The Kindergarten Toolbox

Amy Murray
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  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to The Kindergarten Toolbox Podcast, your go-to guide for creating calmer classrooms and more confident writers in the wonderfully unique world of kindergarten. I’m Amy Murray — former kindergarten teacher, Type C “organized-in-piles” human, and vanilla-latte enthusiast. After years of helping teachers streamline their classroom routines with tips and tools that actually make sense for 5- and 6-year-olds, I created this podcast to support you with the practical strategies you’ve been craving. Each episode is short, actionable, and designed to help you: ✔ simplify classroom management  ✔ reduce behavior chaos with systems that stick  ✔ teach writing in a way that meets beginning writers where they are  ✔ build routines that make your day flow  ✔ use visuals, tools, and expectations that really work in K Whether you’re a brand-new kindergarten teacher or a seasoned pro looking for clarity and calm, you’ll find step-by-step support to help you feel more confident and in control. Because kindergarten isn’t just the new first grade, it’s a world all its own, and you deserve tools that actually work. Hit follow so you never miss an episode… Here’s to calmer days and more confident writers!

  1. 5d ago

    Are You Accidentally Giving the Wrong Behaviors All the Attention?

    Are you spending more time correcting challenging behaviors than noticing the kids who are following directions? It's easy to get caught up in putting out little behavior fires all day long, especially when the same handful of kindergarteners seem to need constant reminders. But what happens when the students making good choices barely get any attention? In this episode of The Kindergarten Toolbox Podcast, we're talking about how positive behavior reinforcement can make a difference in your kindergarten classroom management. I'll share why we sometimes unintentionally give more attention to the behaviors we're trying to stop, how to use specific positive praise to reinforce classroom expectations, and why it's especially important to notice the little wins from students who struggle with behavior. The best part? You don't need another behavior chart, reward system, or complicated classroom management strategy. I'm sharing one simple thing you can try tomorrow to shift your attention toward the positive choices happening in your classroom, without adding more to your already overflowing plate. 🔗 Show Notes: https://kindergartentoolbox.com/positive-behavior-reinforcement-kindergarten-episode-42/ For more kindergarten classroom management tips and practical teaching strategies, visit Teaching Exceptional Kinders or connect with me on Instagram @teachingexceptionalkinders. Don't forget to follow The Kindergarten Toolbox Podcast so you don't miss an episode!

  2. Oct 14

    41. How to Talk About Behavior at Kindergarten Parent-Teacher Conferences

    Have a kindergarten parent-teacher conference coming up where you need to talk about a child's behavior? It's one thing to share assessment scores and work samples, but explaining challenging behaviors to parents can feel a whole lot more uncomfortable. Especially when you're worried about how they'll react or you're not sure what to say. In this episode, we're talking about how to discuss behavior concerns at kindergarten parent-teacher conferences without relying on that old compliment sandwich method. You'll learn why ongoing behavior concerns shouldn't be a surprise to families, what behavior documentation to bring, how to describe specific behaviors without labeling the child, and how to explain the strategies you're already using in your classroom. We'll also talk about how to work with parents to create a simple plan for moving forward. If you're preparing for kindergarten parent-teacher conferences and dreading a conversation about behavior, this episode will help you feel more prepared to share your concerns, explain what you're doing to support the child, and leave the conference with practical next steps. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: 🔗 Kindergarten Behavior Blueprint 🔗 Show notes: https://kindergartentoolbox.com/kindergarten-parent-teacher-conference-behavior-episode-41/ 🎧 Follow The Kindergarten Toolbox Podcast so you don't miss future episodes with simple, practical kindergarten teaching and classroom management strategies.

