Starting a new school year as a kindergarten teacher can be both exciting and overwhelming. Being well-prepared and having the right supplies always helped to set our minds at ease.
With decades of teaching experience, we know the best kindergarten teacher supplies to start your year off right. Setting up your classroom and getting your materials organized will set you and your students up for a successful school year. Here are our favorite classroom must haves.
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Dry Erase Materials
Dry erase materials are a necessity in kindergarten, and they get used often. Store your student dry erase materials in a spot that’s easy to access, so they can quickly grab them and be ready for your lesson.
- Dry Erase Markers : Bright color capture children’s attention and make learning more engaging. It also helps differentiate information.
- Dry Erase Pocket Sleeves : Worksheets can be used over and over again by putting them in pocket sleeves and using dry erase markers.
- Student Dry Erase Boards : Using individual dry erase boards during your lessons will keep students focused and engaged.
- Dry Erase Student Erasers : These erasers are the perfect size for small hands.
- Dry Erase Teacher Eraser : Never lose your eraser again – it magnetizes to your white board.
Writing Materials
Whether you’re using pencils, pens, or markers, having a variety of writing ustensils is a must in Kindergarten. And having a great pencil sharpener can save you loads of time.
- Pencils : Can we all agree that Ticonderoga makes the best pencils?
- Black Felt Tip Markers : We used these when teaching our students to draw, and you can also include them in your writing center.
- Mr. Sketch Scented Markers : Colorful and scented – these markers make kids and teachers happy.
- Hightlighters : Our kinders delighted in using highlighters to spot sight words in decodable readers and other texts, such as poems.
- Pencil Sharpener : This is the best pencil sharpener for teachers with 6 size holes, and it even works on colored pencils.
Classroom Decor
These classroom must-haves will fill and brighten up your classroom quickly.
- Name Plates for Desks : These adorable name plates have an alphabet and number line.
- Name Plates for Lockers : Hang these cute balloons on your students’ lockers or cubbies to identify them.
- Classroom Calendar : Calendar time is such an important part of the kindergarten day.
- Edcuational Posters : The perfect decor for a kindergarten classroom.
- Pocket Charts : There are so many great uses for pocket charts, and this one is the perfect size.
Student Table Supplies
These table caddies are perfect for housing student materials. We kept a different color bucket on each student table filled with crayons, pencils and markers. We also kept another set of caddies on the side with scissors, glue sticks and glue ready for cutting and gluing projects.
- Student Table Caddies : These are the perfect buckets to house student materials.
- Glue Sticks : Elmer’s glue sticks go down smooth and dry clear.
- Crayola Crayons 24 Pack : Crayola brand crayons always have great bright colors.
- Crayola Markers Classic Colors : We recommend using the classic colors. This will provide students with the right variety of colors.
- Student Scissors : These scissors don’t have sharp blades, which is perfect for kids who might be new to cutting.
- Elmer’s Glue : We found Elmer’s School Glue to be the best glue option for our students.
Shelf Supplies
Every kindergarten classroom has shelving. The easiest way to organize your shelving is by using buckets.
- Clear Buckets : These are perfect for math manipulatives; no labels needed.
- Labels for Buckets : If you don’t have clear buckets, using labels makes things easier for you and your students.
- Flat Storage Buckets : These are great option for student turn-in bins.
Art Supplies
The Art Center in your classroom can have lots of different materials. Let your students be creative as they make art. These are a few items that our students loved in our Art Centers (except for the tempera paint – that was used for specific art projects we did as a class).
- Tempera Paint : This is a great choice for multiple art projects.
- Watercolor Paints : Add these watercolor paints to your art center for extra fun.
- Construction Paper : Every art center needs paper…lots of paper.
- Decorative Edge Scissors : Cutting is great practice for fine motor development. These scissors make cutting fun.
- Dot Markers : Dot markers were always a huge hit in our art centers.
More Great Classroom Must Haves
These might be odds and ends, but these teacher supplies can be very useful in your classroom.
- Pointers : Pointers provide a fun way for your students to follow along during your lessons.
- Sentence Strips : Use these for sentence starters, or interactive writing, or cutting up words in sentences and having your kids put them back together.
- Birthday Crowns : These birthday crowns will make your students feel special on their birthday.
- Velcro Dots : Attach these to your literacy station or center board for easy repositioning.
- Clipboards : For writing anytime your students are not at their desks. A favorite writing station in our class was ‘Write the Room,’ where students used clipboards and paper to walk around and write down any words they found.
- Stickers : Stickers are a must for kindergarten teachers, and these cute, sparkly smiley face stickers are perfect.
- Magnetic Hooks : These are really strong magnets. Put them on your board to hang your pocket charts.
- Post-It Notes : Sticky notes are great for quick reminders, adding feedback to your students writing, and adding text dependent questions to your interactive read alouds.
Ready, Set, Here They Come!
These kindergarten teacher supplies can help you create a welcoming environment for your students. And to make sure that first day of school is extra fantastic, read our 7 Tips for a Successful First Day of Kindergarten: For Teachers.
One Response
thank you for these key things that I should have in my classroom when I finally get one.