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
Grab your FREE hair salon scissor skills printable to use with your preschool and kindergarten students! Use at home and at school!
This free Kindergarten sentence building and writing center is perfect for practice with making simple sentences for beginning writers!
Image 41 of 47 from gallery of Kindergarten Riedlepark / Lanz Schwager Architekten. Photograph by Barbara Schwager
Kindergarten homework made easy! Find a simple and effective way to do homework in kindergarten with these printable and editable homework calendars.
I posted about these songs about a year ago on my Instagram feed and so many of you asked if I would be putting these in my TPT shop to sell. At the time, we had only written three, and I just didn't feel like that was enough to make a whole resource with. Since then, I have been working on writing new transition songs that are sung to some of our kids' favorite tunes! Singing CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT SONGS AND CHANTS during transitions makes moving from one thing or place to another almost seamless. Songs and chants keep students engaged, focused, and excited to learn, which in turn will save valuable instruction time. It also helps eliminate unwanted behaviors by giving your students the structure, consistency, and support they need. Most of the songs included are parodies of popular songs most kids will know. The words have been changed to help students transition in a positive manner. I printed the songs on cardstock and laminated them. I used a binder ring to attach the set together to hang on my board for easy access. There are also three different color options included. :) Let's go through a little breakdown of when and why we sing each of these songs: The Carpet: We sing this when it's time to transition to the carpet. I start they song, they join in. They have to be on the carpet in their assigned spots by the end of the song. Works like a charm every single time! I even added in some little hand motions that end the song with their hands in their laps. All I Do Is Freeze: We mostly use this when students are working in groups or with a partner. Sometimes, I need them to stop what they are doing, so that I can give them a direction or clear something up. It's a great way to get their attention! Clean Up Chant: This one is pretty self-explanatory. I do not instruct them when it's time to clean up; I just start the chant. You may want to add a timer to it afterwards if you need them cleaned up in a certain amount of time. Let's Line Up: Will kids ever get over Frozen? Probably not. If yours are still obsessed, too, they will love this line up chant. It gets them lined up quickly and without distractions, which saves so much time! Back to My Seat: We sing this when we transition from the carpet to their seats. We usually sing it a couple of times to give them plenty of time to make it to their seats. It's a really quick song! Partner Up: This song probably takes the most practice. Anytime you need students to get with their partner, you can sing this song. It also reminds them what to do when they are with their partner. Learning Math is Awesome: Sing this song to signal that it's time to begin math. I can guarantee it will get stuck in your head afterwards. Sorry. We Can't Stop Reading: This song can be used to kick off your reading block each day. It gets them excited about books and where those stories will take them! Quiet Time: I may or may not have sung this one the most. It works so well! I sing it in a calm, quiet voice, in which students will mirror. It immediately calms the room. Sing it a couple of times if needed! See!: I had to incorporate some Taylor Swift in these songs. We want students to be proud to share their thinking and comfortable talking with a partner. We also want their partners to be respectful and value what they are saying. This song is great to sing before students share with a partner or to close out a lesson by sharing what they learned or took away from the lesson. I just added some NEW songs!!! Like It Was: This is another clean up song. You could sing this one at the end of centers. It's really good about reminding students to put everything back in its place. Good For You: This is a song that you can sing as a class to celebrate someone! Maybe someone had a really great idea or accomplished something amazing, you can sing this to pump them up! We're Amazing: I am all about incorporating mindfulness into our day, so I knew I needed to create a song that encompassed that. This is another one that is going to take some practice to get down, but you can always display it as you sing. Some of the songs might take lots of practice to get down! But don't give up! After you sing it over and over, you will eventually get it. You will sing them to the tune of the chorus from the songs. I have added links to the actual songs in the PDFs. You just click the blue arrow at the bottom of the page. Always check these first NOT in the presence of students. I have gone through them to make sure they are safe, but you never know when things can change. A few of these parodies are straight from my students. I asked them what songs they wanted me to write transition songs for, and these are what we came up with. This group in particular had difficulty this year with transitions because they were all best of friends and LOVED to talk, which in turn got them distracted. I LOVED that about them, but we were losing valuable time trying to get refocused. Once I introduced a song or chant for them to do while transitioning, the difference was crazy! It keeps your learning environment positive, too, which is super important. You can check out the resource by clicking HERE or on any of the images in the post. Let me know how your students do with these songs or if you need another song added! I love your feedback! Happy transitioning!
