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

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

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

Classroom Design

Dramatic Play

7 Tips for Thinking of your Classroom Set Up for Kindergarten

Classroom Design

When thinking about your classroom set up for kindergarten, it can be overwhelming to think about all the things you have to do! Maybe different from other grades you have taught or maybe this is your first time setting up a classroom that is all your...

Bakery Dramatic Play Center: Full of Learning and Fun!

Dramatic Play

Children always love the kitchen aspect of dramatic play and so turning it into a bakery dramatic play is a natural transition. The set-up is beyond easy and the children will have so much fun playing baker and selling their baked goods to their friends. Plus,...

Vets Office Dramatic Play- an Easy Set Up for Kindergarten And Preschool!

Dramatic Play

If you are looking to change up your dramatic play center, your students will probably love a vets office dramatic play center! This center combines the children’s love for stuffed animals and animals with their love of playing doctor! Plus, it took me all of 15...

Ideas for classroom jobs and why they are important

Classroom Design

Classroom jobs are a critical part of the classroom community. They teach students responsibility, independence and teamwork. Not all classroom jobs are created equal though! In this blog post I write some different ideas for classroom jobs and why they are important! https://youtu.be/gQXMrQlYTmQ Ideas for Classroom Jobs that...

The secrets to a welcoming classroom environment

Back to School

Creating a welcoming classroom environment is easier than you thought, and the secret might surprise you! As teachers, especially at the start of school, we are bombarded with all the stuff and all the things that we are supposed to buy for our classroom and our...

A Proven classroom set up for kindergarten independence

Back to School

Any kindergarten teacher will know – independence is the name of the game. Not only is it a critical skill for young children to develop, let’s be honest… there’s one of you and twenty of them. Twenty young children who are used to getting help for...

Choosing the Best Theme for my Classroom Elementary School

Back to School

I love taking the summertime to rethink my classroom elementary design! It’s a great chance to change things up and to reflect on what works and what hasn’t worked. If you’re moving classrooms or starting a new classroom, it’s also time for you to think of...

4 Simple Ways to Include Dramatic Play At Home

Dramatic Play

Dramatic play is a staple of the early childhood classroom and purposeful play. Dramatic play can easily be done at home, as well, with these four simple tips! For other tips on setting up play areas, check out this blog post! 1. Start Simple Children do not need...

Setting Up Classroom Play Areas

Classroom Design

Are you setting up a new classroom and wondering how to arrange your play areas or are you a seasoned educator looking to change up or enhance your play areas? Hopefully this post can help you! Please note this was written prior to school COVID-19 restrictions. Common...

6 Tips for Setting up a New Classroom

Classroom Design

Are you switching classrooms or starting in a new school? I tried to think of my best tips for setting up a new classroom. Hopefully they will help you! Please note this was written prior to school COVID-19 restrictions. 1. You can’t get it all done Let’s just...