Kindergarten Cafe Podcast: Simple Tips for Teaching Kindergarten

When teachers ask me how I handle challenging behaviors, my answer is never just one strategy. There isn’t a magic fix that works for every behavior or every child. Instead, I rely on several systems and strategies working together and I try to be as proactive as possible before challenging behaviors happen.In this episode, I’m sharing my go-to strategies for behavior and classroom management, from creating predictable routines and clear expectations to building strong relationships and explicitly teaching self-regulation skills. I also talk about how I use my calm down corner (or “control spot”), movement and mindfulness breaks, visual supports, and social-emotional learning throughout the day to give students the tools they need to manage their emotions and behavior.In this episode, you’ll hear:Why strong routines, predictable schedules, and clear expectations can prevent many challenging behaviors before they beginHow using positive, specific language helps students understand exactly what you want them to do instead of only telling them what not to doWhy building genuine relationships is especially important with students who have bigger behaviors and how that connection can help during difficult momentsHow I teach and model emotional regulation, calming strategies, and problem-solving skills during calm moments so students can use them when they’re strugglingHow I use my calm down corner (or “control spot”) as a self-regulation tool rather than a punishment or traditional timeoutWhy movement breaks, mindfulness, visual supports, and explicit social-emotional instruction are some of my favorite daily tools for proactively supporting behaviorThe biggest thing I want you to remember is that behavior support starts long before a challenging behavior happens. When we intentionally teach and practice social-emotional skills before students need them, we give them tools they can eventually learn to use on their own.Work with Zeba 1:1 CoachingSend Zeba a voice messageRelated Episodes:Setting Up A Calm Down Corner For Your Classroom ~ Ep. 100How to Stop Tattling and Build Problem-Solvers ~ Ep. 121Supporting Students who Struggle With Mistakes ~ Ep. 132Top Strategies for Teaching Personal Space in Kindergarten ~ Ep. 118Honest Talk on Handling Teacher Burnout and Difficult Students ~ Ep. 110Kindergarten Case Study: Supporting Students With Big Emotions ~ Ep. 109De-Escalation Strategies to Stay Calm and In Control During Emotional Outbursts with Sara Yessenow ~ Ep. 64Strategies for Supporting Neurodivergent Students in the Classroom ~ Ep. 59Strategies for Teaching Emotional Regulation and Handling Extreme Outbursts ~ Ep. 55How to Have Smooth Transitions in Kindergarten ~ Ep. 51Resources:Social Emotional BundleCaring Critters BooksConnect with Zeba:Instagram - @kindergartencafeFacebook - @kindergartencafeWebsite - www.kindergartencafe.orgTik Tok - @kindergartencafeMentioned in this episode:SEL Bundlehttps://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Social-Emotional-Learning-Year-Long-Kindergarten-Curriculum-Bundle-11-SEL-Units-3904167

Classroom management can start to feel a little more reactive as the school year goes on. Especially when teachers are tired, academic demands are increasing, and student behaviors are starting to pop up more often.In this episode, I share five common classroom management mistakes teachers make and how small shifts can help you move from constantly reacting to behaviors to being more proactive. I talk about looking beyond the behavior to figure out what skill a student may be missing, staying consistent with expectations and consequences, keeping directions and lessons concise, and intentionally teaching social-emotional skills before students need them.I want to remind teachers that behavior is communication. When you understand what a behavior is telling you, you can choose strategies that address what the student needs instead of simply trying to stop the behavior in the moment.In this episode, you’ll hear:How to shift from reacting to unwanted behaviors to identifying and teaching the skills students may be missingWhy consistency with classroom expectations and consequences helps students know what to expect and builds trustHow talking too much, giving lengthy directions, or keeping students sitting too long can contribute to increased behaviorsSimple ways to increase student engagement through movement, turn-and-talks, hand signals, and opportunities for students to participateWhy emotional regulation, problem-solving, kindness, and other social-emotional skills need to be explicitly taught and practiced when students are calmHow looking for the why behind a behavior can help you choose a more effective response and proactively reduce challenging behaviors over timeWork with Zeba 1:1 CoachingSend Zeba a voice messageRelated Episodes:Easy Lesson Engagement Strategies ~ Episode 34Building Strong Classroom Management ~ Ep. 43How Nice Should You Be in Kindergarten? An Intro to Kindergarten Classroom Management~ Episode 144Resources:Social Emotional BundleCaring Critters BooksConnect with Zeba:Instagram - @kindergartencafeFacebook - @kindergartencafeWebsite - www.kindergartencafe.orgTik Tok - @kindergartencafeMentioned in this episode:SEL ChallengeJoin the FREE 5-Day Social Emotional Learning Challenge: Planting Seeds for Classroom Calm https://www.kindergartencafe.org/challenge/

