I live on an island with no big box stores or anywhere near any specialized teacher stores. I rely on Amazon to buy many materials I use in my preschool & prek classrooms. This is my list of must-have items for every early childhood education classroom. I haven’t included books for children because that is a whole post – you can read my list of must-have books for every preschool classroom here! This list of must-have supplies for preschool is broken up into 4 groups:
Preschool Teacher Tools
Literacy & Circle Time Materials for Preschool
Math and Science Manipulatives and Tools for Preschool & PreK
Free Choice & Toys for Preschool & Prek
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Preschool Teacher Tools
I don’t want to make this list of must-have materials for teaching preschool too long, so these are only my absolute must-haves! These are the things that make my life easier while teaching preschool. For my preschool teacher style guide, click here.
Lanyard. You may have one given to you from your school, but if not, this, for me, is a must-have. Especially one that will break away if a child is pulling on it. I pop my keys on, and I’m good to go even if my clothes that day don’t have pockets!
Teacher Journal or other system for recording observations and lesson plans. You can buy my print-at-home teacher planner, but one from Amazon I love is the one from Scholastic.
Everyday Preschool In The Classroom. I was sick of long handwritten lists of activities that I’ve used that work every time. Instead, I use this! Every activity is good and simple enough; I can plan at the last minute if I have to. It also makes sub plans so easy; I just make a basic outline and then add in page numbers for the sub to find the step-by-step instructions!
No-Spill Coffee Mug I am trying to transition to more green tea this year, but that’s beside the point. My two main things that are must-haves are that the mug doesn’t spill and that it’s cool to the touch on the outside. I am lucky enough to be allowed to have hot drinks in class, but that means I have to be extra careful. I like that this one is not too tall, so it’s stable even when a child bumps into the table it’s on, and cool to the touch when a helpful student wants to bring it to me. Also, because it’s metal, when I take it outside, I am not worried it’s going to get damaged.
Must-Have Materials for Literacy & Circle Time
Remember, these are just my very, very tip-top must-haves and classroom materials from amazon. These would be the items if lost; I’d replace them immediately!
Letter magnets. Uppercase and lowercase. I use these for countless activities, from color matching to spelling. I use these in centers, circle time, and during free choice.
Dry-erase dice. I use these for countless games, like roll and write and letter tally race! If you are lucky, you can also find these at the dollar store or Walmart!
Pocket chart. This could also be in the free choice section because I use it for both daily! Here are some of the ways I do.
Puppet. I love using my puppet for circle time. I’ve named ours Quinn. Quinn’s role is to ask questions and allow my students to teach and be experts. He asks about the meanings of words, he asks about letters, and I use him a lot for blending syllables and compound words. “What word is Quinn saying? Tooth….brush? Toothbrush! What word is Quinn saying? /k/….at? Cat!”
A good circle time rug defines the space. Whether you have designated spots for students or you all pile in is up to you, but having a designated area for group time really helps with engagement and expectations. I prefer rugs with spots on them for when I want children in a specific spot, and then it’s easy to say, ” Can you sit on the whale for me?”
Must-Have Math & Science Materials for Preschool
One of my mantras when I teach workshops about STEM is that you don’t have to use expensive tools for this, and I stand by that! These are the few store-bought items I have found to be especially helpful for teaching preschool STEM. Dice and counters like mini erasers, science items like child-sized magnifying glasses, and a microscope are daily must-haves, but here are my bigger items and classroom must-haves you can find on Amazon 2024 that have come in handy teaching math and science.
Balance scale. This helps to visualize the concept of weight, and you can fill the buckets with anything!
Magnetic builders. I love these; they can also be used to explore what is and isn’t magnetic!
Clear planter with root viewer. I bought this in the spring, and I don’t know why I didn’t before. Yes, you can use plastic bottles, but this worked so well! It’s sturdy, and you can use it over and over again.
Light table or tablet. I really don’t want to put an expensive item on the list, but I use this light tablet all the time. I especially love it for seeing X-rays, playing with color mixing, and even for literacy! See what I use on my light table here.
Must-Have Free Choice Materials And Toys for Preschool & PreK
I can’t help but feel like I should remind you again that these are just my absolute must-haves—not the only toys you need. I hope it’s a given that you have a play kitchen, a sensory table, and lots of standard wooden blocks. As well as dress-up, basic art supplies, stickers, and do-a-dot makers.
Lego and Duplo – This seems obvious, a given like wooden blocks but I still have to add it. I use both in my Prek class. I love this small group Lego game and even use Duplo for rhyming and sound matching!
Crazy Forts (for PreK) – I know these look scary, but children are careful when you trust them. I love seeing my students work hard together to build amazing things!
Play food that reflects multiple home cultures and baby dolls that do too!
Automobloxs—Okay, so technically, you can get these on Amazon, but did you see the price? Not bad if you only need three cars but in a class we need more. Ask in your buy-nothing or garage sale groups! Go to thrift stores ( I am going today to look for more). I love these cars that you can build and mix and match, and so do my students!
Here are some free lesson plans to go with your classroom must-haves
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