Shows / Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten
Are you an overworked or overwhelmed kindergarten teacher? Or maybe you're just a kindergarten teacher looking for fresh, new ideas. You are in the right place. The Kindergarten Cafe podcast will share weekly tips and tricks to help you save time, work smarter (not harder) and support students with engaging and purposeful lessons. I'm here to help you with everything you need from arrival to dismissal. Let's get started!
Episodes
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten158. Why Behavior Feels Worse Right Now
If your class was doing beautifully in September and now feels like a completely different group of kids, it’s normal. November is when almost every…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten157. How I Build Strong Family Partnerships
Strong family partnerships are not built by answering emails at night or going above and beyond until you burn out. They are built because families trust you…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten156. Mistakes in Supporting Learning at Home
Almost every family wants to help their child learn at home, but teachers can accidentally make that help feel overwhelming, unrealistic, or unclear. If you…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten155. Why Parent Communication Breaks Down
Strong family partnerships do not fall apart because of one bad conversation. They fall apart because expectations were never clearly set in the first place…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten154. Is Kindergarten Still Developmentally Appropriate? What the Research Says w/ Kate @evidencebasedkate
Kindergarten has changed, and if you’ve ever wondered whether the expectations we’re placing on our youngest learners are actually developmentally appropriate…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten153. No Letter or Number Knowledge What Now
If a student has come to you with little to no letter or number knowledge and your first instinct is to panic, this episode is here to help you take a breath…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten152. How I Teach Foundational Skills
If you have been wondering what small group instruction actually looks like in a real kindergarten classroom, not the idealized version, but the practical…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten151. Mistakes in Teaching Letters and Numbers
Sometimes students are not struggling because something is wrong. Sometimes it’s how the material is being taught, or because a curriculum is moving too fast…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten150. Why Students Fall Behind Early
Kindergarten teachers know that kids arrive with wildly different backgrounds and levels of readiness, and it can be hard to know what to do when a student is…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten149. Fixing a Classroom With No Routines
If you are a few weeks into school and your classroom already feels chaotic, or if routines you taught at the start of the year have slowly fallen apart, this…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten148. How I Launch Math and Literacy Centers
Independent centers do not just happen because you set out the materials and hope for the best. They happen because you took the time to launch them the right…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten147. 5 Routine Mistakes That Cause Year-Long Chaos
Classroom chaos rarely comes out of nowhere. Most of the time it can be traced back to specific mistakes made in the first weeks of school when routines were…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten146. Why Your Routines Aren’t Working Yet
If you have taught a routine, practiced it, and still feel like it is just not sticking, there are a few things that could be happening. Routines in…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten145. Your One Week Before School Starts Plan
If you have one week left before school starts and you are not sure whether to spend it laminating, decorating, or just trying to breathe, this episode wraps…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten144. How Nice Should You Be in Kindergarten?
If you have ever heard the old advice "don't smile until November or December" and wondered if that is what good classroom management looks like, let me just…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten143. Stop Over-Preparing Your Classroom
If your summer has been spent working nonstop, prepping every center, and printing decorations right up until the last hour before school starts, and you still…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten142. What Actually Matters Before the First Day of School
If you have spent your summer feeling pressure to make your classroom Pinterest perfect, this episode is here to take that weight off your shoulders. A…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten141. Questions to Ask and Answer Before the School Year Starts
If summer break has you staring at a long list of things to fix, buy, or change in your classroom, and you are not sure where to even start, this episode will…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten140. Creating A Calm And Focused Classroom With Mindfulness
If you find yourself constantly reminding your students to sit down, stop talking, or refocus and it feels like you are saying the same things on repeat all…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten139. Fostering Creativity in Kindergarten
If you have been wanting to bring more creativity into your kindergarten classroom but are not sure where to start (or you love the idea of a creation station…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten138. What I’d Do First If I Were Moving Classrooms
Moving into a new classroom, whether you are changing schools, switching grades, or just getting a different room, can feel like a lot all at once. There is…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten137. What I’d Do If I Were New to Kindergarten
If you will be brand new to teaching kindergarten next year, or switching to kindergarten from another grade, the excitement is probably mixed with a whole lot…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten136. Did You Have a Hard Kindergarten Year? Let's Talk About Why
If this school year felt harder than expected, more exhausting than rewarding, or like you were constantly trying to keep up, this episode is an honest and…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten135. End-of-the-Year Social Emotional Learning: Supporting Big Feelings Before Summer
The end of the school year can bring excitement, celebration, and fun, but it also brings a lot of feelings. In this episode, I talk about how to support…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten134. Creating a Smooth Transition from Kindergarten to First Grade
The move from kindergarten to first grade is exciting, but for many students, it can also feel like a really big change. In this episode, I share how to…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten133. Engaging End-of-Year Activities for Kindergarteners
The end of the year brings a very real energy shift in kindergarten. Kids are tired, routines start to feel old, and the big transition to summer or first…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten132. Supporting Students who Struggle With Mistakes
A worksheet gets crumpled and thrown away. Tears start over one small error. A student refuses to even begin because they’re afraid of getting it wrong. I’m…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten131. Building Self-Confidence In Kindergarteners
Self-confidence plays a huge role in how students learn, take risks, and see themselves in the classroom and kindergarten is a critical time to begin shaping…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten130. What Every Dramatic Play Center Really Needs
Dramatic play is one of the most powerful learning areas in an early childhood classroom, but many classrooms are losing it or aren’t sure how to set it up…
- Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten
129. What Principals Really Want You to Know About Hiring, Interviews, and Getting the Job
If you are applying for a new teaching job, hoping to switch schools, changing grade levels, or trying to land your very first classroom position, this episode…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten128. Adding Details In Writing
In kindergarten writing, the main goal is helping students write a strong, clear sentence. But once some students are ready to go further, the next step is…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten127. Field Trip Tips!
