The Printable Mega List of Kindergarten Classroom Must Haves

Real Kindergarten Classroom Must-Haves from a Current Classroom Teacher

Let’s be real and honest here…there are lots of opinions on the world wide web. Everyone wants to give their opinion on what is important for students and education in general. Everyone wants to give their opinion on what is ‘too stimulating’ and if you should have flexible seating or now. And can we talk for a minute about the shaming?!? I can’t believe the amount of teacher shaming that I see and read. PEOPLE…if you don’t like bright colors, DON’T use bright colors. If you don’t want to spend your own money on supplies or products, that’s okay too, but commenting negatively on a person’s blog, FB or Instagram post is not okay. I liken it to going into someone’s house and giving your unsolicited opinion on their decor or eating habits. That’s not nice and not okay…even if it’s a public forum. Sorry for the detour, but my point it that there are lots of opinions and ideas out there. Take what you want and move past the rest. And what I am about to share is MY opinion of what I think are must-haves for the kindergarten classroom. (Printable List is at end of this post…)

Now that I am off of my little soap box (j/k), I have been asked on multiple occasions for a list of items that I use in my kindergarten. This is MY list, so if you don’t agree with it, that’s okay. You do you. 🙂 Happy Teaching!

Teacher Must Haves

• Teacher Planner
• Flair Pens
• Highlighters
• Light Box
• Paper Stack Organizer
• Pocket Folders
• Binders
• Command Strips
• Duct Tape (Solid Color & Patterned)
• Push Pins
• Jumbo Clothespins
• Tacks
• Personal Laminator
• Laminating Sheets
• Cardstock
• Astrobrights Colored Paper
• Astrobrights Cardstock
• HP Instant Ink Printer
• Flash Drive
• Stick Vacuum
• Magnets
• Magnet Clips
• Stapler
• Staples
• Packing Tape
• Scotch Tape
• Sharpies (ultra-fine, fine, thick)
• Scissors
• Paper Clips
• Staple Remover
• Electric Pencil Sharpener
• Gallon Ziploc Bags
• Quart Size Ziploc Bags
• Folders
• Hanging Folders
• Post Its
• Magnetic Tape or Magnetic Dots
• 3 Hole Punch
• Book Rings (various sizes)
• Sharpie Chart Markers
• Mr.Sketch/Scentos Scented Markers
• Binder Clips
• Post It Chart Paper
• Desk Organizer
• Hot Glue Gun
• Hot Glue Sticks
• Magnetic Pockets

Classroom Supplies

• Community Supply Caddies
• Color Coordinated Scissors
• Glue Sticks
• Crayons
• Multi-Cultural Crayons
• Markers
• Dry Erase Boards & Erasers
• Black Dry Erase Markers
• Ticonderoga Golf Pencils
• Ticonderoga Regular Pencils
• Pink Erasers
• Gallon Glue (for glue sponges)
• Antibacterial Wipes
• Baby Wipes

Station & Center Materials

• Pocket Charts
• Pocket Chart Stand
• Black Pocket Chart
• Rainbow Drawers
• Clear 10 Drawer Storage
• Task Card Organizing Cases (photo cases)
• Clipboards
• Colored Clipboards
• Dry Erase Boards + Eraser + Markers
• Doubled-Sided Dry Erase Boards with Lines & Blank Side
• Sentence Strips
• Colored Sentence Strips
• Library Pockets
• Hello Sunshine Library Pockets
• Highlighter Tape
• Dry Erase Pockets
• 1/2″ Binders
• Envelopes
• Flashy Ticonderoga Pencils
• Neon Ticonderoga Pencils
• Black Ticonderoga Pencils
• Hole Punches
• Easy 2 Finger Hole Punchers
• Kid Scissors
• Small Highlighters
• Chisel Tip Assorted Highlighters
• Letter & Number Stamps
• Stickers
• Clear View Pencil Pouches
• Mesh Pouches for Station Materials Storage
• Pencil Boxes
• Cookie Sheets or Magnetic Pans
• Vis-a-Vis Wet Erase Markers
• Wet Erase Markers
• Black Dry Erase Markers
• Washi/Colored Masking Tape
• Magnetic Letters
• Colored Pencils
• Glue Sticks
• Pattern Blocks
• Mini Magnifying Glasses
• Differentiated Pocket Dice
• Alphabet Sorting Cans
• Book Bin Storage
• Book Stands (for classroom library)
• Pointers
• Melissa & Doug Pattern Blocks & Boards
• Kid Sized Headphones
• Kid Sized Cordless Computer Mouse

Engagement Props & Games for the Classroom

• Mini Jenga
• Colored Jenga
• Lights & Sounds Buzzers
• Wireless Karaoke Microphone
• Spinning Prize Wheel
• Plinko
• Giant Kerplunk
• Ring Toss & Bean Bags

Flexible Seating Options

• Papasan Chairs
• Kids Size Papasan Moon Chair
• Wobble Stools
• Wobbly Stability Cushion
• Kid Size Ball Chairs
• Replacement Balls for Ball Chairs
• Metal Padded Stools
• Bean Bags
• Lap/Laptop Desk
• Scoop Rockers
• IKEA style Toad Stools
• Carpet Spot Markers
• Floor Disk Seats
• Chair Bouncy Bands
• Inflatable Chair
• Big Joe Bean Bag Chair

