Back to School Supplies For Teachers
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Believe it or not, back to school is right around the corner and it is CRUNCH time for us teachers! Although back to school is a crazy-busy time for us, it is also one of the most fun times! I love planning for my new group of kiddos, discovering new ideas and products to implement in my classroom and getting my classroom ready for my future students. Teachers work ALL summer long!
Well, I have made your to-do list a bit shorter by compiling a list of 21 ESSENTIAL back to school supplies for teachers that will get your year started right. I use all of these products in my classroom and in my “teacher-life” and highly recommend them to you. Some of these items are also great to put on an Amazon Wishlist for your classroom! Click on the pictures below to view the listings on Amazon.
Back to School Supplies for Teachers
1. Differentiated Instruction Cubes
I use these ALL THE TIME in both math and literacy centers! These jumbo cubes are on the back to school supplies list for teachers because they can be incorporated into so many fun centers for kids.
My kiddos love tossing the jumbo cube and recording their answer! This set is also durable, I have used mine for over 3 years now, and they are still in great shape.
2. Clear Spinners
These spinners can be placed over any “spinner” printout making them an excellent tool for centers. This spinner is also easier to use than the traditional “pencil and paperclip” method, especially for little hands.
3. Scotch Laminator and Scotch Laminating Pouches
Who does not love freshly laminated products! I purchased this Scotch Laminator a little over a year ago and it is AMAZING! Although you may have a laminator at your school, this is helpful for when you need something laminated “on the fly” or at home.
I purchase my Scotch laminating pouches on Amazon. Amazon does have their own brand as well for the same price. I have not tried the Amazon Basics brand so I cannot speak for them.
4. Command Hooks
Until recently, I never thought about using command hooks in the classroom. Boy, was I missing out! My classroom does not have much bulletin board space so I have hooks spread all over the room for hanging. For hanging a folder, I laminate the folder for durability and hole punch, and for charts, I attach clothing hangers.
5. Rolling Cart with Drawers
These four-colored rolling drawers are great for housing center materials. I use these rolling drawers for my math centers. Each of my four groups is assigned a colored drawer, which is their assigned activity for that rotation. The drawers easily slide out for smooth transportation and the drawers are large enough to hold large manipulatives.
6. 3 Ring Page Protectors
These 3 ring page protectors have so many uses! I use them as dry erase pockets, storage for some seasonal items, and to organize chart pieces. I like to build my mentor charts with the students, so all of my charts have movable pieces. The movable pieces along with a picture of the chart is stored in a 3 ring page protector.
7. Stackable Plastic Storage Boxes
I LOVE these scrapbooking plastic storage containers. They hold items that are larger that the typical 8.5 x 11 size and stack well in a cabinet or on a shelf. I have a container for each month and store my seasonal centers and crafts.
8. Color Storage Bins
I use these color storage bins for my Sight Word Centers. They are the perfect size to hold all of the materials for each center. They are also sturdy and do not tip very easily. The set I am currently using I have used for 2 years and I will use it again! By the end of the year, the buckets do get a bit dirty. I just wipe the buckets clean with a Magic Eraser and they look pretty close to new!
9. Color Photo and Craft Keeper
I am ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED with these colored plastic storage boxes! First of all, they just scream ORGANIZATION! Second, they stack and store easily, and I use them to store and organize our districts Word Study Curriculum. I have 2 boxes dedicated completely to letters and sounds. When I pull an intervention group or have my classroom para work with students on specific letters and sounds, I can pull just those little boxes and get right to work!
10. Papermate Gel Pens
I have tried so many different pens and I have never been totally happy with any single brand. But these, let me tell you, are THE BEST in my opinion. These Papermate Gel Pens are smooth, bold, and bright! I am embarrassed to admit how many colors and how many of each color I have!
11. Mountains of Sticky Notes
I have a bit of a stationary obsession – sticky notes in every shape, size and color.
