Must-Make Kindergarten Anchor Charts

Do you use anchor charts in your kindergarten classroom? Do you love them as much as I do? Then you are going to love these 60+ Must Make Kindergarten Anchor Charts!

Why anchor charts in Kindergarten?

Being a kindergarten teacher, I use anchor charts almost every day and for just about every standard and topic. Using pictures or clip art to show your objective or practice a concept, gives the students a visual that is paramount to little learners. Now you also have a resource your kiddos can visually review , thus reinforcing the concept many times over. Anchor charts help to ‘anchor’ the students learning.

One rule I always try to follow is: always make the anchor chart in FRONT of and with my students. Sometimes I start with a simple drawing or outline but I try to never ‘introduce’ an anchor chart that I have pre-made. The reasoning behind this is that it means less to the students if I do all the work. I try to make my anchor charts as interactive as possible. Sometimes I am writing/drawing the information they are giving me, and sometimes they are actually adding to the chart themselves. (You can see examples of this in many of the pictures below.) I have been faithfully integrating and using anchor charts in my classroom and it has made a huge difference in my teaching and, I believe, my students’ learning.

@kindergarten_chaos

Watch us create an interactive Alphabet Anchor Chart!?This is the power of creating anchor charts WITH your students! ?P.S. I have this template for student anchor charts. Just like & tell other teachers about it!? #kindergartenchaos #iteachk #kindergarten #scienceofreading

♬ original sound – Abbie

Where do you put these completed anchor charts?

So glad you asked! I have a couple of focus walls in my classroom where I hang them. You can use a bulletin board, empty wall, or hang from the ceiling. Be creative because the point is to have these charts available for review and reinforcement for your students.

Here is a handy, dandy Anchor Chart Holder I have made for my many anchor charts. See Blog Post “Classroom Management Anchor Charts” for instructions.

Using a classroom clothesline to hang all of my alphabet letter anchor charts across the classroom, is a creative and useful way to both utilize the vertical space above our heads, and make these charts visible to all. I hung all 26 letters and I can’t believe how much my students used each and every one of the charts. They used them for spelling and for checking their sounds. This is a MUST for every classroom.

This is what my classroom looked like with my alphabet anchor charts hung across the room with the clothesline.

These particular Sharpie Chart Markers are a must for teachers who use anchor charts.

Do I keep every anchor chart? No. The theme-based charts are kept for 1-2 weeks after we have completed the theme. All of the standards based anchor charts, I do keep for the year and some, I save for the next year. The ones I want to save and use over and over, I laminate. Then, I punch holes in the top, put book rings through the holes, and hang them up on a rod in my writing center. This makes it so my students can still access the information, if they need it.

I have created this huge round-up of Kindergarten Anchor Charts that you might want to include in your routines and curriculum this next year. I have also organized them into general categories, for easier searching!

Rules & Procedures

The following anchor charts are ones we create together during the first week of school. It covers the proper and improper use of supplies in the classroom, as well as a few rules for expected behaviors.

See Blog Post “Classroom Management Anchor Charts“.

Literacy Anchor Charts

These next anchor charts fall into the literacy category and cover a wide range of skills.

Together our class creates an anchor chart for each individual letter. I usually draw with a black sharpie while I am making the chart with my students. Later, I go back and color it in and add details.

Don’t feel confident in your drawing skills…then try using these amazing alphabet picture cards. You can use these when introducing each letter and then you can glue them onto the anchor chart.

Math Anchor Charts

I know that there are plenty more math anchor charts, but I have only posted a few of the main ones. Feel free to send me pictures or links to the ones that you have made!

We make an All About ____ Number anchor chart, for every number 0-20. This really gives them an understanding of the number and how different fonts can change how the number looks.

These 2 addition and subtraction anchor charts are huge favorites of mine!! Every time I introduce a strategy for that skill, we add it to the anchor chart. Go to “15+ Fun and Free Ideas for Teaching Subtraction” for more ideas.

Anchor Charts that Go Along with Teaching Themes

The following anchor charts are ones that go with the theme or topic we are learning about in class. Stop making boring KWL and make them interactive anchor charts!!!

Daily 5 Anchor Charts

I use the Daily 5 model in my class, so I have included a few of the anchor charts we have made and use in my class. These are part of my rules and expectations.

Well, well, well…that is a LOT of anchor charts!! I know that there are tons out there, but putting all of these together in this post took long enough! Looking for more? Then check out my Kinder Anchor Charts Pinterest Board !! It has ONLY anchor charts that I would consider using in my kindergarten class. Why do I say that? Because there are tons of anchor charts out there, but many are too wordy and won’t work for mostly non-reading kindergartners. We need pictures and color and interaction!!

Hope you are enjoying my 31 Days of Kindergarten Series!!