KINDERGARTEN MATH - UNIT 1 I am thrilled to be sharing this huge Counting and Cardinality Unit with you! This is the math unit we start the year with in kindergarten. The kids love all of the hands-on activities we get to do, and I love how easy it is to keep them engaged.
This FREE class about "free-flowing" centers will help you increase learning and save time with independent Pre-K & Kindergarten centers!
This fun Easter Bingo game is perfect for helping preschool or kindergarten students practice letter recognition and it's FREE!
Recently, I have seen some debates on using centers and the Science of Reading. If you have been a teacher for a long time, centers were a HUGE part of Balanced Literacy. Recently, teachers have shifted away from balanced of literacy to research based Science of Reading. You can read my Science of Reading Post ... Read More about Centers and the Science of Reading
FREE printable Symmetry drawing activity for preschool and kindergarten kids. A fun art and math activity in one! Kids will complete the symmetrical pictures by drawing the other half.
Real-life kindergarten spaces!
Hey all! I hope that you are enjoying your last few days of summer. I've had some questions lately from both new and veteran teachers alike about year-long pacing of curriculum. How can you make sure
1st Week of Kindergarten Plans & Ideas including a freebie. Teaching little learners with purpose and fun.
FREE personalized name tracing sheet for preschool and kindergarten. Can be edited to include any child's name. Great for kids learning to write their name, as well as kids who need more handwriting practice.
Here are some helpful tips for name practice in Kindergarten. I also created some freebies for your first week of school.
MAD Architects unveiled their scheme for the upcoming “Courtyard Kindergarten”, which will be located within a traditional siheyuan courtyard in Beijing that dates back to 1725. Currently under construction, the kindergarten is expected to be operating by fall 2019. Rendering by SAN.The...
Does the first week of Kindergarten have you shaking in your boots? You are not alone! I've been at this for a little while now so you would think it would get easier with time but I am here to tell you it does not! I still get anxious right before school starts. What will they be like? Will I remember what to do at line up time? What if I don't set things up right and I mess up the whole rest of the year? (sounds dramatic but that is really what goes through my head!) I sat down as soon as school got out and wrote down my first week of lesson plans to put my mind at ease. It has really helped with my worry so far! I wrote down the first five days, plans and procedures I need to introduce, brain breaks, classroom community building activities, easy morning work to get started with and even got my welcome back gifts ready. My mind is officially at ease. I want to make sure I have a lot of fun and a LOT of books planned for the first week too. Here are a couple of fun crafts to go with the books I have planned. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. You can't skip this book the first week of school! Our focus will be all about names the first week (or more!). I put together all of my favorite books with some crafts to help teach all of those back to school procedures like cutting, gluing, and of course following directions. The Wheels on the Bus This one is fun for a little first sound fun. The students change the words to match the first sound in their name. A My Name is Alice by Jane Bayer Alphabet books are the best the first few weeks of school. A My Name is Alice Jane Bayer is the best! This is a fun activity to do after we read the book and they will make really cute self portraits to hang in the hallway the first week of school. Not only did I plan out the activities for these books but for lots of other favorites like Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, Rosie Takes a Walk by Pat Hutchins, No David by David Shannon, and Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell. So now I don't have to feel guilty when I am floating in the pool this summer (just kidding, I never feel guilty doing that!) But honestly, I can relax knowing all I have to do is hit print when I get back to school. These plans can work for you too! Click here to see them in my store! Or if you are not ready to think about school yet pin this for later! P.S. Get a FREE ALPHABET ACTIVITY when you sign up for my newsletter HERE!
In this blog post: Download a set of decodable readers based on your favorite fairytales and folktales including The Little Red Hen, The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. If you’ve been around for a while, you know that one of my favorite […]
The first few minutes with your students are powerful! Not only do you get to greet them and love them, but you truly set the tone for the whole day! Read these 5 tips for a smooth morning!
Free printable Halloween kindergarten worksheets for teaching basic math concepts this October! Counting, numbers, making patterns, and more!