These notes I use specifically for reading and writing lessons. I use the various sizes to cover up words, parts of works, highlight areas of text that I want to refer to, whole group lessons and small group lessons. My kids love “guessing the covered word” and using their reading strategies to determine the mystery word.
I use these sticky notes for making my “To Do” lists for the day, notes home for students, things I need to remember, note-taking during lessons, data collection on students, and so much more! The square sticky notes fit perfectly beside the mousepad on my laptop, where I keep my to-do list and reminders! Sticky notes are a MUST HAVE back to school supply for teachers.
12. Post It Flags
These flags can be used for anything: flagging areas on PD materials, highlighting areas in a document, marking pages in a book for a lesson, student names in a journal, student work that needs to be check and returned back to the teachers, etc.
13. Mr. Sketch Markers
Need I say more???
14. Teacher Toolbox
This teacher toolbox organizer is PERFECT for holding all of the little desk items that we need to use everyday.
There are so many adorable label options to match your classroom decor. You can find these labels here.
15. Earbuds
My kids use earbuds during their iPad time. Sometimes parents will send in earbuds for their child, which is great, but I always like to keep a backup stock just in case. Hearing 18 iPads playing at once can be a bit disruptive.
16. Glue Sticks
As a primary teacher, you can never have enough glue sticks. Our school usually runs short on glue sticks by the end of the year, so I like to purchase my back-up stock when the prices are low.
17. Dry Erase Pockets
At some point during the school year, at our school we need to start watching our paper consumption and reducing the amount of paper that we use. Dry-erase pockets are one way to conserve on paper all year long! The pockets erase and clean easily, and last for many uses.
18. One Happy Planner
I have tried online planners, electronic planners, and journal planners. But I ALWAYS go back to my bound journal planner. Just call me “old-fashioned”. I love incorporating fun stickers and notes. You will find sticky notes and tabs plastered all over my planner. You can’t do that on an electronic planner!
19. Laptop Backpack
I have gotten away from using shoulder bags. A backpack is so much more convenient for carrying all of my school items. Plus, it frees up my hands for my coffee.
20. Repositionable Glue Stick
This is one of Elmers best inventions yet! A repositionable glue stick will make any paper like a sticky note. We all know how much I LOVE sticky notes. I use repositionable glue mostly for my anchor charts as I am building them with the class. I can modify, peel, and restick items on my chart whenever I need to. As for cleanup and storage, I take all of my chart pieces off of the chart paper, place them in a 3 ring sheet protector along with a picture of the anchor chart, and store in a binder until it is needed again. Viola! Classroom management made easier!
21. Keurig
Ok, this one is solely for the teachers. I don’t know what I ever did without my Keurig. Making a cup of coffee is as simple as making sure the water reservoir is filled and putting the K-Cup in the machine. I buy my K-Cups at BJ’s, which is our warehouse store chain. I even buy their brand of K-Cups which is half the price of name brand!
Sensory Bin Kit
Some of the most difficult parts of sensory bin implementation are the gathering and preparation of the bins, aligning activities to curriculum and standards, and then the storage of all the materials. I have heard your struggles and been in the trenches with you! This is why I have created the Ultimate Sensory Box.
The Ultimate Sensory Box is the complete sensory bin toolkit that helps preschool and kindergarten teachers teach state standards while remaining developmentally appropriate and adding more opportunities for students to learn through play. Each box contains 16 intentionally-planned and creative activities along with everything that is needed! The only item not included is the sensory bin itself.
You can view the Ultimate Sensory Box listing on Cratejoy here!
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21 Back to School Supplies for Teachers
My hope is that this back to school supplies list for teachers will help make your back to school planning a bit easier. Don’t forget to “Pin it” to your back to school boards to go back to later and follow me on social media! I love being able to interact with my readers. If you are looking for some back to school centers and products, be sure to check out my TpT Store!
Blog posts you may like:
How To Make Sensory Bins Work For Your Classroom
What You Need To Know About Play-Based Learning
The Sensory Bins Master Guide & a Freebie
Top Editable Sight Word Games For Your Classroom
Have a fantastic “back-to-school” and school year!