Setting up a kindergarten classroom at the beginning of the year can be an exciting, yet overwhelming.
Whether you are a student teacher, or this is your last year teaching elementary school, I’m here to share my favorite things that have been helpful over the years.
Beginning of the Year
As a teacher, you probably know the importance of creating a classroom setting to increase academic performance.
The best way to prepare for the little kids is to familiarize yourself with the kindergarten curriculum.
Choose engaging early childhood academic activities, integrate some of your favorite things that will make you a happier teacher.
Also, learn as much as you can about kindergarten classroom management.
- Get to know curriculum
- Create a balance of engagement and down time for the kids
- Integrate your favorite things to make you a happier teacher
- Learn as much as you can about classroom management
- Set a daily kindergarten schedule – but be flexible for change.
Creating positive experiences for kindergarten students doesn’t have to be hard – just well thought out. Any K teacher will tell you there is a central goal – for the sake of early child development, keep learning fun in the early years.
The first kindergarten day will be all about learning routines.
You will be teaching transitions, social skills, teaching them about the designated areas for carpet time, small groups, independent work, play areas, and building classroom community.
First, and foremost, don’t stress yourself out.I promise even if your classroom isn’t perfect on the first day of school, your young students will still have fun learning.
The beginning of the year, regardless of grade level, is exciting, scary, and overwhelming.
If you are a new kindergarten teacher, take a deep breath. Focus on your plan to build relationships with the kids, their families, and your coworkers.
20 Basics for Academic Performance in a Kindergarten Classroom
1.Calendar
Usually held as a large group activity at the start of the day, calendar time gives the kids an understanding of time – reviewing the date, day of the week, month of the year, yesterday/today/tomorrow.
When the kids have a clear visual of the daily schedule, they are not surprised at transitional time, which will lead to less disruptions and melt downs.
There are tons of cute calendar displays for you to choose from, or you can create your own.
2. Counting the Days of School
Also during morning meetings, we count the days of school. Celebrating the 100th day of school is a BIG deal in kindergarten, and you have to be ready for it!
You can grab this printable resource HERE or on TPT.
3. Kindergarten Math Talks
This is it, friends…this is one of my favorite Kindergarten must-haves!
Daily number talks will build mental math, computation, and student discourse.
With these Daily Math Talk Cards, you will present open-ended questions, tasks, problems, and questions that the kids will LOVE!
Get your Kindergarten Math Talks for the entire year (Digital and Printable) HERE.
4. Educational Apps
Most likely your kids will have access to tablets or computers.
Choosing the right educational apps is just as important as planning for weekly lessons. One of my favorite FREE math apps for kids is Boddle.
Transforming math with engagement, Boddle is a K-6 math game that makes learning fun and personalized. Their goal is to help students unlock their confidence to learn through fun games that support their academic growth.
Boddle uses AI to adapt and tailor practice and learning content to the right level for each student using gamification.
Teachers and parents can create a free account.Boddle is available on the web, iOS app store, and the Google Play Store.
5. Nursery Rhymes for Kids
Nursery Rhymes for kids lay the foundation to early language and reading skills.
In the book, Reading Magic, the brilliant Australian author, Mem Fox, states “Experts in literacy and child development have discovered thatif children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they’re four years old, they’re usually among the best readers by the time they’re eight.”
Check out these Popular Nursery Rhymes for Kids.
6. 100’s Chart
Everyday, you will be counting aloud with the kiddos.Rote counting is an important kindergarten math standard, and can be easily implemented in your daily routine.
Along with recording their rote counting skills, I did daily activities using the 100’s pocket chart in my kindergarten classroom.
I created the printable 100’s charts and rote counting assessment to help build number sense and record the students growth throughout the year.
7. Question of the Day
The question of the day activity builds expressive and receptive language skills, serves as kindergarten journal writing prompts, and can be easily integrated into a math lesson.