Each year, we collect work examples and art projects to create our year long scrapbook. It is something that takes time and effort BUT it is so worth it in the end.
Pre-K and TK Activities: Back to School. Letter Recognition, Number Recognition, Counting, Colors, Patterns, Fine Motor Skills, and more!
I have a special love for teaching writing! It's definitely a challenge, but it's one that I enjoy greatly. And having a balanced literacy classroom makes writing even more enjoyable. Anytime I start a new writing unit, I open it up with a good book. That book then leads to a fun pre-writing activity. And
Teaching kids about our world, geography, maps, and more. Kindergarten Social Studies Lessons made easy #kindergarten #socialstudies
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Download sample resources from our Kindergarten Mega Math Bundle to make hands on instruction an integral part of your math classroom.
Grab our free, clickable Mega List of Themes and Skills for Pre-K & Kindergarten Lesson Plans to see what themes/skills I cover in my classroom all year!
A ton of free printable worksheets for kindergarten you'll love to use in your class or at home. Fun kindergarten worksheets to download!
This assessment pack focuses on basic skills students will learn during Pre-K and Kindergarten. This resource is PERFECT for informally assessing a student’s knowledge at the beginning, middle and end of each year. You can use this during conferences as well as showing progress throughout the school year. Please download the preview to see all that is included. Directions: Print on cardstock and laminate for durability or slip into page protectors! --Students can use a dry-erase marker to circle and write the correct answers. -- Rubric is included (multiple options for assessing throughout the year) Skills Assessed Student Name (writing first and last name) Writing Capital Letters Writing Lowercase Letters Identifying Capital Letters Identifying Lowercase Letters Identifying Letter Sounds A-Z Identifying Beginning Sounds A-Z Reading CVC Words (for short a, e, i, o and u. in color & b/w Identifying CVC Word Families (for –at, -en, ip, ot, and un both in color & b/w) Identifying Rhyming Words (in color & b/w) Story Telling (students tell a story about the given picture. In color & b/w) Sequencing (includes three short passages in color & b/w) Listening Comprehension (includes two stories with 3 questions each in color & b/w) Identifying Colors Identifying 2D Shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, star, heart, octagon, pentagon) Identifying 3D Shapes (sphere, cube, cone, cylinder, rectangular prism, pyramid) Patterns (AB, ABB, ABC, AAB, AABB) Counting 0-10 Identifying Numbers 0-10 Identifying Numbers 0-20 Writing Numbers 0-10 Writing Numbers 0-20 Assessment Trackers (for student records) Questions before you purchase? Ask away in the Q&A! If you notice any errors, please email me before leaving negative feedback. My email address is located on the credits page. Thank you so much! ************************************************************************************************************** Customer Tips: How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases: • Please go to your My Purchases page (you may need to login). Beside each purchase you'll see a Provide Feedback button. Simply click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give a quick rating and leave a short comment for the product. Each time you give feedback, TPT gives you feedback credits that you use to lower the cost of your future purchases. I value your feedback greatly as it helps me determine which products are most valuable for your classroom so I can create more for you. • Look for the green star next to my store logo and click it to become a follower. Ta-Da! You will now receive email updates about my store. *************************************************************************************************************
Kids will love these fun patterning activities! They are perfect for preschool and kindergarten math centers. Patterning with Pattern Blocks
All of these organizational printables shown on this blog post are FREE! This page contains affiliate links. Read Full Disclosure
Science of Reading Centers in Kindergarten with ideas, activities, and more! SoR aligned centers ideas for teachers.
Simple or Basic Addition worksheets for your younger students. These free addition worksheets cover sums up to 10. With a large font and large answer area these worksheets are perfect for your kindergarten students.
Tips for a first year kindergarten teacher - for newbies and teachers new to kindergarten. Let's break it down and keep it simple. You can do this!
These kindergarten anchor charts will give you the tools you need to teach math, reading, friendship skills, and much more!
Hier findest du 3 Spielideen mit Kastanien für den Kindergarten und die Kita. Ideal für ErzieherInnen und PädagogInnen geeignet.
Is your child ready for Kindergarten? This post will help you decide plus free worksheets focused on kindergarten readiness skills like...