Teacher's Brain Blog

5 Reasons to Use Morning Work in Kindergarten

September 1, 2023 teachersbrain Back to School, education, kindergarten survival, Sight Words, Teacher's Pay Teachers, Teaching Tips

Picture this: It’s a bright, bustling morning in your kindergarten classroom. The tiny tots are shuffling in with sleepy eyes and contagious energy. As a teacher, you know that the first moments of the day set the tone for everything that follows.

That’s where the magic of kindergarten morning work comes into play. It’s like the secret ingredient in your morning routine that can transform chaos into calm, hesitation into confidence, and groggy minds into eager learners.

If you’re looking for morning work ideas for kindergarten or morning work worksheets, you’re in the right place!

But first, let’s discuss the advantages of having morning work in your kindergarten classroom.

Smooth Morning Transitions

Morning work is like the secret sauce that makes our mornings smoother than a fresh jar of peanut butter. It gives our little ones a structured start to the day, helping them transition from home to the classroom routine with ease. Less chaos, more focus!

Independence Boost

You know that feeling when a kindergartener proudly completes a task on their own? It’s like a warm cup of coffee for our teacher hearts! Morning work encourages independence. They’re tackling challenges right away, building confidence as they go.

Skill Reinforcement

Think of morning work as a daily dose of learning vitamins. It reinforces the skills we’ve been teaching. Whether it’s reviewing letters, numbers, or shapes, these quick exercises keep their growing brains engaged and active.

Time Management Skills

In the real world, time management is a superpower, right? Well, morning work helps our little ones develop those skills early on. They learn to manage their time by completing tasks within a set period. It’s like a mini time-management boot camp!

Teacher Prep Time

Last but not least, morning work can be a lifesaver for us teachers. While the kiddos are busy, we can take a moment to assess their progress, prepare for the day, or have a quick chat with parents. It’s like a small gift of time in a busy morning schedule.

You may be wondering what to do for kindergarten morning work?

This resource is all you need!

This engaging morning work for kindergarten covers reading and math skills and is super easy to implement. These no prep packets are perfect. They will help keep your class calm while reviewing skills at their own pace for the entire school year.

You’ll never find yourself scrambling for morning activities again!

This resource covers:

❀ Handwriting Uppercase and Lowercase Letters

❀ Sight Word Practice

❀ Beginning Letter Sounds

❀ Months of the Year

❀ Days of the Week

❀ Handwriting Sentences

❀ Word Families

❀ Silent /e/

❀ Digraphs

❀ Number Sense

❀ Ten Frames

❀ Counting

❀ Number Lines

❀ Writing Numbers

❀ Counting On

❀ Shapes

❀ More and Less Than

❀ 3D Shapes

❀ Graphs

❀ Place Value

What’s included?

Pg 1-42 – Aug. and Sept. (Handwriting, Letters, Numbers, Colors, Sight Words, Counting)

Pg. 43-84 – Oct. and Nov. (Handwriting, Letters, Numbers, Ten Frame, Counting, What Comes Next)

Pg. 85-126 Dec. Jan. (Word Families, Vowels, Counting, Greater than, Less Than, Handwriting)

Pg. 127-168 – Feb. and March (capital letters, lowercase letters, word families, shapes, counting on, less than)

Pg. 169-210 April and May (digraphs, tens and ones, 3D shapes, graphs, and silent /e/)

Each page has an extended activity for students to do on the back of the page for early finishers. It is designed to model once to the whole group, and students should be working independently for each set (4 Weeks.)

There are only mild changes in this packet each month to make it easy for students to follow the pattern each morning. I provide different fonts, so students get used to seeing letters that look different.

The number and the number word is used so students get familiar with number word recognition. I tell students to look at their crayons to find the color word to help them figure out the color on their own to create independence.

I print my pages out to create a journal to easily store papers, leaving the back blank for the extended activity. My students could move on to the next page if they finished. You can just give one individual sheet, if you like to ensure students don’t move on to the next page.

Check it out here!

For more kindergarten morning work activities, check out my post here!