Math Tools & Materials

• Geoboards
• Counting Bears
• Red/Yellow Counters
• Dice
• Colored Dice
• Polyhedryl Dice
• Pocket Differentiated Dice
• Dry Erase Dice
• LG Foam Dice
• Dice in Dice
• Mini Erasers for Manipulatives
• Square Colored Tiles
• Colored Links
• Plastic Animal Counters
• Stacking Cubes
• Pattern Blocks & Boards
• Trofast Bin Frame
• Trofast Bins for Math Tubs
• Transparent Spinners
• Number Spinners
• 1 Minute Sand Timer
• Magnetic Ten Frames
• Magnetic Math & Numbers
• Jumbo Blow Up Dice
• Mini Bowling Set
• Jumbo Bowling Set
• Kids Tweezers

Math Games Worth Purchasing

• Monkey Number Balance Game
• Math Wooden Puzzle
• Froggy Feeding Game

Literacy Games Worth Purchasing

• Scrabble Alphabet Scoop
• Alphabet Wooden Puzzle
• Alphabet Letter Match Puzzle
• ABC Cookie Game
• CVC Activity Cards
• Letter Construction
• I Can Build Simple Words
• Alphabet Wikki Stix

Ideas and Picture Product Links

I use many of these products to organize my classroom library! I use the clipboards to display student work, as well as to use with the Sensory Table, Write the Room and when we do whole group on the carpet.

Classroom Book Bins
Classroom Clipboards
Colored Classroom Clipboards
Double-Sided Dry Erase Boards with Handwriting Lines

These Mini Double-Sided Dry Erase Boards with Handwriting Lines from Lakeshore Learning are also fantastic. I love that they are magnetic so they can be not only utilized with dry erase markers but magnetic letters or for sorting activities.

I use these baskets for my student’s individual book bags. They keep their books from our classroom library in these baskets. You can also organize your guided reading supplies like this.

I really love these Colored Plastic Oval Carry Totes from Dollar Tree. They make it super easy for my students to use as book bags and to carry from one part of the classroom to another. And did you know that you can order dollar tree online? WAHOO!

I use clothespins for some of the hands-on literacy and math games in my classroom.

I use my light box to display our daily specials.

Regular Size Clothespins
Heidi Swapp Light Box
Paper Stacker Organizer
Mini Clothespins

I use cordless mini ‘mice’ or our classroom computers, so my students can easily manipulate and navigate with them. I am also a fan of kid-size headphones and NOT ear buds. As for the sentence strips, we use them in the Pocket Chart station every day!

Mini Cordless Mouse
Kid Size Headphones
White Sentence Strips
Colored Sentence Strips

Let’s talk about pencils. I used to think that any pencil would work, but after a few years of yucky broken pencils, I have planted my pencil-love flag on the side of Ticonderoga. I always start the year out with golf pencils. It assists beginning writers in having the proper grasp. After about 9-12 weeks, we move on to regular sized Ticonderoga pencils. I always have tr-write and ‘fat’ pencils available for students who are still struggling. And I LOVE to use the flashy pencils for special writing projects.

Ticonderoga Golf Pencils
Ticonderoga Regular Pencils
Ticonderoga Flashy Pencils
Ticonderoga Tri-Write Pencils

I use 3 ring binders for our poetry notebooks. I use push pins to hold up my colored clipboards that I use to display student work. The plastic folders with prongs are used for student communication/homework folder. And plain envelopes are for the writing station.

3 Ring Binders
Envelopes
Plastic Pocket Folders with Prongs
Push Pins

I like to have command hooks around, just in case I need them for something. And I think every teacher needs their own personal laminator at home, along with cardstock!

Command Hooks
Laminating Pouches
At Home Laminator
White Card Stock

You may also like this:
Back To School Ideas & Advice From A Kindergarten Teacher

I am a huge fan of Astrobrights bright paper and cardstock! It stands out among the white paper and adds an element of fun to ordinary worksheets. I also use colored and patterned duct tape for stapled spines of our writing journals.

Astrobrights Cardstock
Astrobrights Colored Paper
Solid Color Duct Tape
Patterned Duct Tape

I have flexible seating options in my classroom and they include all four of the options from below.

Wobble Cushions
Wobble Core Stools
Kids Ball Chairs
Scoop Rockers

Stools
Papasan Saucer Chair
Floor Cushions
Crate Seat

Organize All Of Your Classroom Supplies With These Tips!

Bar Stools
Bath Rugs
Kids Plastic Ikea Style Stool
HP Instant Ink Printer

We have breakfast in the classroom, so I asked our PTO to buy all of the kindergarten teachers a small vacuum for our classrooms and it has made a HUGE difference at cleanup time!

Flash Drive
Dirt Devil Bagless Stick Vacuum
IKEA Kids Table
10 Drawer Rolling Cart

If you follow me on Instagram, then I’m sure you have seen how I use some of the items! I use the jumbo clothespins for anchor chart hangers and magnets all around the room.

Honey-Do Teacher Cart
Jumbo Clothespins
Classroom Magnets
Magnetic Clips

Here are some basic needs that every teacher needs in the classroom, not just kindergarten teachers.

Teacher Stapler
Staples
Assorted Size Black Sharpies
Colored Sharpies
Teacher Classroom Scissors
Assorted Highlighters

Math Tools: 

Dice
Colored Dice
Polyhedryl Dice
Pocket Dice (4)

Dry Erase Dice
Large Foam Dice
Dice in Dice
Color Square Tiles

Dry Erase Markers
Dry Erase Board Set w/ Markers & Erasers
Mini Erasers
Colored Links

Plastic Animal Counters
Stacking Cubes
Red/Yellow Counters
Pattern Blocks w/ Boards
GeoBoards

Want to Print This List? Download Below…

Wow! This post turned into a weeks-long project and kept growing and growing. I’m sure you have ideas and suggestions too. I would love to hear them. Leave a comment below or comment on my Instagram or Facebook. Happy teaching!