8. I Can Statements (Kindergarten Standards)
Typically, elementary school administrators will expect teachers to post the kindergarten standards in a way that little kids can understand.
In other words, you will rewrite, and post, the common core academic standards of your lesson plans in an “I can” format.
For example, you can use these Kindergarten I Can Statements to simplify the state standards into kid-friendly language, such as “I can say the letter sounds.”
District officials will appreciate your effort to relay the expectations of the kids’ academic performance.
9. Alphabet and Number Printables
When setting up a kindergarten classroom, you will want both alphabet and number printables.
A daily review is a great way to bridge the kids into your planned leaning activities. The Alphabet and Number Daily Review pages are included in the Kindergarten Bundle.
10. Songs and Movement
There wasn’t a single day that went by that we didn’t sing a song or incorporate music and movement in our kindergarten classroom.
Studies have shown that music produces several positive effects on a human’s body and brain.
Music activates both the left and right brain at the same time, and the activation of both hemispheres can maximize learning and improve memory.
Here are 18 transition songs for the classroom.
11. Playdoh
Yes, it’s true! Playdoh is a must have item in a kindergarten classroom.
You can allow kids to have a small collection of objects for free exploration, or have fun playdoh mats for them to practice specific skills.
Inside the Kindergarten Bundle, you will find playdoh mats for letters, shapes, and numbers to 20.
12. Sight Words and CVC Word Family Resources
Depending on your curriculum, sight words can be taught as early as the first quarter in kindergarten.
You’ll want several sets of Sight Words cards and printable activities to keep throughout your room.
Check to see if you are using Dolch Sight Words or Fry Sight Words.
The kindergarten sight word superstars (seen below) are included in the Kindergarten Classroom Bundle.
As a kindergarten teacher, I focused heavily on cvc words, phoneme segmentation, and word families during second half of the school year.
I created CVC word family printable resources, and CVC word games, as a supplemental to our weekly word family instruction and assessments.
13. Writing Center
Teaching kindergarten students how to write isn’t always as easy as you’d think.
The best advice I can give is to make writing fun by creating a writing center that inspires them to write and/or draw from day one!
This area is a great way to encourage positive experiences with writing – not for correcting their mistakes.
Supplies for a Fun Writing Center:
- Seasonal Illustrated Vocabulary Words
- Colored Paper
- Lined Paper for Kindergarten Writing
- Markers
- Crayons
- Smelly Markers
- Stickers
- Glue Sticks
- Stamps
- Child appropriate magazines
- Blank notebooks
- Colored Pencils
The monthly Making Words writing centers (seen below) are included in the Kindergarten Classroom Bundle.
14. Classroom Library
Classroom libraries can be extensive, or kept simple.My simplified classroom library entailed a front-facing bookshelf with approximately 15-30 books related to the theme we were currently learning about.
A couple bean bag chairs, a small carpet, throw pillows, and stuffed animals made it a cozy place for them to want to hang out and read books.
15. Anchor Charts
As much as you would love to think the kids will have their eyes on you while teaching…they won’t.
They are 5-year olds and six-year olds, and their little minds and eyes wonder all over the place.
As they drift off, it’s important to have visuals around the room to help them connect the learning. This is why I love having anchor charts, of all sizes, hung around the room.
16.Alphabet and Number Flashcards
There are endless opportunities to use alphabet cards in a kindergarten classroom.
- letter identification
- letter and sound assessments
- writing centers
- building sight words
- making words
- name building activities
- matching lowercase to uppercase
- filling in a 100’s chart
- sequential order
- missing number
- beginning sounds activities
Number flashcards are great for number identification, number assessments, counting sets and matching numbers, ordering or sequencing numbers, missing number games on a pocket chart, a number line, 100’s chart, in a math center, or to put on a small binder ring and keep on the board for parent volunteers to review with the kids.
17. Dramatic Play
I can’t stress this enough! Play is a natural part of childhood development. Kids learn through play.
