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If you are reading this post, odds are you are probably a new teacher. Or maybe you’re a seasoned teacher who is just curious to know what another teacher has in their room. Or maybe you’re neither. Whatever the case may be, welcome! I am glad you are here.
I am a preschool teacher, I currently work with toddlers (2 year olds), and I have been teaching for the past 6, going on 7, years. I am considered a seasoned teacher and I even mentor teacher candidates who are going through the licensure program. Even though I am considered “seasoned”, I feel like every school year brings something different. A new challenge, a new need for the classroom, and new approaches. There are some things that I feel are constant in my classrooms, regardless of what age I am teaching.
Before I share with you my list of items I like to have in all of my classrooms, I’m going to give you a little background on my teaching experience.
I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education back in 2017. I had worked at a preschool all throughout my undergraduate career and I had my heart set on working there after I graduated, but I still pursued my elementary education certification because I wanted a back up plan. And, oh boy, was I glad I did. Because when it was time to start looking for jobs right before graduation, there were no openings at the preschool. I was scrambling to find a job before the summer ended.
Luckily, I had a connection to an elementary school that I did my student teacher training at and they were hiring a long-term sub position in a Kindergarten classroom. I did the interview and I got it! I spent the whole year there, my first year as a solo teacher. I was so tired and burnt out.
When my year was coming to an end, I was told I would be moved to a third-grade position at another school that was farther away. I was not thrilled but I was ready to accept the challenge as it definitely beat unemployment and I thought that maybe it could be a growing experience for me. However, the stars seemed to align themselves for me and I got a call from the preschool I worked at during my undergraduate studies. They told me that a position was opening up.
I quickly did the paperwork and applied. I was thrilled that they were saving me from having to teach in a position that I truly wasn’t passionate about (good for you if you are passionate about third-grade. I just personally could not do it).
I have been at the preschool ever since. I have been primarily a toddler teacher, but I have also been moved to work with 3 year olds, 4 year olds, and 5 year olds in a mixed age classroom for 2 years and now I am back with my beloved toddlers.
Throughout my shifting around the past few years and having the opportunity to work with different age groups, I have started collecting items that I LOVE and needed to have in ALL of the classrooms I taught in. Now, I am sharing 8 of my favorites with you.
Sewing Kit
Is it weird that I started with a sewing kit? I just have found my sewing kits so useful. Before I started keeping one in my classroom, I would have those days where I would think “I wish I had a sewing kit to fix this” or I would need to take things from my classroom home to mend and then try to remember to bring them back (which didn’t always happen because I tend to carry a lot of stuff as I run out the door in the morning). The easiest fix was to buy this sewing kit and keep it in my classroom. I use it to mend nap mat covers, stuffed toys, dramatic play clothes, and sometimes my own pants.
LED Lights
This is one of my most recent favorites as I just found it this past summer! In my classroom, I have a loft and under the loft tends to get really dark because the lighting in my classroom isn’t the best. I wanted to add lights that were bright enough but wouldn’t get hot and wouldn’t tempt the children to pull on them.
That’s when I stumbled upon these. The lights are on an adhesive strip so they lay flat against the surface you wish to stick them to, meaning the children cannot pull them off easily. They are LED lights so they don’t get hot and they are bright enough to light the space. These lights were super easy to install and can be controlled with a small remote control. My students especially love that we can change the color of the lights or we can put it on the multi-color mode. Under the loft becomes a fun little disco party when we use that mode!
Velcro has been gaining popularity in classrooms for a while now. The reason? It makes it really easy to change up labels and other signage in the classroom. I like to use these Velcro strips to put family pictures up on the wall, I used it to secure the remote control for my LED lights up high where the kids can’t touch it and where I won’t lose it, I’ve created interactive plant life cycle models with it (changing a sprout to a flower), and so much more. My coworker also uses these Velcro strips to label supplies and storage bins in her classroom.
When I was teaching Kindergarten, I learned of another use for Velcro strips. I had a student that was really fidgety and had a hard time staying still, making it hard for him to focus. A counselor at the school gave him a strip of Velcro to use as a fidget item. The Velcro had both the soft and pokey sides (the hook and loop) stuck back-to-back to each other. I did use this with my older preschool aged children and I find that it really does help some kids who do benefit from having something to fidget with while they listen or think about another task.
Laminator and Corner Rounder
Now you might think, “yes, a laminator does seem like an essential item in the classroom.” But I like this specific laminator because it is light weight, has a paper cutter on the top, and has a hole puncher on the side. When I use this laminator it heats up quickly and it easily pushes the items to be laminated through. I didn’t think I would like the paper cutter on top because I had one of those guillotine paper cutters we see in a lot of classrooms and schools. But when I moved back to be in the 2 year old classroom, that huge paper cutter scared me and made me nervous to have in the classroom even if it was kept away from the kids. So having the paper cutter on top really eased my anxiety and made me feel more comfortable having something like that in the room. I no longer worry about a finger accidentally getting caught in the lever as this paper cutter is a sliding one and does require light force to push down on the material to get the blade to work.