  3. Oct 7

    40. What Should You Actually Talk About at Kindergarten Parent-Teacher Conferences?

    Do kindergarten parent-teacher conferences make you wonder how you’re supposed to fit EVERYTHING you want to tell families into 10 or 15 minutes? Between assessment data, work samples, behavior, academics, independence, and all the things, it can be hard to know what parents actually need to hear. In this episode, we’re talking about what to cover during kindergarten parent-teacher conferences and how to keep those conversations organized, positive, and productive. You’ll learn how to prepare before conferences, what information to have ready, how to share student strengths and areas for growth, and how to give families practical next steps without overwhelming them with information. We’ll also talk about what to do when a parent asks a question you weren’t prepared to answer. If you’re preparing for kindergarten parent-teacher conferences and wondering what to say, what to show parents, or how to get everything organized, this episode will help you simplify the process so you can walk into each conference feeling prepared and confident. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: 🔗 Editable Parent-Teacher Conference Forms 🔗 Parent Information Flyers Give families practical information and ideas they can use at home to support their kindergartener. 🔗 Show notes: https://kindergartentoolbox.com/kindergarten-parent-teacher-conference-tips-episode-40/ 🎧 Follow The Kindergarten Toolbox Podcast so you don’t miss future episodes with simple, practical kindergarten teaching and classroom management strategies.

  4. Sep 30

    39. What Should You Do When a Kindergartener Asks, “How Do You Spell...?”

    Do your kindergarten students ask, “How do you spell...?” approximately 75 times during your writing block? You want them to become independent writers, but simply telling them to “sound it out” isn’t always enough, and spelling every word for them definitely isn’t the answer either. In this episode, we’re talking about what to do when beginning writers don’t know how to spell a word during kindergarten writing. You’ll learn how to decide when to help students stretch out a word, when to send them to a classroom writing resource, and when it’s completely appropriate to just give them the word. We’ll also talk about why perfect spelling shouldn’t be the goal in kindergarten, how phonics skills connect to early writing, and how consistent writing tools and routines can help students become more independent. If you’re tired of spending your kindergarten writing block bouncing from student to student spelling words, this episode will help you support beginning writers without doing all of the work for them. The goal isn’t perfect spelling. It’s teaching kindergarteners what to do when they get stuck so they can get their own ideas onto paper. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: ✏️ How to Teach Them to Write Sentences Workshop Learn how to explicitly teach sentence writing to beginning writers with a simple, practical plan you can use in a real kindergarten classroom. 📝 Show notes: https://kindergartentoolbox.com/kindergarten-how-do-you-spell-writing-episode-39/ 🎧 Follow The Kindergarten Toolbox so you don’t miss future episodes with simple, practical kindergarten writing and classroom management strategies.

  5. Sep 23

    38. Should You Use Sentence Starters in Kindergarten Writing

    Should kindergarteners use sentence starters when they’re learning to write? Sentence starters can be a helpful scaffold for beginning writers, especially when they’re paired with a picture, but we don’t want students to become so dependent on them that they don’t know what to write when the sentence starter disappears. In this episode, we’re talking about how sentence starters fit into kindergarten writing instruction, why they can make writing more manageable for beginning writers, and the difference between completing a sentence starter and actually learning how to write a sentence independently. You’ll also learn why sentence starters should be a starting place, not the end goal, and what to consider as you begin removing writing supports. If your kindergarten students can fill in the blank on “I see a ___” but freeze when you ask them to write a sentence on their own, this episode will help you understand what’s happening and how to start moving them toward more independent sentence writing. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: ✏️ How to Teach Them to Write Sentences Workshop 📝 Show notes: https://kindergartentoolbox.com/should-you-use-sentence-starters-in-kindergarten-writing-episode-38/ 🎧 Follow The Kindergarten Toolbox so you don’t miss future episodes with simple, practical kindergarten writing and classroom management strategies.

