If you’re like me, you are on the home stretch to summer! 4 more days… but who’s counting?
As you are packing up your classroom and daydreaming of sunshine and iced coffee, I know it’s super tempting to shove everything into your cabinets and turn off your teacher brain. But, as someone who has left a problem for “August me” and regretted it, I’m bringing you 5 easy things you can do now to make back-to-school season smoother than your favorite cold brew. ☕
Classroom Layout
We are required to leave a map in our room for the custodians so they know how our room should be set-up once they are finished cleaning and doing any maintenance work. Even if this isn’t required for you, I think now is a great time to sketch out your room layout and think about what changes might need to be made to make your classroom more efficient.
Do you need to rearrange anything to help with traffic flow or avoiding blind spots? Are you adding or removing furniture? Anything that needs to be switched up to help with instruction or center areas? It’s much easier to think about this when you are already in the mode of taking down things and the classroom is more of a blank slate!
I use PowerPoint to create my map each year. This way I can just make a file that I save on my computer so avoid drawing it each year. I use the shapes to create the furniture in my classroom and play with different layout ideas.
Get Organized!
Organize your digital files. My Google Drive used to be a nightmare and it was such a daunting task, but now that I have a system it’s much easier to manage and everything has a place.
Start by creating folders for each subject – then break it down with subfolders for different units or standards. Use the color code feature to make it easier to see at a glance and visually pleasing!
This is something you can do throughout the summer here and there, so by the time August rolls around all you need to do is open up that “Back to School” folder and you are ready to go!
Read some of my best tips about organizing your Google Drive here!
Classroom Stock Up
This is one a guilty pleasure. Take advantage of summer sales to stock up on classroom supplies. Target typically does a one time 20% off discount for teachers and you can get anything from school clothes to tissues to crayons! Just verify your status here. (Not affiliated, just a big Target fan!) 🎯
Many other retailers have back-to-school sales and there really is nothing like a fresh set of Expo markers or brand new pack of construction paper. I have a bin that I keep at my house that I let myself put any classroom goodies into so it’s all in one spot, then when I head back to set up my classroom I just grab my bin and go.
First Week Plans
The first week of kindergarten feels like a marathon, but the prep doesn’t need to!
Start thinking now about what you will need for those first days before you dive into any curriculum. Think routines, rules, and fostering relationships. Having these prepped (or even printed and put in a box for the fall!) will make your life SO much easier.
I use the summer to create fresh labels for my student cubbies, book boxes, and center areas. I also create blank forms for transportation information, my gradebook, and other lists so I just need to plug student names in when August arrives. These things are simple and mindless, making them perfect for the summer.
Use this classroom set-up checklist to think about what you might need to survive the first week chaos!
Prep Small Group Materials
Last but not least, create your small group phonics toolkit. Even if you aren’t ready to teach small groups right away, having your toolkit ready to go will save you precious time during those first few hectic weeks!
We all have been sitting on a Sunday night with a daunting pile of laminated pieces that need to get cut out. Consider preparing and organizing materials like letter and picture cards, sound mats, whiteboards, and books during the summer when you can do them little by little.
Organize them in a special spot for easy access – I use these Sterilite drawers for my own things. This way when you’re ready to assess and group your students, all your resources are right at your fingertips and you can focus on teaching!
If you are looking for some ready-to-go small group plans – you are going to love my small group phonics resource. It’s perfect for the beginning of the year when you are teaching letter names and sounds. You can grab my small group planning template for FREE here!
I hope these have given you a few ways that you can prepare your classroom for the fall from the comfort of your own home to make the back-to-school season smooth sailing! Do you have any other tips? I’d love to hear them at hello@koffeeandkinders.com
Just a heads-up—some of the links on this blog are Amazon affiliate links. That means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you!). I only share products I love and actually use in my classroom or at home. Thanks for supporting Koffee and Kinders and helping keep the coffee flowing and the laminator running!
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