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

A Developmental Approach to Teaching Writing with Melissa from Teaching to Transform ~ Ep. 114

Managing Math Expectations and Math Materials ~ Ep. 113

A Kindergarten Social Studies Year-Long Plan ~ Ep. 112

A Kindergarten Social Studies Unit: Families ~ Ep. 111

Honest Talk on Handling Teacher Burnout and Difficult Students ~ Ep. 110

Teaching Tips and Tricks

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

Back to School

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

Back to School

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

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...

Classroom Organization Tips For Overwhelmed Teachers ~ Ep. 92

Back to School

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

Back to School

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...

Building a Manageable Summer Plan for Kindergarten Teachers ~ Ep. 90

PODCAST

Apple Spotify Amazon Music Here we are getting to actually using the reflections you made to break down your summer prep into a clear and actual plan for the upcoming school year.~ Zeba from Episode 90 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast Episode Summary You made your summer prep list last week...

How to Recharge and Reflect for a Better Kindergarten Year Ahead ~ Ep. 89

PODCAST

Apple Spotify Amazon Music Take some time right when school is done just to reflect on what went really well.~ Zeba from Episode 89 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast Episode Summary Summer is upon us (some of you have already got a head start)! But no matter whether you are already...

Summer learning with Kindergarten Cafe ~ Ep. 88

PODCAST

Apple Spotify Amazon Music Be realistic and manageable about what we want to do over our summer so we don't overwhelm ourselves and we work smarter, not harder.~ Zeba from Episode 88 of The Kindergarten Cafe Podcast Episode Summary It’s June, teacher friends! Which means some of us are officially...

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...