My Kindergarten Beginning of the Year Resources BUNDLE includes 10 products that will help to get your school year off to a smooth start while saving you precious planning time and stress! It has a little bit of everything – writing, math, alphabet letter writing, number writing and number sense, center activities, and so much more for those first few weeks of kindergarten! Learn more about my top 10 Kindergarten Beginning of the Year Resources…
Creating the Kindergarten Beginning of the Year Resources Bundle
I remember my first year teaching kindergarten being so excited and overwhelmed. I searched for activities that were engaging and meaningful, yet developmentally appropriate for children at the beginning of the school year. Each year I seem to forget what babies they are in August just coming from preschool. By the end of the year, I know they’ll be able to do so much independently. However, the beginning of the year is another story! Incoming kindergarten students need basic activities that introduce them to concepts that they will be working with throughout the entire year. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to create a bundle of introductory resources designed for new and veteran teachers to help their students make a seamless transition into the world of Kindergarten.
Kindergarten Beginning of the Year Resources in Action…
Alphabet Mats & Number Mats
Alphabet and Number Tracing Mats are perfect for CENTERS or MORNING WORK. Print, laminate, and use all year long! I usually give the kids Play-Doh with these. Once 10 frames are introduced, you can print the sheets as worksheets and use dot art as well.
All About Me Books
This is the first WRITING WORKSHOP activity I do. It is great for teaching the kids how to use environmental print such as numbers and color words in the room. I send these home on Friday of the first week, and the parents love them.
All About School Flip Books
All About School Flip Books – I have my students work on these the second or third week of school before our MEET THE TEACHER NIGHT. Usually, I use the beginner format. I use different colors of Astrobrights for these books. They do take some time to assemble, but they look awesome as a beginning of the year bulletin board!
Friends From A to Z Class Book and Bulletin Board
Friends From A to Z is our first classroom book where the students are the authors! We complete this activity after reading From Anne to Zach. Students use dot art to fill in the letter and write their names on the line. I laminate these and create a bulletin board as shown. After a week or so, I arrange the pages in alphabetical order, bind, and place in our classroom library. This is the first of many books we create. My kids enjoy reading their own work so much!
Alphabet Books
Alphabet Books are something I use the first 26 days of kindergarten. Students are introduced to one letter each day. Together, we make a chart of objects that begin with that letter. They choose four objects, write the word, and practice tracing and writing the letters. You can also use these as individual worksheets for morning work or centers.
Kindergarten Writing Portfolios
This is one of my favorite writing activities because it shows the true progression of my writers from the beginning to the end of the year. I give students the first prompt during the first week of school. Additional prompts are included. You may administer them quarterly or monthly, or whenever you choose. I administer one prompt on the first school day of each month. These make for a wonderful keepsake!
Roll and Record
This is one of my favorite Math Workshops and Math Centers. Differentiated options are included to use throughout the entire year once addition is introduced later. This is great practice for using dice, counting, and number writing. It is also a nice extension activity for early finishers.
Number Writing Books
Number Writing Books 1 – 10 and Number Writing Books 1-20 are two products that I use the first 20 days of kindergarten. We complete a page a day. Students are introduced to number writing, one to one correspondence, ten frames, tallies, and number lines. My kids really enjoy them. By the time we reach number 20, they have really gotten the hang of most concepts.