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 classroom hits a behavior slump, and it happens for real, identifiable reasons. This episode breaks down exactly why behaviors spike at this point in the year and what you can do about it right now.In this episode, I share:why the honeymoon phase ending is a sign that students feel comfortable with you, and what to do when that comfort starts showing up as boundary testinghow increasing academic demands cause behaviors to spike, especially for kids who are struggling with focus, independence, or the skills being asked of themwhy routine drift is one of the biggest contributors to November chaos, and how letting a few small things slide sends kids looking for what else they can get away withhow emotional fatigue affects both students and teachers at this point in the year, and why bringing back movement and mindfulness can make a real differencehow to identify whether the behaviors you are seeing are about routines, academic frustration, or a missing social-emotional skill, so you can address the root causeWork with Zeba 1:1 CoachingSend Zeba a voice messageRelated Episodes:Creating A Calm And Focused Classroom With Mindfulness ~ Ep. 140Teaching Self-Regulation Skills Through Everyday Routines ~ Ep. 80Self-Regulation and Impulse Control in Kids ~ Ep. 225 Back to School Classroom Routine Mistakes That Lead to Chaos All Year ~ Ep. 147Why Your Routines Aren’t Working Yet ~ Ep. 146Resources: Social Emotional Learning Bundle Caring Critters BooksConnect with Zeba:Instagram - @kindergartencafeFacebook - @kindergartencafeWebsite - www.kindergartencafe.orgTik Tok - @kindergartencafeMentioned in this episode:SEL ChallengeJoin the FREE 5-Day Social Emotional Learning Challenge: Planting Seeds for Classroom Calm https://www.kindergartencafe.org/challenge/

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, and that trust comes from consistent, thoughtful communication that does not require you to reinvent anything from scratch. This episode is about real systems used to make family communication work without adding extra weight to your day.In this episode, I share:why approaching families as the experts on their child while you are the expert on education makes every interaction more collaborative and less adversarialhow a weekly newsletter framed around "ask me about" gives families specific ways to connect with their child without you having to do morewhy making the first communication of the year a positive phone call home changes the tone of the whole relationshiphow to set clear email expectations with families so they are not caught off guard when you do not respond immediatelywhy sending positive notes and updates throughout the year matters just as much as reaching out when something is wronghow to use the same templates, newsletters, and systems year after year so strong communication does not become extra workFamily partnerships are built one interaction at a time, and the goal is not to do more. It is to be consistent. When families feel informed and trusted, conferences get easier, hard conversations get shorter, and the whole year runs more smoothly.Work with Zeba 1:1 CoachingSend Zeba a voice messageRelated Episodes:Using Seesaw for Improving Family Communication ~ Ep. 39Getting Ready for Parent-Teacher Conferences – Ep. 2Tips for Difficult Parent-Teacher Conversations ~ Ep. 3Why Parent Communication Breaks Down ~ Ep. 155What Teachers Get Wrong About Supporting Learning at Home ~ Ep. 156Resources:Family Communication BundleConnect with Zeba:Instagram - @kindergartencafeFacebook - @kindergartencafeWebsite - www.kindergartencafe.orgTik Tok - @kindergartencafeMentioned in this episode:Parent Teacher Communication Bundlehttps://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Parent-Teacher-Communication-Resource-Kinder-Homework-Family-Support-Bundle-9922449

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 have ever sent home a homework packet and wondered whether it was really helping anyone, this episode will help you rethink what supporting learning at home can look like in a way that works for real families with real schedules.In this episode, I share:why sending home too much busy work can do more harm than good, and what quality over quantity looks like for kindergarten familieshow to set realistic expectations that account for the fact that families have very different home lives, schedules, and resourceswhy showing families exactly how to practice a skill matters more than just telling them their child needs extra workhow to embed learning into what families are already doing, like driving home, setting the table, or reading a menu togetherwhy reading aloud together at home matters for every child, including kids who are already reading on their ownsimple ways to help families support math learning through everyday moments without adding anything extra to their dayYour goal is not to send home more. It’s to make home support easier. The families who feel equipped and not overwhelmed are the ones who will actually follow through.Work with Zeba 1:1 CoachingSend Zeba a voice messageResources:Family Communication BundleHomework in kindergarten? What’s best for students?Bingo Board "Homework"Home Support for KindergartenConnect with Zeba:Instagram - @kindergartencafeFacebook - @kindergartencafeWebsite - www.kindergartencafe.orgTik Tok - @kindergartencafeMentioned in this episode:Parent Teacher Communication Bundlehttps://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Parent-Teacher-Communication-Resource-Kinder-Homework-Family-Support-Bundle-9922449