3 Reasons To Use Escape Rooms In First Grade

August 25, 2023 teachersbrain education

Imagine turning your classroom into a captivating escape room where first-grade students become code-cracking detectives, working together to unravel mysteries while secretly building essential skills. Sound fun??

That’s where escape rooms for elementary school come in! You can use in person escape rooms or digital escape rooms, they’re all a blast!

What are escape rooms?

Escape rooms are immersive and interactive adventures where participants are “locked” in a themed room and tasked with solving a series of puzzles, riddles, and challenges to unlock the room’s exit within a set time limit. These puzzles can range from deciphering codes to manipulating objects and finding hidden clues, all while working together as a team.

Escape rooms offer an exciting way to engage individuals or groups in problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaborative exploration.

This exciting twist on learning can ignite engagement, foster teamwork, and sneakily enhance critical thinking in the most thrilling way possible!

Using escape rooms in your first-grade lessons can be so much fun and beneficial for your little learners.

Here are three exciting reasons why you should definitely consider doing an escape room activity with your students:

Super Engaging Learning

Imagine turning your classroom into a mysterious adventure land! Escape rooms are like real-life puzzles where students work together to solve problems and find clues. This hands-on approach keeps their minds active and engaged, making learning a thrilling experience. Your students will be so excited to explore and discover new things while trying to crack the codes.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Escape rooms encourage teamwork and collaboration in the most exciting way. Your first-grade students will have to work together, share their ideas, and help each other out to solve the puzzles and unlock the mystery. This not only promotes social skills but also teaches them the value of listening to their friends and working as a team. Plus, seeing their classmates as puzzle-solving pals will create a warm and friendly classroom atmosphere.

Sneaky Skill Building

Shhh, don’t tell the kids, but escape rooms are sneaky little teachers themselves! While your students are having a blast cracking codes and deciphering clues, they’re also practicing essential skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and logical reasoning. These skills are like superhero powers that will help them tackle all kinds of challenges throughout their learning journey.

So there you have it, my dear teacher friend! Incorporating an escape room activity into your lessons can bring a wave of excitement, teamwork, and skill-building to your classroom. Your first-grade students will adore the adventure, and you’ll love watching them learn and grow in such a creative way.

Looking for the perfect escape room resources to get started? I have you covered!

This First Grade Escape Room Bundle is just what you need!

Use these 9 Escape Rooms to guarantee student engagement while they learn and solve a classroom mystery. With little prep, your students will work as a team to break into a box, which breaks them out of the classroom as they beat the clock!

What’s inside this download?

Get 9 Escape Room Mysteries focusing on sight words, comprehension, numbers, alphabet, Veterans Day, Halloween, ice breakers, word building and addition for a low price. The Escape Rooms range from pre-k to 3rd grade, but all of these hit 1st grade benchmarks.

Check it out here! Looking for more escape room fun? Check out my post!

3 Effective Ways to Hold Students Accountable During Science

August 24, 2023 teachersbrain Teacher's Pay Teachers

Science education plays a crucial role in fostering curiosity and critical thinking in young minds. Kindergarten science lessons are the perfect opportunity to ignite this curiosity and lay the foundation for a lifelong love of learning. However, keeping kindergarten students engaged and accountable can be a challenge. We will explore three effective ways to hold students accountable during kindergarten science lessons, ensuring they actively participate and grasp the fundamental concepts.

1. Hands-On Experiments with Individual Responsibility

Kindergarten students learn best when they can interact with their environment. Incorporating hands-on experiments into science lessons not only captures their attention. To ensure accountability, assign each student a specific task within the experiment. For example, if the class is exploring the concept of sinking and floating, one student can be responsible for placing objects in water, while another observes and records the results.

By giving students individual responsibilities, they become accountable for their role in the experiment’s success. This approach promotes teamwork, builds a sense of ownership, and encourages active participation.