  6. Sep 16

    37. Why Your Kindergarteners Can Tell You a Sentence But Can't Write One

    Your kindergartener just told you exactly what they want to write...so why can’t they get that sentence onto the paper? Writing a sentence might seem like one simple task to us, but for a beginning writer, there are a LOT of skills that have to come together before they can write a sentence independently. In this episode, we’re talking about why kindergarten students can often say a sentence before they’re able to WRITE it and how the speech-to-print connection impacts beginning writing. You’ll learn why labeling is such an important foundation for kindergarten writing, how phonemic awareness, phonics, high-frequency words, and handwriting all work together during sentence writing, and why you don’t need to rush your students into writing complete sentences before those foundational skills are in place. If your kindergarten students have great ideas but struggle to get those ideas onto paper without your help, this episode will help you understand what’s getting in the way and where to start so you can build more confident, independent writers. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: ✏️ Beginning Writers Bundle 📝 Show notes: https://kindergartentoolbox.com/why-kindergarteners-cant-write-sentences-episode-37/ 🎧 Follow The Kindergarten Toolbox so you don’t miss future episodes with simple, practical kindergarten writing and classroom management strategies.

  7. Sep 9

    36. Why “Make Good Choices” Doesn’t Work in Kindergarten

    Do you find yourself telling your kindergarten students to “make good choices” all day long? It sounds like a perfectly reasonable reminder, but there’s one problem: what YOU consider a good choice might be very different from what a five-year-old considers a good choice. In this episode, we’re talking about why “make good choices” is too vague to be an effective behavior expectation in kindergarten and why behavior isn’t always as simple as a “good choice” or a “bad choice.” You’ll learn how to get more specific about what you actually want your students to do, why expectations can change depending on the setting, and how clear, visual behavior goals make it easier for kindergarteners to understand what’s expected of them. If you’re tired of repeating “make good choices” and wondering why it isn’t changing behavior, this episode will give you one simple shift to try with your class this week. Because if students don’t understand the expectation, they can’t meet it. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: 🧰 Kindergarten Management Toolbox Show Notes: 🎧 Follow The Kindergarten Toolbox so you never miss an episode!

  8. Sep 2

    35. Why Is My Kindergarten Class Suddenly Getting Harder to Manage?

    Does it feel like your kindergarten class was doing SO well and then suddenly...they weren't? The routines you practiced are getting sloppy, students are talking more, and you're repeating directions you swear they were following just fine last week. In this episode, we're talking about why kindergarten classroom management can suddenly feel harder a few weeks into the school year and why you probably don't need to throw out your behavior system and start over. You'll learn how to make an overwhelming behavior problem feel more manageable by choosing one expectation to reteach, getting really clear about what you want students to do, and looking for opportunities to reinforce the positive behavior you want to see more often. If you're already Googling new kindergarten classroom management strategies because it feels like everything that was working suddenly isn't, this episode will give you a simple place to start. Resources Mentioned in This Episode: 👾 Free Build-a-Reward Monster 🎧 The Kindergarten Reward System That Doesn't Require a Prize Box 🎧 Lining Up Without the Chaos 📝 Show notes: 🎧 Follow The Kindergarten Toolbox so you don't miss future episodes with simple, practical kindergarten classroom management and teaching strategies.

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About

Welcome to The Kindergarten Toolbox Podcast, your go-to guide for creating calmer classrooms and more confident writers in the wonderfully unique world of kindergarten. I’m Amy Murray — former kindergarten teacher, Type C “organized-in-piles” human, and vanilla-latte enthusiast. After years of helping teachers streamline their classroom routines with tips and tools that actually make sense for 5- and 6-year-olds, I created this podcast to support you with the practical strategies you’ve been craving. Each episode is short, actionable, and designed to help you: ✔ simplify classroom management  ✔ reduce behavior chaos with systems that stick  ✔ teach writing in a way that meets beginning writers where they are  ✔ build routines that make your day flow  ✔ use visuals, tools, and expectations that really work in K Whether you’re a brand-new kindergarten teacher or a seasoned pro looking for clarity and calm, you’ll find step-by-step support to help you feel more confident and in control. Because kindergarten isn’t just the new first grade, it’s a world all its own, and you deserve tools that actually work. Hit follow so you never miss an episode… Here’s to calmer days and more confident writers!

Information

  • Creator
    Amy Murray
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Kindergarten Toolbox
  • Show Website
    The Kindergarten Toolbox

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