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, and by the time there is a problem, everyone is already caught off guard. This episode breaks down the most common reasons family communication breaks down and exactly what to do to prevent those situations before they start.In this episode, I share:why most difficult parent situations are preventable, and why setting expectations early is the most important thing you can dohow to clearly communicate with families about how and when you will respond, so no one feels ignored or blindsidedwhy waiting until parent-teacher conferences to bring up a concern is one of the biggest communication mistakes teachers makehow misaligned expectations about what kindergarten looks like lead to misunderstandings, and how to address them directlywhy telling families their child is struggling is not enough without also telling them how to helphow to find the right balance between over-communicating and under-communicating for the families in your specific classwhat consistent, low-effort communication systems look like in practice, including weekly newsletters, Seesaw, and template emails that save you timeFamilies feel less anxious and more supportive when they feel like part of the team. Building simple, consistent communication systems now saves you from much harder conversations later.Work with Zeba 1:1 CoachingSend Zeba a voice messageRelated Episodes:Using Seesaw for Improving Family Communication ~ Ep. 39Creating Meaningful Parent-Teacher Partnerships ~ Ep. 107Resources:Family Communication BundleConnect with Zeba:Instagram - @kindergartencafeFacebook - @kindergartencafeWebsite - www.kindergartencafe.orgTik Tok - @kindergartencafeMentioned in this episode:Parent Teacher Communication Bundlehttps://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Parent-Teacher-Communication-Resource-Kinder-Homework-Family-Support-Bundle-9922449

Kindergarten has changed, and if you’ve ever wondered whether the expectations we’re placing on our youngest learners are actually developmentally appropriate, this conversation is for you.In this episode, I’m joined by Kate, also known as @EvidenceBasedKate on TikTok, who has spent 20 years in education as a classroom teacher and curriculum writer and now helps bridge the gap between educational research and what’s happening in classrooms.In this episode, you’ll hear:What research tells us about how kindergarten has become increasingly academic and why developmental expectations for five-year-olds haven’t changed along with itHow standardized testing, education policy, and academic standards have contributed to pushing higher expectations into the early gradesWhy play, recess, social-emotional development, and other foundational skills create important conditions for learningWhat the research says about kindergarten redshirting and why the answer isn’t as straightforward as it may seemHow to look more critically at claims that a curriculum or teaching practice is “research-based,” including resources teachers can use to find trustworthy education researchPractical ways to work within a required curriculum while still honoring child development, foundational skills, joyful reading experiences, and what you know about the students in front of youOne of my biggest takeaways from this conversation is that you don’t have to overhaul everything at once. If something in your classroom doesn’t feel right, start by getting curious, look at the evidence, and choose one manageable change you can make. Small, intentional shifts can help us create kindergarten classrooms that meet academic expectations while still honoring how young children actually learn.Work with Zeba 1:1 CoachingSend Zeba a voice messageConnect with Kate:TikTik - @evidencebasedkateLinktree - Evidence Based KateWhat Works ClearinghouseEducationWeekChalkbeat The Hechinger Report Edutopia The 74 Connect with Zeba:Instagram - @kindergartencafeFacebook - @kindergartencafeWebsite - www.kindergartencafe.orgTik Tok - @kindergartencafeMentioned in this episode:Kindergarten EssentialsGrab the year-long, mega-bundle kindergarten activities here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Teacher-Essentials-Year-Long-Mega-Bundle-Kindergarten-Activities-8356704

