25 Must Haves for New Teachers

Congratulations! You've just been hired to teach Kindergarten, now what.  I bet your head is spinning. You must have a million questions and you are probably have the urge to buy anything and everything for your classroom.  Before you run to Target and the Dollar Tree to spend that paycheck you don't even have, read this!

It is easy to get caught up in the land of Pinterest and Instagram.  You want to decorate; I get it. You want to pick a theme and colorize your room.  You want to make your room feel inviting to your incoming students.

So, I'm here to help. Think long term. Will I want this next year or even 2 years from now.  Borders and decor are expensive and you don't want to be replacing it year after year on a new teacher budget.
For wall backgrounds.  I like Fabric or Better then Bulletin Board Paper.  Both will last for years.  For Fabric, try Walmart or grab a coupon and sign up for the Teacher discount at Joann's Fabrics.
For the Better than Border Paper, I found mine on Amazon.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

Bulletin Boards

Paper

Borders
For Borders,  try to keep  them constant throughout your room.  This cuts down on the cost of border packs and it keeps your room looking well, not like all the borders in the store exploded onto your walls.  Below are some of my favorite borders.  These go nice with any color theme.

Pocket Charts
Now for the other things.  You will need pocket charts, table caddies if you are going with community supplies and baskets and bins oh my...   So much to think about.  Thank goodness pocket charts come in colors now.  No more basic blue.  I remember trying to dye mine black- can we say EPIC FAIL.  I'm still waiting fo the 100's chart to come in black, but until then I have the basic blue one.   Pocket charts come in all sizes and shapes.  So think about where you will use one and how you plan to use it.  These are my favorites.  I may be a pocket chart hoarder.  I have about 20 or so.

Student Supplies

If you are going with Community Supplies you need something to hold them.  Sure lots of people say just get bins from the Dollar store.  BUT !!! the ones from the Dollar Store well, I don't like because they aren't solid, they have little square cutouts and things get suck in them and they break as soon as they get dropped. I prefer ones that were meant for classrooms.

If you prefer to do individual supplies Pencil Boxes or Pencil Pouches are the way to go.  For Pencil Boxes. Wait till Back to School time and watch for them at Target or Wal-Mart.  They are usually $1 each.  It is an investment. However, I have had some of mine for over 5 years.
For pouches try these.

Teacher Supplies

So what do teachers need to keep their class running?  Oh so many things, but here are the basics to get you by.

You will need a good teacher bag or backpack because you will be carrying stuff back and forth to school, even if it is just your laptop.  You might as well make it a cute bag. since it will become your new BFF.

Plan Books 
There are so many out there and it can be over whelming and easy to get caught up in the Instagram world of planners.  Believe me, I  have been there.  When all is said and done, you need to ask yourself, what do I want and need in a planner?  There are many less expensive ones that have the same things that those $$$ planners have.  Something to keep in mind, a planner is only as good as the owner using it.

Pens
These are my favorite pens for writing in my plan book as they are erasable!!!!

Classroom Tools

You will need the following tools.  I have bought many over the years.  The ones below are all my favorites and what I currently have in my classroom.

• Pencil sharpener
• Paper cutter
• Stapler
• Staple remover
• 3 Hole Punch
• Laminator
• Laminating Pouches
• Doorbell

Doorbells are a great way to get students attention.   Read more here.  I wish I had bought the pack with 2 remotes so I could leave one when I had a sub.  I just ordered a second doorbell.  One will play one sound for cleaning up, the other will play for attention signal.  In hind sight I should have bought the 2 pack.

You will also need a printer and HP Insta ink if you don't already have it.  Kindergarten teachers print a lot. and color ink is expensive.    HP Insta ink is the way to go.  You can read more about it here

 Sign-up and get a FREE month 

Basic Manipulatives and Other Items
You will need some basic manipulatives for centers if your classroom doesn't already come with these items.

• Magnetic letters
• Dice
• Dry erase boards
• Clip Boards
• Playdoh

For more classroom related products and resources, you can check out my Amazon storefront.

If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed, that is ok.  It is normal.  My first day I got the keys to my new classroom, I opened the door and cried.  All the furniture had been piled to the ceiling in the middle of the room.  Everything in the room had been left by the previous teacher. I spent the first two days cleaning out the room.  I had a 5 week old and a 3 year old.  I was a hot mess for sure; crying, lactating, sweating. We didn't even have air conditioning at the time. Somehow, someway I did it.  I was able to get that room ready for my 40 kids.  Yep, I had 40 kids the first 2 weeks of school until they hired another teacher.

So, congratulations on your job.  You got this!  Find a mentor or grade level partner, hopefully in your school.  If not find one in the district or on-line.  Give me a shout-out.  I'm here to help.  Join my FB group and ask questions.  It's going to be a great year!!!