Another thing I like about this specific laminator is that it comes with a corner rounder. Again, I didn’t think I would love this as much as I do, but I LOVE it! In a preschool classroom, it’s always important to keep safety as your priority and you should never underestimate children’s abilities to find weird ways to get hurt. I once had a child get a pretty deep cut from a laminated picture that was on the wall. The child got cut when they were trying to talk about what was happening in the picture and the picture cut them when they touched it. Since then, I always make sure to round the edges of my laminated projects (the corners sometimes also gets under fingernails and it is painful!). I used to just round the edges with scissors but it would drive me nuts when it would come out wonky. The corner rounder makes it so much easier. I just have to insert the corner into the cutter and then press down, like I’m cutting my nails, and then TADA I have a perfectly rounded corner.
Electric Water Kettle
Not all teachers drink coffee. I gave up coffee in my sophomore year of college when I realized I was drinking 5 venti cups of coffee before noon. I do sometimes enjoy tea though, especially when I am starting to feel sick. I like keeping an electric water kettle in my room so that I can make tea when I start to have a sore throat or need a little caffeine. It also comes in handy when I do cooking activities with the kids that require hot water or when I make no cook playdough.
This glass kettle is especially great to have in the classroom as the kids can see the water boiling and heating up. It leads to conversations about heat and is a great visual for young children to know that something is hot if it is boiling.
Bluetooth Speaker
A bluetooth speaker is a must in any classroom, but especially preschool where we have nap time music and like to have dance parties (not at the same time). The speaker is a fun way to play music the kids love without them watching it on your phone and laptop. Just connect your device to the bluetooth speaker, hit play, and put your device somewhere the kids can’t access. You could allow them to watch, but I find that it sometimes leads to arguments about what song is next, constant song skipping, choosing the next song before the current one is finished, and sometimes the kids are more interested in watching the screen than actually dancing.
I have this speaker in my classroom and at my house. I use it with my projector at home for movie nights. The speaker has a ridiculously long battery life which is perfect for the teacher who doesn’t always remember to charge the speaker before leaving for the day or the teacher who loves having music playing in the background all day long. It has great volume and can play pretty loud without the sound becoming tinny. It is also very easy to use and connect to.
Wet Bag With My Extra Clothes
Like I mentioned earlier, I work with 2 year olds. I am constantly getting covered in tears, sweat, drool, snot, food, dirt, and sometimes even… other bodily fluids. I found out early on that it is necessary to keep an extra change of clothes on hand as a toddler teacher. These wet bags are actually sometimes I learned about from working with toddlers as some parents would bring them in since our state doesn’t allow plastic bags. These cute, zippable bags are waterproof, perfect for those who go to the beach or the gym or they have children prone to accidents. We usually have families bring in their own wet bags so that we can send their child’s wet or soiled clothes home.
After learning about these bags at work, I knew I needed some of my own to keep my extra clothes in but also to have in case I have soiled clothes at work. I also use these bags when I travel to store my dirty clothes in or to keep any liquid products in (if not traveling by airplane).
When I bought my set of wet bags, I found the cutest dachshund print. I was not able to find those exact bags, but I did buy from this company on amazon. The quality is great and my bags are still going strong.
Cricut Explore Air 2
My final favorite on this list is my Cricut. Yes, I am part of the teacher cricut club. I have the Cricut Explore Air 2 and I love it so much. This machine makes it so easy and quick to design and cut labels and other materials in the classroom. I also use it in my personal life for crafts, gifts, and I will definitely be using it to help me DIY things for my wedding (especially writing and addressing the invitations).
The amount of things you can do with the Cricut is limitless. For this school year, I have used it to make the children’s cubby labels and the toy labels in the room. I have used it in the past to make Birthday charts with my students’ faces and a birthday hat that I edited in. The Cricut cut so precisely and clean that human could not even come close to doing as good of a job. What would have taken me 5 hours, took just 2 with my Cricut and that includes designing, printing, laminating and cutting. My only regret with this machine is that I didn’t get it sooner. It would have made my life as a Kindergarten teacher so much easier and I wouldn’t have had to stay till 8pm on some nights. It would have also saved me a lot of time and I wouldn’t have had suffered from carpal tunnel.
These were just some of my favorite products and items I have in my classroom. I understand if you are hesitant to get some of the pricier products but, let me tell you, they are all worth the investment and you will be using them a lot throughout your teaching career and possibly even outside of teaching.