As kindergarten teachers, can’t take that away from them. Set up a dramatic play area that promotes imagination and social skills.
A great way to get started at the beginning of the year is to put out a dress-up box.
Favorite Dress-Up Sets for Kindergarten:
- Construction worker, baker, gardener
- Fireman, police, and doctor
- Superhero Capes
18. Family Photo Display
At the start of the year, I send home a parent letter requesting a family photo.
Photos trickle in over the following week, and I quickly have an adorable family photo display for the classroom.
The kids love talking about their family, and explaining who everyone is in the photo. It’s a great ice breaker activity for kindergarten.
19. Poetry Notebooks
Poems for kids lay the foundation to early language and reading skills.
Children who are frequently read and sang to early on, are much more likely to develop strong reading skills.
Poems for kids help with:
- memory skills
- cognitive development
- increase vocabulary
- capacity to engage socially
- imagination
- rhyming skills
- receptive and expressive language skills
20.Sensory Bins
When setting up your kindergarten classroom, be sure to designate an area for sensory bins!
Some teachers have sensory tables, while other create sensory bins using buckets with lids. Whichever you choose, you can keep it simple with seasonal filler and skill cards.
I love using sensory bins with the Monthly Mat Mats. All you have to do is change out the filler and mats at the start of each month.
Classroom Environment
The classroom environment is, in my opinion, just as important as the full-day kindergarten curriculum.
You will want to create an environment that is warm and welcoming, like home. This is where the students will be spending the majority of the time throughout the day.
As you consider the classroom setting, you will need to think about where your going to store classroom supplies, setting up a classroom library, the layout for student tables, a teacher desk, large group time, and areas for small groups.
When you look around the room, imagine a place to display student work, kindergarten “I Can Statement”, and where you can display a collection of family photos. I call this area the “classroom family” spot.
During the first week of school, I send home a parent letter asking parents to send in a family photo.
As they come in, the kids get an opportunity to tell the class about their family photo, then we hang it up in a designated area.
Favorite Things for Your Teacher Desk
You may be wondering how a teacher desk is related to the education of young children. But, trust me, easy access to your favorite things will make your days smoother than those who are not organized and prepared.
Even if you don’t have a teacher desk, you will want to create an area for the basics.
I recently polled thousands of teachers inside FB groups asking what their desk must-haves are.
Here are some of the favorite things to keep in/on your teacher desk:
- Lotion (it can often be the miracle cure for those kids who have excessive mystery “boo-boos”. You know, the 5 and 6-year olds that come to you all day long with “this hurts”.
- Band-aids (I stock up at the Dollar Tree)
- Colorful Flair Pens
- Frixion Erasable Pens
- Blank note cards to send thank you notes
- Desktop calendar
- Clear packing tape
- Change of clothes (throw up happens)
- Lined post-it note pads (These are bigger than the traditional sizes, and are lined, which makes writing those quick last minute notes home a breeze)
- Chocolate or snack stash for the days when you have little time but need a pick-me-up.
- 3 Drawer container: to copy, to file, to pass out
- Stickers, stamps and stamp-pad
- Personal items for back-up (floss, advil, deodorant, hair bands)
- Tape dispenser
- Stapler
- Lesson Plan book
- Extra name tags
- Umbrella for dismissal
- Flavored Chapstick
Kindergarten Classroom Bundle
From alphabet posters and student bins, to daily math talks and Build-a-Poems, there are many important factors to consider when setting up your kindergarten classroom.
If you are interested in getting all of the printable resources listed above (plus additional printables, such as classroom labels, birthday tags, and table numbers) at a discounted rate, then you can check out the Basics of a Kindergarten Classroom Bundle.
Before you go, here are a few blog posts you may enjoy:
130 Kindergarten Journal Prompts
20 Tips for Teaching Concepts of Print
Kindergarten I Can Statements
