The Kindergarten Toolbox

Have a kindergarten parent-teacher conference coming up where you need to talk about a child's behavior? It's one thing to share assessment scores and work samples, but explaining challenging behaviors to parents can feel a whole lot more uncomfortable. Especially when you're worried about how they'll react or you're not sure what to say. In this episode, we're talkin...

Do kindergarten parent-teacher conferences make you wonder how you’re supposed to fit EVERYTHING you want to tell families into 10 or 15 minutes? Between assessment data, work samples, behavior, academics, independence, and all the things, it can be hard to know what parents actually need to hear. In this episode, we’re talking about what to cover during kindergarten parent-teacher conferences and...

Do your kindergarten students ask, “How do you spell...?” approximately 75 times during your writing block? You want them to become independent writers, but simply telling them to “sound it out” isn’t always enough, and spelling every word for them definitely isn’t the answer either. In this episode, we’re talking about what to do when beginning writers don’t know how to spell a word during kinder...

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 paired with a picture, but we don’t want students to become so dependent on them that they don’t know what to write when the sentence starter disappears. In this episode, we’re talking about how sentence starters fit into kindergart...

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 to us, but for a beginning writer, there are a LOT of skills that have to come together before they can write a sentence independently. In this episode, we’re talking about why kindergarten students can often say a sentence befor...

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 YOU consider a good choice might be very different from what a five-year-old considers a good choice. In this episode, we’re talking about why “make good choices” is too vague to be an effective behavior expectation in kindergart...

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 more, and you're repeating directions you swear they were following just fine last week. In this episode, we're talking about why kindergarten classroom management can suddenly feel harder a few weeks into the school year a...

Does a kindergarten reward system really need a prize box, classroom money, or complicated points to keep students motivated? Some of my kindergarten students' favorite classroom rewards didn't cost me a single penny. In this episode, we're talking about how to use simple whole class rewards to reinforce positive behavior in kindergarten without creating another classroom management...

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 needy? In this episode, we're talking about why kindergarten students need so much help at the beginning of the school year and what it really takes to build independence in kindergarten. You'll learn why you might be compar...

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 to keep kindergarten classroom rules simple, explicitly teach your expectations, and choose consequences that actually make sense to five- and six-year-olds. You'll learn why consistency doesn't mean giving every behavior...

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 a behavior system works with older students doesn't mean it's the right fit for five- and six-year-olds. In this episode, we're talking about how to choose a kindergarten behavior system that is developmentally appr...

Do you think classroom management starts when student behavior becomes a problem? One of the biggest classroom management myths kindergarten teachers believe is that behavior management is all about consequences, clip charts, rewards, or figuring out what to do when students misbehave. But strong kindergarten classroom management starts long before that. In this episode, I’m sharing the lesson tha...

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 the first week of school? You're not alone. Every summer, kindergarten teachers spend hours preparing classroom centers, bulletin boards, and materials while putting off the one thing that has the biggest impact on the entire s...

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, especially from teachers preparing for a new school year. While many classrooms use daily behavior calendars, clip charts, or behavior reports to communicate with families, are they really the most effective way to talk about kinderga...

Should kindergarten students have classroom jobs? Classroom jobs have been a tradition in elementary classrooms for years, but are they actually teaching responsibility or creating more work for teachers? In this episode, I'm sharing why I stopped using traditional classroom jobs in my kindergarten classroom and switched to a simple Helper of the Day system instead. You'll hear how this...

Should kindergarten students have individual school supplies or community supplies? It's one of the biggest classroom setup decisions kindergarten teachers make before the school year begins. In this episode, we're breaking down the pros and cons of both systems and why the "right" answer depends more on your classroom management than the supplies themselves. I'll share wh...

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 kindergarten teachers make is trying to jump straight into academics before teaching students how to be students. Before children can successfully learn letters, numbers, and all the other skills on your curriculum map, they need t...

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 different from every other grade? In this episode, I'm sharing my biggest piece of advice for new kindergarten teachers: assume they don't know how to do anything. From lining up and walking in the hallway to using the bat...

Before school starts, there are five classroom management decisions every kindergarten teacher should make. Too often, we spend our back-to-school time organizing supplies, decorating bulletin boards, and planning lessons while putting off the classroom management planning that actually helps our year run smoothly. But students don't struggle because your classroom isn't decorated. They...

Do calm kindergarten classrooms have better-behaved students? Not always. In this episode, we're talking about the real secret to successful classroom management in kindergarten. It isn't a complicated behavior system or the latest classroom management trend. It's simple, predictable systems that help students know what to expect. We'll discuss why consistency matters so much i...

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 constantly reminding, redirecting, and holding everything together all day long. In this episode, we’re talking about one of the most powerful kindergarten classroom management tools teachers often overlook: simple visual systems. Fr...

Getting kindergarten students to stop talking can feel impossible sometimes. The blurting, interruptions, constant calling out, and nonstop classroom chatter can quickly make your classroom feel chaotic and exhausting. And after a while, it starts to feel like you’re spending your entire day repeating: “Raise your hand.” “Stop talking.” “Voice level zero.” In this episode of The Kindergarten Toolb...

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 to feel like pure survival mode for teachers. In this episode, we’re talking about the “May-cember” effect, why classroom behavior gets harder at the end of the school year, and realistic ways to make these last few weeks feel more...

Kindergarten classroom management shouldn’t feel this hard, but if you’re constantly repeating directions, managing every transition, and ending the day exhausted, you’re not alone. In this episode, we’re breaking down why classroom management still feels overwhelming even when you’re using routines, behavior strategies, and clear expectations. Here’s what’s actually happening: It’s not that you n...

In this episode of The Kindergarten Toolbox Podcast, Amy Murray breaks down the three essential components of effective kindergarten classroom management : clear expectations, visual supports, and consistent routines. If your classroom feels unpredictable, if you are constantly repeating directions, or if your behavior strategies are not sticking, this episode will help you understand what is miss...