My students need to know sight words. They are a key step in the reading process. They aren’t the end-all-be-all, but they do play an important role in learning how to read in kindergarten. Here is one mini-lesson I do – I call it a warm-up activity – with my guided reading groups. Let me…
Make your teaching life a little easier with these kindergarten teacher-friendly fonts. Do you make your own worksheets, workmats, or printables for your classroom? If so – then I’ve got your back on this one. Teachers create stuff to use in their classrooms ALL.THE.TIME! Why do we do this year after year? Is it an…
Teach handwriting easier with these free handwriting stroke posters. Group letters together by their similar strokes and you’ll be surprised how quickly kindergarten students will learn to form letters correctly. What do you think is easier: learning “the rules” for how to make 52 letters (because we’re talking both uppercase and lowercase) — or — learning 4…
Making class books is a favorite kindergarten activity of mine. Here is a free Dr. Seuss “There’s a Wocket in My Pocket” themed class book template you can make with your class. This activity is all about enjoying the rhymes of Dr. Seuss and recreating our own as a class. Let me share our interactive…
Teaching handwriting in kindergarten can be simplified with these quick tips. Here’s what you need to know when you’re teaching five and six-year-olds how to write. These tips will work with whatever way you teach students to write in kindergarten. However, I believe that they will work extremely well when combined with this simple approach…
Keep track of the letters kindergartners can write correctly with this simple system. Here’s how I tracked my kindergarten students and helped them print 100% of their letters correctly… without wanting to pull my hair out. A while back I shared how I teach handwriting in kindergarten. My approach is simple and breaks handwriting down…
Teach handwriting in kindergarten by starting early and working smart. Here are the four basics to teaching handwriting in kindergarten — so that all students can form letters successfully and without stacks of worksheets. At first, I’ll admit, I was frustrated by being told to teach handwriting when the common core standards rolled out. These…
When we teach handwriting or how to form letters in kindergarten – it’s easy to focus on the wrong things. Let me help you teach handwriting more simply with the best handwriting font for kindergarten. In kindergarten, teaching handwriting is super simple. Think that’s a loaded statement? I’ll break it down and show you what…
To teach kindergarten to be independent in classroom routines takes a lot of effort. Here is how I used icons to help teach, reinforce, and get kindergartners to be independent with morning and afternoon routines. If you like this concept – you can get icons free to use in your classroom too. Let me start by…
This Valentine’s Day card collection keepsake book is a free printable that will allow your students to collect their Valentine cards all in one place. I wanted to make sure if you hadn’t already gotten your hands on a copy that you could with plenty of time to make copies before Valentine’s Day! This is such a cute and…
Make a sweet Mother’s Day present with your kindergartners. This free photo overlay will be a cherished Mother’s Day kindergarten gift. With spring in the air and the end of the year around the corner – it’s time to put together a quick Mother’s Day gift for kindergartners to give to their mamas. This fresh…
Learning to read CVC words is key to reading success in kindergarten. Learning to rhyme in addition to blending onsets and rime plays a key role in learning to read too. Here are some quick tools I’ve developed to work on these skills in my small group teaching sessions. I made these rhyming books to…
Work on understanding addition sentences and composing the number five with this free bingo game for kindergarten. Bingo is a classic way to practice recognizing skills in a small group setting. Here is a ‘making 5’ addition activity we do during our math groups to help practice our Kindergarten Common Core standards. Why I made this…
It’s the new year and the 100th day of school is upon us! Most schools celebrate the 100th day of school in Mid-January to Mid-February – so let’s dig into some fun resources to enjoy the 100th day in kindergarten. I plan to list some free learning activities, printables that are fun and a few…
Are you gearing up for the 100th day of school in kindergarten? I am working here behind the scenes to help you pull off a fun and learning-filled day. I’ve got some freebies to share as a result. It’s my goal on KindergartenWorks to have your back – by helping you keep the beauty in…
The 100th day of school is such a fun celebration. We work hard in kindergarten and come so far in those first 100 days of school. Some of you may remember that I lovingly joke that we go from herding cats in the first days in kindergarten to teaching those same cats to read. What…
If you’re like me, we can’t spend the entire 100th day of school counting things. That feels monotonous… even though it’s just for a day. Here is a fun writing activity you can plan for your 100th day of school festivities. It’s a perfect activity to break up counting to 100 but still plays off…
Let’s get ready for the 100th day of school! Celebrate with free 100th day of school certificates that you can download and print for free below. It’s amazing how much our kinders can grow in 100 days of school. They come to us often knowing: the name of a single letter recognizing a letter or…
It’s the 100th day of kindergarten and time to celebrate! Let’s make some 100th day of school headband crowns to mark the special school day. If you’re like me, then we can marvel at how far our kinders come in the span of 100 school days. It’s fun to add in special 100-themed things throughout…
The 100th day of kindergarten is almost here. Are you ready for the 100th day of school? Quick – download these free, printable 100th day of school necklaces and you’ll be set for a little 100th day fun. Are you looking for something different than having your students wear a shirt with 100 things on…
I’m not a kindergarten classroom management guru. I don’t know all of the latest things that are being taught as the “in” thing to do. But I do know what works in the kindergarten classroom. And I don’t believe that you have to shout, resort to using gimmicks constantly or have a prize reward system…
Think through a solid plan for classroom management for kindergarten. Here’s what makes a good classroom management plan, how to plan rewards and consequences and I’ll share my own classroom management plan with you. Let’s start out by identifying what makes a good classroom management kindergarten plan. That way you can rock your own! What makes…
Teach color words with the ever-popular frog street press color songs. Here are the top color word songs on video, in my opinion, for kindergarten. I don’t know about you but we used these songs repeatedly to teach how to spell color words in kindergarten. In fact, I love using songs so much that I…
Are you planning for Christmas in your classroom? Here is a collection of favorite Christmas videos for kindergarten. These are YouTube videos that aren’t too long and can hold the attention span of a five and six year old. I’ve found audio books, brain breaks and how to say Merry Christmas in different languages you’ll want to show…