When I started teaching I remember buying all sorts of very random bits and bobs. I couldn't go into a shop without having a look at the stationary and wondering if I'd have any use for said 'random' bits....turns out, I did not!
When I started in Senior Infants, I even more realised that less is more. I was constantly tidying up my stationary or wondering where items had gone.
In a bid to save time and money, I made a list of the items I was actually using and ditched the rest. Most are things that I can reuse each year, and the rest are things I add to my school order each September.
So here it is, my full list of all of my 'teacher items' for the Infant classroom!
Stapler
Make sure it can be pulled back to use for stapling onto display boards
Highlighters will get a lot of use! They're great for supporting children with writing as they can trace over what you've written in highlighter.
Multicolour pen
Mine is usually stuck in my hair somewhere during the day! Quick access for giving immediate feedback/corrections etc.
Both teacher and children benefit greatly from ours! Saves my hands when I'm sharpening all of our colouring pencils, and children use it to sharpen their writing pencils, quickly and mess-free.
White labels
These will go on everything from copybooks to folders to schoolbooks
Printer
Of course I use the school printer as much as possible, but having my own one in the classroom is a life-saver if I need to do another copy whilst my class are in the room. Can be hard for us infant teachers to leave the room to pop down to the school printer.
You can get matt ones, which are much better for anything being displayed. They're more expensive than glossy ones though so buying a matt spray is also a good solution for your shiny displays!
Clipboards
These are great for observation notes
Whistle
For P.E
Being able to walk around the room whilst showing my class a presentation helps a lot with classroom management
Academic diary
Record-keeping is hugely important, particularly in the infant classroom. This is how I easily keep a record of any incidents in the classroom - injuries, behaviour incidents etc. At the end of the day, when parents are collecting the children, it's easy for me to check if there's anything I need to tell them. I use a diary with a page per day.
Teacher stamper
It'll depend on your school's policy, but I don't worry too much about having work dated/ticked. Feedback for infants should be done in the moment and we don't use a huge amount of workbooks etc anyway. Having a stamper is handy though if you do need/want to be signing off on work.
My children love my wireless microphone! I don't use it all the time, so it's extra effective at getting their attention when I do take it out. It's also very handy when you're sick or have lost your voice. Children use it sometimes when they're sharing the work, show & tell etc. It doubly makes them want to speak in front of the class!
Teacher planner
Large tape dispenser
Double-hole punch
Single-hole punch
Scissors
Retractable board pointer
Polly pockets
Post-it notes
Permanent markers
Whiteboard markers
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