The Kindergarten Toolbox

38. Should You Use Sentence Starters in Kindergarten Writing

Should kindergarteners use sentence starters when they’re learning to write? Sentence starters can be a helpful scaffold for beginning writers, especially when they’re pa

37. Why Your Kindergarteners Can Tell You a Sentence But Can't Write One

Your kindergartener just told you exactly what they want to write...so why can’t they get that sentence onto the paper? Writing a sentence might seem like one simple task

36. Why “Make Good Choices” Doesn’t Work in Kindergarten

Do you find yourself telling your kindergarten students to “make good choices” all day long? It sounds like a perfectly reasonable reminder, but there’s one problem: what

35. Why Is My Kindergarten Class Suddenly Getting Harder to Manage?

Does it feel like your kindergarten class was doing SO well and then suddenly...they weren't? The routines you practiced are getting sloppy, students are talking mor

34. The Kindergarten Reward System That Doesn't Require a Prize Box

Does a kindergarten reward system really need a prize box, classroom money, or complicated points to keep students motivated? Some of my kindergarten students' favor

33. Why Does Every Kindergartener Need Me at the Same Time?

Does it feel like every kindergartener needs you for everything, all day long? And have you caught yourself thinking, I swear last year's class wasn't this need

32. The Best Classroom Rules for Kindergarten (And What to Do When Students Break Them)

How many classroom rules do you really need in kindergarten? And what should happen when students don't follow them? In this episode, we're talking about how t

31. What Behavior System Should You Use in Kindergarten?

What behavior system should you use in kindergarten? Classroom economy, Dojo points, desk pets, prize boxes, reward systems...there are SO many options. But just because

30. The Biggest Classroom Management Myth Kindergarten Teachers Believe

Do you think classroom management starts when student behavior becomes a problem? One of the biggest classroom management myths kindergarten teachers believe is that beh

29. What to Plan Before the First Week of Kindergarten (Hint: It's Not Your Centers)

Are you spending your summer organizing centers, decorating your classroom, and shopping for kindergarten supplies, but you're still not sure what to teach during th

28. Do Kindergarten Teachers Need to use a Daily Behavior Report?

Should kindergarten teachers send home a daily behavior report for every student? It's one of the most common classroom management questions I see every summer, esp

27. Should Kindergarten Students Have Classroom Jobs? Here's Why I Use One Daily Helper Instead

Should kindergarten students have classroom jobs? Classroom jobs have been a tradition in elementary classrooms for years, but are they actually teaching responsibility

26. Community Supplies or Individual Supplies? What Works Best in Kindergarten

Should kindergarten students have individual school supplies or community supplies? It's one of the biggest classroom setup decisions kindergarten teachers make bef

25. What to Teach During the First Week of Kindergarten (And What Can Wait)

If you're planning for the first week of kindergarten and feeling overwhelmed by everything you need to teach, this episode is for you. One of the biggest mistakes

24. New Kindergarten Teacher? Here's What I Wish I Knew Before My First Day

Are you a new kindergarten teacher preparing for your first year in the classroom? Or maybe you're switching grade levels and wondering what makes kindergarten so di

23. The 5 Classroom Management Decisions Every Kindergarten Teacher Should Make Before School Starts

Before school starts, there are five classroom management decisions every kindergarten teacher should make. Too often, we spend our back-to-school time organizing suppli

22. The Real Secret to Successful Kindergarten Classroom Management

Do calm kindergarten classrooms have better-behaved students? Not always. In this episode, we're talking about the real secret to successful classroom management i

21. The One Thing Every Kindergarten Classroom Needs for Better Classroom Management

When classroom management feels exhausting, the problem may not be your students or your behavior strategies. It may be that too much of your classroom depends on you con

20. How to Reduce Calling Out in Kindergarten Chatter Challenge

Getting kindergarten students to stop talking can feel impossible sometimes. The blurting, interruptions, constant calling out, and nonstop classroom chatter can quickly

19. How to Survive End-of-Year Behavior in Kindergarten (Without Starting Over)

If your kindergarten classroom feels louder, messier, and harder to manage right now, you are not alone. End-of-year behavior in kindergarten is real, and May can start t