Are you looking on Amazon and Target, thinking “What do I need for my classroom?” All of the choices can seem overwhelming. Plus there are tons of “shiny objects” that truly won't make a difference if you have it in your classroom or not. That's why, I'm sharing my 3 essential teacher supplies for your Kindergarten classroom with you! These are my favorite supplies because you can do so much with them and they are fairly cheap. I used all of these every single day, every year, no doubt. Plus, they are so versatile and perfect for a first-year teacher.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase through one of my affiliate links. This helps support my blog, Sweet for Kindergarten. I only recommend products that I love. All ideas shared are my own.
Mini whiteboards are definitely my favorite essential teacher supply! You can turn any lesson into a highly interactive one by throwing in some mini whiteboards. I suggest making sure all of your students have one, plus one for yourself!
You can easily make whiteboards by going to Home Depot and having someone cut them for you. They were always very nice when I came to them with my classroom projects! Just have your exact dimensions ready. I've also found them at the Dollar Store (as pictured above).
More recently, I bought this set from Amazon. They've lasted 3 years and are still going strong! Very high quality and come with mini dry-erase markers and erasers too!
Many teachers don't use clipboards very often, but I used them every single day. I loved the simplicity of it and using them honestly made my students more engaged. This is one of the Kindergarten classroom teacher supplies that is a no-brainer to have! Here are a few ways they are useful in the classroom.
We know it is “all the rage” right now, but many teachers don't have the funds to add flexible seating to their room. My secret trick? Use a clipboard. I never bought expensive flexible seating options, I just gave them a clipboard and let them pick where they wanted to work. I had a comfy chair, bench, pillows, and crate seats, and that's it. They were able to work independently whenever they wanted to. Note: I did not use clipboards when it was handwriting work- that was literally the only time they had to sit at their desks.
This was my favorite center FOR SURE! I loved having my students moving around and learning! Give them a clipboard, recording sheet, and let them go. Read more about how I did Write the Room with my Kindergarteners here. Or check out my Write the Room resources here– just one price for all my Write the Room activities, with new ones added all the time!
I always taught math on the floor with clipboards. My students would have their math lesson worksheets attached to a clipboard, I would grab manipulatives, and we would learn math together. I loved teaching on the floor because I got down on their level and made it interactive.
Make sure to have one clipboard per student. I've seen teachers let their students decorate their clipboards or use a Cricut to put their names on each one. However, I just had them stored in two milk crates and students just grabbed one when they needed to use it.
I found mine on Amazon here and they lasted 5 plus years! This set includes 34 so it should be plenty for your class. If your students draw on them (like mine did) they are very easy to wipe clean with a magic eraser.
This one is my go-to suggestion for Kindergarten classroom teacher supplies that you must have! Honestly, you could get both and it will make your life so much easier. I know many of you have a laminator, but dragging it out and laminating a page takes work. Plus those laminating sheets can be expensive. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my laminator and use it all the time, but the convenience of these wins when I'm short on time. I had a big pack of dry erase pockets plus a huge box of sheet protectors.
There was nothing I hated more than making copies, so anything that I was able to create a reusable version of, I did! I use sheet protectors to create reusable morning work for my students in a binder. Just erase and reuse every day! If you want to read more about the Morning Work Binder and how it literally transformed my mornings, you can check out the blog post here or find the resource here.
Instead of printing off worksheets/centers for every single student, I print off just enough for one center, and put them in either one. I have them erase and do it again once they finish! This works really well for Roll and Read, Spin and Cover, worksheets, and more.
When teaching (especially in small groups), I will often put whatever the students have into a dry-erase pocket. That way I can use it for each group and I am not wasting paper. Also, it helps when students need to see how to do something another time.
I bought this box of sheet protectors at the beginning of every year and I never ran out or needed more. I still have about 200 leftovers from the 5 years I was buying them.
The dry erase pockets can be found at the Target dollar spot during Back to School time, or on Amazon here.
All of these Kindergarten classroom teacher supplies that I've linked here is the exact link to what I actually used in my classroom!
If you are interested in seeing more of my favorite classroom supplies, you can check out my Amazon storefront here! All my favorites are linked under the “Teacher Must-Haves” list.
I hope this helps you when you are making decisions about what to get for your classroom. These are practical, versatile, and in my opinion, essential supplies for a Kindergarten classroom. What would you add?
