7 Essential Classroom Supplies for Elementary Teachers
Back to school!
Classroom supplies are a necessity for every school year. However, not all teachers have the same educational needs, so you must learn what works best in your classroom. The following list comprises tried-and-true essential classroom supplies that can help make any elementary teacher’s life easier!
Personal Laminator
Laminating is one of the most useful classroom tools you can have. In addition to helping students keep their work organized, laminating sheets also protect them from wear and tear and accidental spills, which is a great way to display student work.
You can even use your laminator to make dry erase worksheets that you can use during stations to cut down on waste.
Whiteboard Markers
Whiteboard markers are a teacher’s best friend. They’re great for writing on whiteboards, but you can also use them to write on desks and windows. They work on any non-porous surface—so if you’re looking for a fun way to engage students, have them work out their math problems on the desk this year.
Velcro Dots
Velcro dots are an excellent tool for attaching materials to a whiteboard or wall. These tiny helpers make it easy to change out anchor charts or weekly jobs. These are especially helpful if your school has a rule about putting holes in the wall.
Team Teacher T-Shirts
A great way to initiate bonding and classroom spirit is by creating matching t-shirts for your class. Students can all rep their t-shirts and feel part of a team. This will bring the students together and unite them, and they can keep their class shirts as a memory for life! Group T-shirt orders can require preparation, but they are well worth the work! Plus, a fun end-of-the-year activity is for all the students to sign each other's shirts!
Label Maker
The label maker is a treasure trove of organization. It can help you organize your classroom and students’ materials.
The first thing that comes to mind when we think of organizing with a label maker is labeling items in our classroom bins and bookshelves. However, you can label desks, create bilingual labels for English language learners, create stations, and so much more. And don’t forget about labeling baskets for sorting materials like crayons or colored pencils!
Hand Sanitizer
Hand sanitizer is an essential classroom supply for elementary teachers to help combat illness. Keep a bottle of hand sanitizer as students enter the classroom and one on your desk for personal use. It’s a great way to keep germs at bay as kids reenter the classroom. Kid germs are some of those things that only teachers will understand and can joke about.
Disinfecting Wipes
Wipes are also handy to keep around the classroom. Wipe down desks or clean up messes as needed, especially after all the dry erase marker fun they’ve had. Then, at the end of each day, have the students disinfect their desks for the next day. These items are essential to help you keep your room safe.
We hope this list will help you keep your classroom organized and stocked with the necessary resources to make teaching a joy! As a bonus suggestion, keep materials on hand that help students engage more with the content you’re teaching them. Suppose a student has access to resources such as books or videos that relate directly to what you teach in class. In that case, this allows them more opportunities to interact, understand, and internalize any lesson.
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What classroom supplies can you not live without?
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