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

Fostering Creativity in Kindergarten ~ Ep. 139

What I’d Do First If I Were Moving Classrooms ~ Ep. 138

What I’d Do If I Were New to Kindergarten ~ Ep. 137

Did You Have a Hard Kindergarten Year? Let’s Talk About Why ~ Ep. 136

End-of-the-Year Social Emotional Learning: Supporting Big Feelings Before Summer ~ Ep. 135

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What I’d Do First If I Were Moving Classrooms ~ Ep. 138

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Moving to a New Classroom? Here’s What Kindergarten Teachers Should Focus On First If you are moving to a new classroom, whether you are changing schools, changing grade levels, or simply switching rooms within the same building, the transition can feel exciting and stressful at the same...

What I’d Do If I Were New to Kindergarten ~ Ep. 137

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What to Do If You’re New to Teaching Kindergarten If you are new to teaching kindergarten, there is a good chance you are feeling excited, nervous, and unsure where to begin. Kindergarten is unlike any other grade level. Even experienced teachers who move into kindergarten quickly realize...

Here’s How I Introduce Writing ~ Ep. 98

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Apple Spotify Amazon Music Don't expect them to start writing. When you put those expectations on them and they're not ready for it, that's when behaviors happen. They get disconnected, disengaged, and again, that's when the behaviors happen.~ Zeba from Episode 98 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast Episode Summary A common...

Meet the Teacher: Setting the Tone for a Positive School Year ~ Ep. 97

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Apple Spotify Amazon Music If you can send out information beforehand that will take care of a lot of their questions and anxieties that they're going to have before the first day of kindergarten.~ Zeba from Episode 97 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast Episode Summary Today we’re talking about how to...

What to Teach the First Month: Getting Kindergarten Off to a Great Start ~ Ep. 96

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Apple Spotify Amazon Music If you don't spend the time to build these routines and introduce materials and expectations, it will be much more chaotic in your classroom and you will be spending most of your time later on in the year, like putting out fires and talking about...

Preparing for Kindergarten: The 3 Things I Did Before the First Day ~ Ep. 95

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Apple Spotify Amazon Music Your goal is get kids into the classroom, get kids feeling comfortable and safe, and getting kids home safely.~ Zeba from Episode 95 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast Episode Summary The first day of kindergarten is full of excitement and nerves! Whether it’s your first year...

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

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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

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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...

Classroom Organization Tips For Overwhelmed Teachers ~ Ep. 92

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Apple Spotify Amazon Music Before tackling the clutter, you want to have a clear plan in mind for how you will organize your materials and spaces in your classroom.~ Zeba from Episode 92 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast Episode Summary Welcome to the Classroom Setup Mini-Series! We’re kicking things off with...

What To Do If You Can’t Get Into Your Classroom Yet ~ Ep. 91

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Apple Spotify Amazon Music There are still a ton of things that you can do at home to prepare so that you are not so overwhelmed when you are able to get into the classroom.~ Zeba from Episode 91 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast Episode Summary If you’re itching to start...