Planning a field trip can feel exciting… and slightly terrifying at the same time. In this episode, I share all the practical tips I’ve learned over the years…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten126. Making the Shift to Systematic Phonics Intruction with Melanie from Phonics Rules for Kids
Phonics can feel… well, stressful. For teachers and parents. I invited Melanie Jeffrey, host of the Phonics Rules for Kids podcast and former K–3 classroom…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten125. Kindergarten Addition Tips and Extensions
This episode tackles two opposite classroom math challenges: students who don’t get addition, and students who’ve already mastered it. Whether you're trying to…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten124. Small Group Ideas for Kindergarten Reading Comprehension
Your students are finally decoding with confidence, so what’s next? In this episode, I share what comprehension-focused small groups can look like once your…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten123. Decodable Books vs Leveled Texts in Kindergarten
Feeling torn between leveled readers and decodables? There are strong opinions out there, but in this episode, I share the difference between the two and what…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten122. Navigating Tricky Team Dynamics w/ Jenna from @ThatStrongTeacher
Grade-level teams can make your year feel supportive… or completely draining. In this episode,I’m joined by Jenna Everetts (aka @ThatStrongTeacher) to talk…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten121. How to Stop Tattling and Build Problem-Solvers
If you feel like you're spending all day listening to “he said/she said” drama, this episode is for you. I share my favorite strategies for reducing tattling…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten120. Unpacking Mid-Year Assessment Data
Midyear assessments are in and if you're feeling overwhelmed, or just plain frustrated, this episode is here to help. I’m answering three real teacher…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten119. Easy Small Group Ideas for Blending and Decoding Success
Have students who know their letters and sounds… but freeze when it’s time to blend them into a word? This episode is for you. I’m walking you through exactly…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten118. Top Strategies for Teaching Personal Space in Kindergarten
If your students are constantly hugging, poking, piling on the rug, or just way too close for comfort…well, it’s not just your classroom. In this episode, I’m…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten117. Minimizing Disruptions During Kindergarten Small Groups
One of the most common questions I get from teachers is: "How do I keep the rest of the class under control while I’m teaching small groups?" If you’re trying…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten116. Help Kids Move Beyond Labeling to Writing Sentences
Are your students stuck at labeling their pictures and freezing when it’s time to write sentences? Today we’re tackling this super common writing hurdle with…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten115. Kickstart the New Year with Growth Mindset Strategies
New year, new mindset! In this episode, we're talking all about growth mindset. What it actually looks like in a kindergarten classroom and how you can start…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten114. A Developmental Approach to Teaching Writing with Melissa from Teaching to Transform
Let’s talk about the real kind of kindergarten writing, where every student is on their own unique journey. In this episode, I’m joined by literacy consultant…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten113. Managing Math Expectations and Math Materials
This week, I’m answering two real questions from teachers like you, all about math in kindergarten. If you've been wondering how to organize counting…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten112. A Kindergarten Social Studies Year-Long Plan
What should kindergarten social studies actually look like across the school year? In this episode, I’m giving you a big-picture breakdown of how I teach…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten111. A Kindergarten Social Studies Unit: Families
Teaching about families in kindergarten is about so much more than who lives at home. It’s an opportunity to build empathy, celebrate diversity, and create an…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten110. Honest Talk on Handling Teacher Burnout and Difficult Students
Some years in the classroom just feel harder than others. This one’s for the teachers who’ve cried in the car, vented to their partner, or counted down the…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten109. Kindergarten Case Study: Supporting Students With Big Emotions
If you’ve ever felt at a loss for how to support a student who cries over everything… or melts down in frustration when things don’t go their way… this episode…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten108. How to Teach Emotional Intelligence in Kindergarten
One of the most important things we can teach in kindergarten isn’t academic…it’s emotional. In this episode, I’m walking you through how to teach emotional…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten107. Creating Meaningful Parent-Teacher Partnerships
If you've ever wondered how to build better communication and trust with your students' families, this episode is for you. I’m sharing practical, real-life…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten106. Kindergarten Small Groups for Teaching Letter Sounds
Small groups don’t have to look like “reading groups.” Especially when your students aren’t ready for reading yet. You’re still building those foundational…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten105. Kindergarten Case Study: Supporting Kindergarteners With No Letter Knowledge
It can feel overwhelming when a student comes to kindergarten with zero letter or sound knowledge. But I promise, there’s no need to panic. In this episode…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten104. Teaching the Alphabet - 6 Things To Do with Each Letter w/ Droppin' Knowledge with Heidi
If you're deep in the alphabet trenches like I am right now, this episode is for you. I'm joined (again!) by Heidi from Droppin’ Knowledge with Heidi to talk…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten103. Best Storage Solutions for Centers in Kindergarten
Wondering how to manage all those center materials without creating chaos or drowning in bins and bags? In this episode, I’m breaking down how I organize my…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten102. Creating a Classroom of Problem Solvers
In this episode, I’m joined by my friend and returning guest, Mona from @HelloMonaMath and the Math Chat podcast! If you’ve ever felt unsure about how to…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten101. The Power of Kindergarten Routines
At this point in the year, it’s tempting to shake things up, but don’t ditch your routine just yet. In today’s episode, I’m sharing why sticking to consistent…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten100. Setting Up A Calm Down Corner For Your Classroom
This episode marks 100(!) episodes of Kindergarten Café, and we’re talking about something every classroom should have: a calm down corner. I’m walking you…
Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten99. Fool Proof Sub Plans
Let’s face it…you will have to miss a day of school and you never know who’s going to walk through the door as your sub. That’s why creating clear, simple, and…