recommended videos for teaching about brushing teeth. It can be fun to change up our normal routine in the classroom (or via distance learning) for February (when most teachers cover dental health) and add a video…
Find creative uses for worksheets in the kindergarten classroom – that don’t stick to paper-and-pencil only practice. Here is why I don’t love worksheets in kindergarten (or any grade level for that matter) and five ways that you can still use your favorite worksheets in ways that are more age-appropriate. Why I loathe worksheets You’ve…
When it’s time to come back from winter break or Christmas break – it’s time to hit the ground running in kindergarten. There is explosive growth that happens from now until the spring in both reading and math. Let’s capitalize on that learning-growth spurt and plan some great winter kindergarten activities. Here are winter-themed math,…
When it comes to preparing online lesson plans for virtual teaching, distance teaching or eLearning – you guys really have become the experts. Here is a set of digital lesson plan templates to help you organize your lessons for kindergarten. Let me share with you how they work, what the layout differences look like (so…
Want to find kindergarten-friendly learning videos that are a hit with your class of five and six-year-olds? Then you’ve got to check out this list of teacher-recommended videos that are all made by Harry Kindergarten. The video creator “Harry Kindergarten” is pretty well known in the land of kindergarten teachers because he often uses a hip-hop style…
In kindergarten, we read books aloud every day. It’s one way we grow readers and teach a love for learning. Here are top books kindergarten teachers say their class begs for them to read almost every day. These read-aloud books are all recommended by real kindergarten teachers! You know it strikes a chord with five…
Want to find kindergarten-friendly videos that hit the mark in October? Here is a list of teacher-recommended videos for Halloween. It can be fun to change up our normal routine in the classroom on a holiday and add a video or two into our lesson plans. For example, you just might need a learning video that can…
Work on letter identification and visual discrimination with these alphabet sheets. Here is a set of free letter worksheets for students to highlight the letter and name it. I would use these letter sheets whenever a student was really struggling to name a specific letter. Most often, it was a quick activity we did during…
Work on naming letters with a simple alphabet game for kindergarten. Print this free pirate-themed treasure quest card game to practice naming the letters of the alphabet. Since I like to play games in my small groups during guided reading time, this one is definitely in the rotation when it comes to working on recognizing…
Go on an alphabet search and play I-Spy. Here is a free naming letters activity for kindergarten that encourages students to find and name letters in the alphabet. Playing I spy is fun and can be adapted for the classroom. This printable activity has students use a magnifying glass to look for miniscule letters on…
Make a big green monster with your kindergarten class. This fun art project is a way to extend Ed Emberly’s story Go Away, Big Green Monster! This is a project that came from Krissy Miner. She was a dear blogging friend who shared this on her own site once upon a time. This activity will…
Work on addition skills with a free set of rainbow-themed bump-style gameboards. Teach your students to play bump once and use it all year for varying levels of difficulty. In kindergarten, students should have strong counting skills and be working to develop a strong understanding of addition. I find that using games during our guided…
Work on addition skills with a free set of bump-style winter-themed gameboards. Teach your students to play bump once and use it all year for varying levels of difficulty. In kindergarten, students should have strong counting skills and be working to develop a strong understanding of addition. I find that using games during our guided…
Work on subtracting within five with a free printable game. Grab this free subtraction bump game to build your students’ subtraction fluency skills. In kindergarten, students should be able to add and subtract fluently within five. This easy-to-play game focuses on that skill and makes it fun. This Grinchy subtraction game is perfect to use…
Work on subtracting within five with a free printable game. Grab this free subtraction bump game to build your students’ subtraction fluency skills. In kindergarten, students should be able to add and subtract fluently within five. This easy-to-play game focuses on that skill and makes it fun. This dinnertime subtraction game was inspired by Mrs….
Work on subtracting within five with a free printable game. Grab this free subtraction bump game to build your students’ subtraction fluency skills. In kindergarten, students should be able to add and subtract fluently within five. This easy-to-play game focuses on that skill and makes it fun. This off-road subtraction game was inspired by Mrs….
Practice describing 3D shapes with this fun hide-n-seek game for kindergarten. Students will describe a shape using vocabulary to look for hidden pirate treasure. This free hide-n-seek game is designed to play whole group or small group in kindergarten. Let me show you how to play and give you the free download so you can…
Reward positive behavior in kindergarten with a free printable bracelet set. Let students feel proud to show off their great choices in the classroom with these printable reward bracelets. Part of my classroom management plan is to reward positive behaviors. Often times verbal praise, high fives and encouragement are sufficient. But sometimes a kindergarten teacher…