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

The Biggest Classroom Management Mistakes Teachers Make ~ Ep. 159

Why Behavior Feels Worse Right Now ~ Ep. 158

How I Build Strong Family Partnerships ~ Ep. 157

Mistakes in Supporting Learning at Home ~ Ep. 156

Why Parent Communication Breaks Down ~ Ep. 155

PODCAST

The Biggest Classroom Management Mistakes Teachers Make ~ Ep. 159

Classroom Management

Most classroom management mistakes don't happen because you're doing something wrong on purpose. They often happen because you're tired, you've lost a little steam, or you've gotten into the habit of reacting to behaviors as they happen. This happens to every teacher throughout the school year,...

Why Behavior Feels Worse Right Now ~ Ep. 158

Classroom Management

Why Kindergarten Behavior Problems Feel Worse Right Now and What to Do About It If your class was doing so well and suddenly you're wondering what happened, you're probably seeing a very normal shift in kindergarten behavior problems. Early November is when many classrooms hit a behavior...

How I Build Strong Family Partnerships ~ Ep. 157

PODCAST

How to Build Strong Family Partnerships Without Creating More Work Building strong family partnerships doesn't mean answering emails at night, constantly sending updates, or adding another long list of tasks to your teacher workload. Strong relationships happen when families know they can trust you, feel informed about...

Mistakes in Supporting Learning at Home ~ Ep. 156

Literacy

Supporting Learning at Home: 3 Mistakes Kindergarten Teachers Should Avoid When it comes to supporting learning at home, most families really do want to help their child. They want what's best for them, even if that support looks different from what you might expect as a teacher....

Why Parent Communication Breaks Down ~ Ep. 155

PODCAST

Family Communication in Kindergarten: How to Prevent Breakdowns and Build Strong Partnerships Strong family communication in kindergarten can prevent many difficult situations before they ever start. Most challenging family relationships do not come from one bad conversation. More often, problems build because expectations were unclear, important information...

Is Kindergarten Still Developmentally Appropriate? What the Research Says ~ Ep. 154

Early Childhood Education

If you teach kindergarten, you have probably felt the tension between what your students are developmentally ready to do and what the curriculum, standards, or schedule expects them to do. Creating a developmentally appropriate kindergarten classroom can be challenging when academic expectations keep increasing and instructional...

No Letter or Number Knowledge What Now ~ Ep. 153

Literacy

Kindergarten Letter and Number Recognition: What to Do When a Student Is Starting From Scratch Kindergarten letter and number recognition can look very different from student to student at the beginning of the year. Some children arrive recognizing many letters and numbers, while others have had very...

How I Teach Foundational Skills ~ Ep. 152

Literacy

Teaching Foundational Skills in Kindergarten: What Small Group Instruction Looks Like Teaching foundational skills in kindergarten doesn't mean every student has to sit at your small group table and complete the same activity. Small groups can be flexible, targeted, and focused on exactly what your students need....

Mistakes in Teaching Letters and Numbers ~ Ep. 151

Literacy

Teaching Letters and Numbers in Kindergarten: Mistakes That Can Slow Student Progress Teaching letters and numbers in kindergarten is about more than getting through lessons or checking skills off your curriculum. Sometimes students struggle because the way a skill is being taught doesn't match what they need...

Why Students Fall Behind Early ~ Ep. 150

Literacy

Kindergarten Foundational Skills: How to Recognize Learning Gaps Early Kindergarten foundational skills do not have to be firmly in place on the first day of school. Children come into kindergarten with different backgrounds, experiences, knowledge, and abilities. Some may already know every letter and number, while others...