I love being a kindergarten teacher. I care so much about these little people who walk into my classroom each morning, and I want them to love being there. I want them to feel comfortable trying something new, asking for help, and making mistakes. Most of all, I want them to feel proud of themselves.
That is a big part of why I started The Learning Loft Shop.
All of my students are learning English. Some begin the year without understanding any spoken English at all. They are five years old, walking into a new classroom, learning new routines, meeting new people, and trying to understand a language they are still learning.
I think about how overwhelming that must feel. Even asking to use the bathroom or telling me they need help can be difficult at first.
Then we open a curriculum that expects them to listen to a story, understand a question, turn to a partner, and explain their thinking.
There is so much I want to teach them, but first, I have to give them a way to understand.
That is where I kept running into the same problem. The materials I was given weren’t enough. And honestly, they still aren’t.
I would look at a lesson and know that my students needed more pictures, more modeling, and more opportunities to actually work with what we were learning. A written direction or a quick explanation wasn’t going to get them there. They needed to see it. They needed something they could point to, move, match, and try themselves.
It is frustrating to have a curriculum in front of you and still feel like you are starting from scratch. But it is even harder to look at a child who wants to participate and know that the lesson hasn’t given them a way in.
I didn’t want my students spending their first months of school watching everyone else and trying to guess what to do. I wanted them to be part of the lesson from the beginning. They have ideas, questions, and so much to share, even when they don’t have the English words yet.
So I started making what I couldn’t find.
Sometimes it was a picture to help explain one word. Sometimes it was a matching activity or a center that gave them more practice. I spent time thinking about the directions, the pictures, and what I could change so a child could look at an activity and understand how to begin.
Those details matter to me because I know the children who will be using them.
I know how much courage it can take to raise your hand when you aren’t sure how to say the answer. I know how much it means when a child finally understands what we are doing and can join in. Those are the moments I want more of in my classroom.
I also love solving the everyday problems that take up so much of a teacher’s time.
Busy Boxes are one of my favorite examples. If you teach little ones, you know how quickly “I’m done!” can turn into several children waiting for you while you are trying to help someone else.
I wanted something ready for those moments. Something students could get out, understand, and use on their own. Having that familiar activity gives them a chance to feel capable and gives me time to sit beside a child who needs a little longer.
That matters, too. Being able to finish helping a student without rushing. Giving another child a job they can manage independently. Having one part of the day run a little more smoothly.
Teaching asks so much of us, and I know how tiring it is to keep searching for materials after a full day in the classroom. I know the feeling of having a very specific student need in mind and opening resource after resource without finding what will work.
As I created more for my own students, I wanted to share it with teachers who were having those same experiences. Opening my own store gave me a place to do that and to explain the classroom needs behind the resources.
The Learning Loft Shop means a lot to me because it comes from work I care deeply about. These resources begin with children I want to reach and problems I want to solve.
I can’t open a curriculum and assume it has everything my students need. I wish I could. But I can pay attention to where they need more support, keep trying, and create something that works for them.
Click on the links below to check out more of my favorite resources below that help my students and I know will help yours too!
