Make circle time short, sweet, and active. Not sure exactly what you need for the kindergarten classroom? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with this list of essential kindergarten classroom supplies. Are you aware of what it truly means for your classroom and your students? Check out this article to learn more about the science of reading. The science of reading has been all the buzz lately. Check out some of Keri from Enchanted Kinder Garden’s favorite tech tools for a kindergarten classroom. With so many teachers receiving new devices, make sure you’re using them fully as a normal part of your day. Need ideas? We’ve gathered real-life kindergarten classrooms for you to browse! 3.

I love my kinders dearly and find so much joy in watching their little light bulbs go on for the first time! They’re a different bunch to be sure, but they’re a blast!” -Maggie V. “Be ready for kids who are readers, kids who have never seen letters, and everything in between. Prepare yourself for kids with a wide range of skills In honor of those of you who teach this grade, we’ve scoured our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook to bring you the best tips, tricks, and ideas for teaching kindergarten. It takes a special person to be able to manage the littlest students without breaking a sweat! Teaching kindergarten is also a special opportunity to introduce children to school and instill in them a love of learning. Independence: Help children practice and build confidence with self-care tasks that they may need to do themselves in a school setting, such as cleaning up after themselves, putting on and taking off their own jackets or shoes, using a lunch box, and so on.Kindergarten teachers are magical people. Managing Big Feelings: Managing big feelings is a skill that can take lots of practice! The three step strategy “Breathe, Think, Do” can help in tough moments.

Try adding each element of whole-body listening into the game (“Elmo says… sit criss-cross on the floor, look at my face, use calm hands,” and so on). You can also challenge them to listen to an entire story without interrupting! Whole-Body Listening: Playing Simon Says (or Elmo Says!) is a great way to help children practice listening and following directions. Sharing is Caring : Sharing with others is an important school readiness skill, and a little different than taking turns! Practice this skill with little ones by engaging together in cooperative or collaborative play, like building a block tower together or painting together using the same jar of paintbrushes (older children might join you in painting on the same page). You can use a digital timer, like on a phone or tablet, a kitchen timer, or a sand timer. Taking Turns : Practice turn taking with children by using verbal cues (“my turn, your turn” or “first you, then me, now you, now me”) and timers to show how much time they will have to wait for their turn. Change in normal routines have created unique challenges for children and families, and one of those challenges is that many children have missed important opportunities to develop the social-emotional skills that set them up for school success. Fortunately, parents are children’s first and most important teachers, and you can help children practice some basic social-emotional skills before they enter the classroom.

Preparing for kindergarten activities