Welcome to Kindergarten Cafe!

I’m Zeba, and I’m here to help you find the *kindergarten magic* in your classroom. I create resources and share strategies to make your teaching easier, more engaging, and focused on those magical moments of growth with your students. Whether you teach kindergarten, preschool, or first grade, you’ll find ideas and activities to bring that *kindergarten magic* to life. Feel free to reach out—let’s make teaching kindergarten magical again!

recent

Easy Small Group Ideas for Blending and Decoding Success ~ Ep. 119

Top Strategies for Teaching Personal Space in Kindergarten ~ Ep. 118

Minimizing Disruptions During Kindergarten Small Groups ~ Ep. 117

Help Kids Move Beyond Labeling to Writing Sentences ~ Ep. 116

Kickstart the New Year with Growth Mindset Strategies ~ Ep. 115

Early Childhood Education

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Effective Classroom Setup: Balancing Play, Learning, and Routine ~ Ep. 94

Back to School

Apple Spotify Amazon Music You'll want areas of the classroom to be available for work and you'll want areas available for play, but they can overlap.~ Zeba from Episode 94 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast Episode Summary In this final episode of our Classroom Setup Mini-Series, I’m walking you through how...

Building a Classroom That Invites Curiosity and Exploration ~ Ep. 93

Back to School

Apple Spotify Amazon Music Keep the classroom inviting, not distracting.~ Zeba from Episode 93 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast Episode Summary In this week’s episode of our Classroom Setup Mini-Series, we’re focusing on how to set up your classroom in a way that naturally invites curiosity, creativity, and exploration. Something every...

The First 3 Things I Did When I Found Out I Was Teaching Kindergarten ~ Ep. 87

Early Childhood Education

Apple Spotify Amazon Music If you don't feel like you have a mentor, hi, I'm Zeba. I can be your mentor teacher!~ Zeba from Episode 87 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast Episode Summary Did you just find out you are moving to Kindergarten? In this episode, I share my experience as...

Is Kindergarten the Right Grade for Me? ~ Ep. 86

Early Childhood Education

Apple Spotify Amazon Music Kindergarten is more about more than just teaching the curriculum and teaching the students about different content areas and academics. It's mostly about teaching kids how to learn how to follow routines, how to regulate emotions, how to interact with others, how to be students....

Loose Parts 101: Creative Play and Learning for Young Children ~ Ep. 79

Early Childhood Education

Apple Spotify Amazon Music There is no right way to use this. I just talk about how the only rule is we're not going anything down, so nothing is going to be permanent.~ Zeba McGibbon from Episode 79 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast Episode Summary In this episode, I share how...

Encouraging Independent Play in the Classroom ~ Ep. 72

Early Childhood Education

Apple Spotify Amazon Music We don't want to have too much control over their play because they get so much more out of it when they're the ones directing what happen.~ Zeba McGibbon from Episode 72 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast Episode Summary In this episode, I discuss the significance of...

5 Creative Winter Play Ideas for Your Classroom ~ Ep. 63

Classroom Activities and Lessons

Apple Spotify Amazon Music You're going to put them out and set it up and the kids will make of it what they will and they will take it and run with it. And it may not be exactly what you had in mind, but that's okay because when...

Balancing Curriculum and Development: Teaching with Young Learners in Mind ~ Ep. 62

Early Childhood Education

Apple Spotify Amazon Music Children have very short attention spans and when we ask them to work longer, sit longer than they should, it leads to misbehavior, it leads to disengagement.~ Zeba from The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast, Episode 62 Episode Summary How do we balance developmentally appropriate practices and the structured...

Balancing Curriculum and Play in Your Kindergarten Schedule ~ Ep. 48

Classroom Activities and Lessons

Apple Spotify Amazon Music Episode Summary In this podcast, I discuss the importance of play in kindergarten, schedules, recommending at least 45 minutes of purposeful play daily. I differentiate between playful learning and purposeful play, offering practical tips for incorporating both in the classroom. Despite challenges, I emphasize the benefits...

Drama Games in the Classroom with Sam from Pocketful of Drama ~ Ep. 40

Classroom Activities and Lessons

Apple Spotify Amazon Music Episode Summary Join me as I chat with Sam Marsden about the magic of drama games for young learners. We explore the benefits of imaginative play, the power of repetition, and how drama boosts empathy and confidence. Sam shares tips for hesitant teachers and introduces her...