Primary Playground
Have you seen these amazing little personal sized mini crock-pots? It is on my list of must-haves for school! This little guy is perfect for your school lunches. It does not cook, it just reheats. Take the mini crock pot home with you and fill it with your lunch. Bring it to school with you the next day and plug… Read More
Do you use callbacks or attention grabbers with your class? I think they’re important and work well. Some classes do well with changing to a new phrase every month or so and some classes are better with sticking to the same all year long. You’ll find what fits your class best and may change from year to year. If you haven’t used… Read More
My kids love puzzles! Today I’m sharing a new center to help the students practice their letter fluency, a free printable uppercase and lowercase puzzle match. It’s perfect to use during small group practice or individual center time. To Play Print the free printable uppercase and lowercase puzzle match below. Cut and laminate the pieces. Have the students mix up… Read More
This time of year is all about introducing the alphabet! For our literacy snack idea this week, we are reading our favorite alphabet book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin, Jr. “In this lively alphabet rhyme, all the letters of the alphabet race each other up the coconut tree. Will there be enough room? Oh, no – Chicka Chicka… Read More
A few years ago, I’d walked into a friends classroom in the morning, and she had classical music playing as the students walked in each morning. It had such a calming effect of the students and helped them settle in quickly for the day. I thought, I need to use music more! I’m sharing the best Pandora stations for primary… Read More
This week we’re focusing on sharing kindness. It is such an important thing to practice in the classroom and there are a ton of fantastic and fun ways to do that! For this weeks literacy snack idea, we’re reading, The Jelly Donut Difference, by Maria Dismonday. “Leah and Dexter are brother and sister. They don’t always get along. In fact,… Read More
I love celebrating birthdays! At our school, kids are still allowed to bring in a treat to share on their birthday but it has to be prepackaged. I wanted to add something special for the kiddos on their day but keep it low cost for me, so I made this free printable birthday hat for them to wear. Simply print… Read More
It’s back to school time and I’m excited to start sharing my weekly literacy snacks with you again! This weeks literacy snack idea is a book all about having courage to be who you are. We are reading, Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun, by Maria Dismondy. “How can Ralph be so mean? Lucy is one of a kind and… Read More
I LOVE using the book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom when teaching letters. I couldn’t resist wanting to turn it into a fun literacy center, so I’m sharing a free printable alphabet tree center today. It’s a fun way that the kids will be able to correlate the story with the letter activity they are working on. THIS ACTIVITY WORKS WELL… Read More
The other day I shared my Pete the Cat painted rocks for the classroom. Today, I’m sharing with you a free printable cool cat awards that can be given along with placing the rock on their desk, or when you take the rock back at the end of the day. It’s an opportunity to write a little note to the… Read More
Learning their letters is a big deal to the little ones. Why not make it a little more fun with these hands on free printable alphabet match pages? This and many articles on Primary Playground contain Amazon affiliate links. These links make shopping easier for you, don’t cost you to use them, and help us to keep these great articles… Read More
Meet the teacher night is always an exciting time! You get to meet all of your new students and for the kids, they are so excited to meet you and see their new classroom. It can also be a very hectic time trying to talk to all of the parents at the same time. I created a free printable meet… Read More
I remember way back when I was in second grade and my teacher used quiet critters in our classroom. I remember sitting there trying so hard to be quiet, just waiting for her to pass by and hoping she would gently place a quiet critter on my desk. It can be the smallest thing in your classroom that makes a… Read More
It’s always exciting getting to meet your new students for the year at meet the teacher night. It gives the new students a chance to see a little piece of their classroom and their teacher for the new year and gets them excited to come back to school. To start the relationship off on a positive note, I’ve put together… Read More
I’ve got a fun summer project for you today! A DIY teacher stool for the classroom! My mom found this stool the other day in someones bulk pick up pile and knew I would want it! Thanks mom! Is anyone else obsessed with the cute Pete the Cat plush from Kohl’s? We grabbed one when we were doing a little… Read More
Do your students have desks or tables in your classroom? These duct tape desk drawers have been an absolute lifesaver to keep their desks organized. You only need a couple items to make these or to ask each student to make one and bring it in at the beginning of the school year. No need for pencil boxes this way!… Read More
Do you use a treasure box in your classroom? It can sure get expensive keeping it full all of the time! I’m sharing how you can use treasure box coupons for the classroom treasure box instead of toys and trinkets. My treasure box is a small wooden box that I found at Hobby Lobby. I think it was about $9.00 after… Read More
A New Year – Taking Back Your Time I’m not a person who sets New Year’s resolutions, but I do like to reflect on the past year and come up with some things I’d like to implement into my life each year. In my life over the last few years, I’ve been working towards simplifying everything and moving towards a… Read More
I have 3 little candy jars in my room that have special treats. I don’t give them out often but when someone really, “knocks my socks off” with an answer I like to give them a little special treat. I’m sharing with you 3 free printable candy jar labels that I made for my jars. My books worms jar is… Read More
We love having our weekly Literacy Snacks. I’ve created a free printable parent letter that you can send home asking for parents to help with donating some of the food items that you’ll need each week. Simply write in what you’d like to have sent in that week and make sure to write in the date you need it by…. Read More
