Our Kindergarten Day

Square breathing, also known as box breathing, is a simple and effective breathing technique used to reduce stress and enhance focus. It typically involves inhaling for a count of four, holding the breath for four counts, exhaling for four counts, and holding again for four counts. I find a count of 4 too long. You can do 2 or 3. In a busy classroom, this rhythmic pattern helps calm the nervous system, improve mindfulness, and promote relaxation. Once the routine is explicitely taught, these

Learning beginning sounds and matching them to their corresponding graphemes is crucial for early literacy development. It helps children understand the relationship between sounds (phonemes) and letters (graphemes), which is the foundation of phonics. This skill enables them to decode words, improving reading fluency and comprehension. Additionally, it supports spelling and writing by teaching children how sounds are represented in written language, fostering strong communication and literacy s

This time-tested song has always brought joy for the children in my care. While sitting in a small circle, sing the Bakery Shop song and select students one by one to come and choose a muffin. Students are excited for their turn to select a muffin and name the shape represented on their muffin. Playing games to teach 2D and 3D shapes offers numerous benefits for children’s learning and development. Engages Active Learning: Games make learning interactive and fun, which helps children stay engag

This time-tested song has always brought joy for the children in my care. While sitting in a small circle, sing the Bakery Shop song and select students one by one to come and choose a donut. Students are excited for their turn to select a donut and name the number represented on their cookie. Incorporating songs and games into teaching letters and sounds offers numerous advantages for young learners, particularly in kindergarten. Here are some key benefits: Engagement and EnjoymentSongs and gam

Teaching proper letter formation and placement is essential for developing strong handwriting skills in young learners. Foundation for LegibilityCorrect letter formation ensures that handwriting is clear and easy to read.Proper placement on lines (e.g., touching the baseline) helps letters maintain uniformity, making writing more comprehensible.Supports Writing FluencyMastery of correct letter shapes and sizes reduces the cognitive load during writing, allowing children to focus on expressing i

This time-tested song has always brought joy for the children in my care. While sitting in a small circle, sing the Bakery Shop song and select students one by one to come and choose a cookie. Students are excited for their turn to select a cookie and name the letter and/or sound represented on their cookie. Incorporating songs and games into teaching letters and sounds offers numerous advantages for young learners, particularly in kindergarten. Here are some key benefits: Engagement and Enjoyme

Teaching kids about animals fosters curiosity and a sense of wonder about the natural world. It helps them develop empathy, responsibility, and an appreciation for biodiversity. Through hands-on activities, storytelling, and observation, children learn about animals’ habitats, behaviors, and roles in ecosystems, building a foundation for environmental stewardship. Teaching kids about Blue Jays is a fun way to spark, or support an interest in birds and nature. Blue Jays are known for their vibran

Teaching kids about animals fosters curiosity and a sense of wonder about the natural world. It helps them develop empathy, responsibility, and an appreciation for biodiversity. Through hands-on activities, storytelling, and observation, children learn about animals’ habitats, behaviors, and roles in ecosystems, building a foundation for environmental stewardship.

Teaching students to include "who" and "do" in their writing using photo prompts helps them develop sentence structure and storytelling skills. By identifying the subject (who), and their action (do) in a picture, children practice forming complete thoughts, and conveying clear ideas. This method strengthens their understanding of action-based language, builds vocabulary, and encourages observation and creativity. Using visual prompts also makes the learning process engaging and accessible, layi

Learning about spiders and their webs offers many benefits for students! It helps them appreciate nature and understand that every creature has a role in the environment. Spiders, for example, help control insect populations, which keeps the ecosystem balanced. By observing the different types of webs, students also see how animals adapt to their surroundings and develop unique ways to survive. This kind of learning encourages curiosity and observational skills as children start noticing webs ar

A structured literacy routine is essential in kindergarten, as it provides young learners with a systematic approach to developing key reading and writing skills. During these foundational years, children are introduced to the building blocks of literacy, including phonemic awareness, letter recognition, and sound-letter relationships. A structured routine brings predictability to the classroom, creating a supportive environment where students feel confident and ready to explore language. This a

‘Write the Room’ activities offer a range of benefits for students, including active learning through movement, fine motor practice, and vocabulary development. They also foster self-regulation, independent work skills, and can be easily adapted to meet the needs of diverse learners. By incorporating physical movement and literacy practice, these activities engage students in a fun and interactive way while supporting their academic growth. 'Write the Room' activities in kindergarten offer numer

"Heart Words" are words that don’t follow regular phonetic rules and thus, cannot be easily sounded out using conventional strategies. These words are often irregular or have unique spellings. For example, words like "said" and "was" are Heart Words because their pronunciations don’t align with standard phonetic rules. With Heart Words, students will learn to recognize which parts can be sounded out and which parts (indicated with a heart), have irregular sounds. I created these cards after no

Numeracy With Nature This product supports numeracy instruction, practice, and consolidation. The cards feature two sets of numbers from 1 to 10, with each number represented twice using images of local plants and wild animals. These familiar images help students connect with their local environment and offer a chance to observe and appreciate nature while engaging in numeracy activities. Use this product to support: one-to-one correspondencevocabulary developmentnumber formation practiceknowled

A mnemonic is a memory aid or technique designed to help individuals remember information more easily. Mnemonics typically involve associating the information to be remembered with something more familiar, meaningful, or easier to recall. This can include using rhymes, visual imagery, and more that create a memorable connection between new information and existing knowledge or sensory experiences. The goal of mnemonics is to improve retention and recall of information by leveraging cognitive pro

A mnemonic is a memory aid or technique designed to help individuals remember information more easily. Mnemonics typically involve associating the information to be remembered with something more familiar, meaningful, or easier to recall. This can include using rhymes, visual imagery, and more that create a memorable connection between new information and existing knowledge or sensory experiences. The goal of mnemonics is to improve retention and recall of information by leveraging cognitive pro

A mnemonic is a memory aid or technique designed to help individuals remember information more easily. Mnemonics typically involve associating the information to be remembered with something more familiar, meaningful, or easier to recall. This can include using rhymes, visual imagery, and more that create a memorable connection between new information and existing knowledge or sensory experiences. The goal of mnemonics is to improve retention and recall of information by leveraging cognitive pro

Print, cut individually, and laminate these materials for versatile use, offering numerous opportunities for exploration and learning. Some skill development possibilities include: Literacyphonological awarenessphonemic awarenessVocabularyNature ConnectionslearningappreciationFine Motorloose partsplaydoughWikki Stixso much more

Print, cut individually, and laminate these materials for versatile use, offering numerous opportunities for exploration and learning. Some skill development possibilities include: Literacyphonological awarenessphonemic awarenessVocabularyNature ConnectionslearningappreciationFine Motorloose partsplaydoughWikki Stixso much more

This set includes 70 decodable sentence cards of varying levels from basic decoding to the use of digraphs, vowel teams and silent e. Using decodable sentences in kindergarten is an excellent way to reinforce phonics skills, build confidence, and develop a strong foundation for literacy. Here are detailed and comprehensive strategies for incorporating decodable sentences into your kindergarten classroom: Daily Sentence PracticeInteractive Read-AloudsSentence Strips and Pocket ChartsAs a follow-