The Kindergarten Toolbox

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 to learn how to walk in line, use classroo...

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 bathroom, sitting at the carpet, and using school suppl...

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 struggle when expectations aren't clear.

I walk...

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 in kindergarten, how routines create student independence, ...

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.

From visual schedules and classro...

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 Kind...

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 manageable for bo...

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 ...

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 missing and how to fix it with simple sys...

In this episode of the Kindergarten Toolbox Podcast, Amy Murray breaks down what a well-managed kindergarten classroom really looks like on a normal day. Not perfect. Not silent. But structured, predictable, and calm enough for real teaching to happen.

You’ll hear what shifts when simple systems and clear expectations are in place, from smoother routines and transitions to more focused small groups and more independent writers...

You try a behavior strategy… and it works.

Your class is calmer.
 You’re finally able to teach.

And then… it stops.

If you feel like you’re constantly starting over with classroom management, this episode is for you.

Let’s chat about why behavior strategies work at first—but don’t last—and what your classroom actually needs instead.

Because it’s not that nothing works&helli...

Phonemic awareness in kindergarten does not always click with repetition alone. Many students need more support than fast-paced, verbal routines can provide.

In this episode, we break down how to teach phonemic awareness using hands-on and visual activities that support skills like rhyming, syllables, and beginning, medial, and ending sounds so students truly understand and apply these foundational skills.

🔗 Save on the Kindergarten...

Alphabet principles and letter sounds are the foundation of literacy and a huge part of what we teach in kindergarten.  But what's the best way to introduce letters?

In this episode, I explain how we introduce letters and sounds in the first 30 days of kindergarten and how you can use the tools to reinforce learning all year long.  The key is to set up predictable routines with activities that kindergarten students can act...

Teaching sentence writing in kindergarten is much easier when students understand what a sentence is so they can learn the basic conventions and check their own work using a simple checklist.

In this episode, we talk about how to teach kindergarteners to write sentences with our 5-star sentences method.  You can teach beginning writers to independently write real sentences!

🔗 Join Kindergarten Writing Toolbox

🔗 Beginning Writer...

If your kindergarten students struggle with sentence writing, this episode is for you. Many students are asked to write sentences before they truly understand what a sentence is, which leads to frustration, random words, or a complete writing shutdown.

In this episode, we break down how to teach sentence structure in kindergarten using naming part and telling part so students understand that a sentence is a group of words that tells...

Is your kindergarten behavior system not working anymore? If your classroom reward system or behavior chart has lost its effectiveness, this episode will help you reset with confidence.

Learn what actually makes a kindergarten behavior system work, including picture-based visuals (not just text), focusing on one behavior at a time, using concrete progress tracking, and staying consistent so students stay motivated. These practical k...

If your kindergarten small groups are constantly interrupted, this episode is for you. Learn how to reduce interruptions during centers by using visual schedules, picture directions, predictable routines, and simple behavior goals that build real independence.

Discover how to help kindergarten students work independently so you can actually teach your small groups without nonstop questions and distractions.

Show Notes: https://k...

If you feel like you’re constantly repeating directions and kindergarten students still aren’t listening, this episode is for you. In this episode, we break down why kindergarteners struggle to follow directions the first time and why it’s not about better wording or louder reminders.

You’ll learn how using visuals, structure, and consistent routines helps kindergarten students listen, remember directions, an...