2. Interactive Group Discussions and Show-and-Tell

Kindergarten students love to share their thoughts and experiences. Leveraging this natural inclination, incorporate interactive group discussions into your science lessons. After introducing a new concept or conducting an experiment, gather the students and encourage them to express their observations, questions, and ideas.

To enhance accountability, designate a “show-and-tell” session where each student shares one thing they learned or found interesting during the lesson. This practice reinforces their understanding of the topic. It also fosters a sense of responsibility to contribute to the class’s learning environment.

3. Visual Journals, Interactive Notebooks, or Learning Logs

Kindergarten students are often more visually oriented learners. Introduce the concept of visual journals, interactive notebooks or learning logs early. This is where each student can document their scientific discoveries and reflections through drawings, short sentences, or even photographs. Provide prompts related to the lesson, such as “What did you learn today?” or “Draw a picture of the experiment we conducted.”

Regularly reviewing and discussing these journals in class allows you to gauge each student’s level of engagement and comprehension. It also gives them a personal sense of responsibility to document their learning journey and share their insights with their peers.

Grab this free energy download!

Bonus Tip: Celebrate Achievements

Incorporate a reward system to celebrate students’ achievements in understanding and participating during science lessons. This can be as simple as handing out stickers, small prizes, or certificates for active participation, insightful contributions, or successful completion of experiments. These rewards can act as positive reinforcement and motivate students to remain engaged and accountable in future lessons.

Grab the K-1 Science Yearlong Bundle

Choosing the Perfect Classroom Theme for Elementary

August 20, 2023 teachersbrain Teacher's Pay Teachers

As we gear up for another exciting school year, it’s time to start thinking about how we can create a warm and inviting classroom environment for our students.

One fantastic way to do that is by selecting a captivating classroom theme! If you’re looking for classroom theme ideas, classroom decorations, or other inspiration for the new school year, you’re in the right place!

What is a Classroom Theme?

A classroom theme is like the magical glue that holds your classroom together. It’s the central idea or concept that guides your classroom decorations, bulletin boards, and even some of your lesson plans throughout the year. I like to think of it as a story that unfolds as your students step into your classroom each day.

A well-chosen theme can foster a sense of unity, excitement, and engagement among our little learners, and who doesn’t love that?!

What are Some Good Themes for School?

Oh, the possibilities are endless! Here are a few tried-and-true classroom themes that have brought smiles and laughter to many elementary classrooms:

Under the Sea Adventure: Dive deep into an underwater wonderland filled with colorful fish, friendly sea creatures, and sunken treasures. Your students will be thrilled to explore the depths of learning with this theme.
Jungle Safari: Embark on a wild journey through the jungle, complete with lush foliage, adorable animals, and a sense of exploration. This theme is perfect for sparking curiosity and discovery.
Space Odyssey: Blast off into outer space and discover the mysteries of the cosmos! Planets, rockets, and stars will take your students on an educational journey that’s out of this world.
Superheroes Unite: Calling all young superheroes! With capes, masks, and a classroom decked out in heroic gear, your students will feel empowered to conquer any learning challenge.
Enchanted Garden: Create a whimsical world where imagination blooms. Butterflies, flowers, and magical creatures will nurture a love for learning and creativity.

How Do I Choose a Classroom Theme?

Picking the perfect theme is like choosing the colors for a masterpiece you’re about to create. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you select a theme that resonates with you and your students:

Reflect on Your Interests: Start by thinking about what excites you. Do you have a favorite season, hobby, or animal? Incorporating your interests into your classroom theme will make the experience even more enjoyable.
Connect to Your Curriculum: If you can find a theme that ties into your curriculum, that’s a double win! For example, a “Historical Time Travel” theme could align with history lessons, making learning even more engaging.
Versatility is Key: Opt for a theme that offers flexibility. This way, you can easily adapt your decorations and activities as the school year progresses.
Plan for Engagement: Think about how the theme can spark discussions, projects, and interactive learning experiences. The more engaged your students are, the more memorable the theme will become.
Create a Welcoming Atmosphere: Above all, choose a theme that creates a warm and inviting environment. Your goal is to make your students excited to come to class each day.