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 and make a plan instead. Kids arrive in kindergarten from different places, and not knowing letters or numbers is not a crisis, it is a starting point.In this episode, I share:why a child arriving with no letter or number knowledge is not something to panic about, and what your job is when that happenshow to figure out what a student does know so you can meet them exactly where they are instead of focusing only on the gapswhere to start with literacy when a student has no letter knowledge, from name recognition to fine motor to the most foundational phonological skillshow to back up and build number sense step by step for students who are not yet tracking count, number order, or one-to-one correspondencewhy strong social-emotional skills in a child with no academic knowledge is actually a really good sign, and what that tells you about their ability to learnhow to talk to families early without panicking them, and why that conversation is one of the most important things you can dowhy celebrating even small growth with the student matters as much as the extra practice itselfNot knowing the letters or numbers when they walk in the door is not the problem. The question is how they progress once you start teaching them, and this episode helps you stay focused on exactly that.Work with Zeba 1:1 CoachingSend Zeba a voice messageResources:Math BundleLiteracy Bundle Kindergarten Essentials BundleConnect with Zeba:Instagram - @kindergartencafeFacebook - @kindergartencafeWebsite - www.kindergartencafe.orgTik Tok - @kindergartencafeMentioned in this episode:Kindergarten EssentialsGrab the year-long, mega-bundle kindergarten activities here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergarten-Teacher-Essentials-Year-Long-Mega-Bundle-Kindergarten-Activities-8356704

If you have been wondering what small group instruction actually looks like in a real kindergarten classroom, not the idealized version, but the practical, flexible, works-for-actual-five-year-olds version, this episode is for you. I walk through exactly how I approach literacy and math instruction, including when to pull small groups, what happens in them, and how to work smarter instead of reinventing lessons every single week.In this episode, I share:why small groups do not need to look like traditional guided reading, and how staying flexible with the format serves kids betterwhen it makes sense to start pulling small groups, and why waiting until kids are truly independent first is the right callwhat a literacy small group looks like, from warm-up to hands-on letter practice to games that keep kids engagedwhy repeating the same activities over and over is not boring - it is actually one of the most effective things you can do for kids who need extra supporthow to target the exact missing skill in math by meeting kids just above where they currently are, using concrete materials and observation to guide the workwhy flexible grouping matters and how to adjust who is in a group based on progress rather than locking kids in for the whole yearYou do not need a new lesson every day or a perfectly structured table group to make small group time count. Meet kids where they are, repeat what works, and trust that consistent targeted practice is what moves the needle.Work with Zeba 1:1 CoachingSend Zeba a voice messageRelated Episodes:Why Students Fall Behind Early ~ Ep. 150Mistakes in Teaching Letters and Numbers ~ Ep. 151Differentiating Instruction in Kindergarten for Diverse Learners ~ Ep. 75Minimizing Disruptions During Kindergarten Small Groups ~ Ep. 117How I Launch Math and Literacy Centers ~ Ep. 148Resources:Math BundleLiteracy Bundle Kindergarten Essentials BundleSimple, yet Effective, Small Group Instruction in KindergartenConnect with Zeba:Instagram - @kindergartencafeFacebook - @kindergartencafeWebsite - www.kindergartencafe.orgTik Tok - @kindergartencafeMentioned in this episode:Alphabet Worksheet Bundlehttps://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Worksheets-Bundle-Alphabet-Literacy-Centers-Letter-writing-sound-sort-11657590

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 for where they actually are. This episode is an honest look at the most common mistakes teachers make when teaching letters and numbers, and how to fix them before they create bigger gaps down the road.In this episode, I share:why moving to reading words and books before letters and sounds are solid is one of the fastest ways to make kids look like they are falling behind when they are really right on trackhow teaching letters too quickly or expecting mastery after one round of instruction sets kids up to strugglewhy hands-on learning matters more than worksheets, especially for students who are not picking up letters and sounds at the same pace as their peerswhy daily review, even just one to four minutes, is critical for helping all students hold onto what they have learnedhow focusing on math procedures and facts before kids understand what numbers actually mean creates gaps that follow them for yearswhy concrete manipulatives need to come before visual or abstract math, and what it looks like to slow down for the kids who need itwhy coverage does not equal mastery, and why it is always okay to stay with a skill longer than the curriculum says toStrong foundational skills save everyone time in the long run. Slowing down now is not falling behind, it is exactly what kindergartners need to move forward with confidence.Work with Zeba 1:1 CoachingSend Zeba a voice messageRelated Episodes:Kindergarten Small Groups for Teaching Letter Sounds ~ Ep. 106Essential Math Skills Every Kindergartener Needs ~ Ep. 66Exploring Counting Math Centers in Kindergarten Classrooms ~ Ep. 8Why Students Fall Behind Early ~ Ep. 150Resources:Math BundleLiteracy Bundle Kindergarten Essentials BundleConnect with Zeba:Instagram - @kindergartencafeFacebook - @kindergartencafeWebsite - www.kindergartencafe.orgTik Tok - @kindergartencafeMentioned in this episode:Alphabet Worksheet Bundlehttps://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Worksheets-Bundle-Alphabet-Literacy-Centers-Letter-writing-sound-sort-11657590