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How To Use Interactive Notebooks in Kindergarten

Interactive notebooks are a great hands-on tool to help support learning. Some teachers may worry that these are more geared towards students in higher grades, but we have great news! Interactive notebooks can be used in any grade. That’s why we are here to give you tips on how to use interactive notebooks in kindergarten.

Simply Kinder interactive notebooks follow the same activities with different content, so students are not relearning directions or expectations. Instead, they focus on building content skills. That’s why they are perfect for kindergarten! Keep reading for tips and ideas to help you get started.

Read more how-tos:

How to use sound boxes in kindergarten

From a word wall to a sound wall

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This activity goes well with these Simply Kinder resources:

How to Use Interactive Notebooks in Kindergarten- Getting Started

Materials

Make sure you have everything you’ll need on hand. Simply Kinder has a variety of Interactive Notebooks to use for many subject/content areas! Click here to explore them all! Including alphabet, CVC, Nursery Rhymes, Sight Words, Numbers, and the newest Sound Interactive Notebooks with Real Mouth Photos.

Students will also need:

-notebooks

-scissors

-glue sticks

Spiral works best for interactive notebooks. If your students don’t already have them, you can order them in bulk on Amazon for a reasonable price such as this one:

Set Expectations

As with any lesson, it’s important to set expectations ahead of time.

  • Consider one designated area, like a basket, where their notebooks will be stored.
  • Explain how you would like students to go and get their materials and how it looks when they are ready to begin.
  • Choose which glue method you’d like them to use.
  • Discuss the timeframe on how long each project should take.
  • Discuss scissor safety (you’d be surprised how many non-work items get cut every year!)
  • Number pages together, or explain how they should do it on their own.
  • Give ideas for what to do if they finish early: free coloring, work on letters, etc.

Model Procedures

Since this will be a new concept for kinders, it’s best to model the procedures ahead of time. Show them exactly where they will be gluing the pages in, where they need to write, color, fold, etc. Go over each activity that’s included in the notebooks, such as writing each letter, writing the whole letter, coloring in pictures, and more.

Each of Simply Kinder’s interactive notebooks features the same activities! This is ideal for not having to relearn new directions. Students instead can use their time to learn new concepts! It’s also important to practice fine motor skills like cutting and gluing beforehand. Then, model how you expect students to clean up after the activity.

Differentiate

Differentiation is so important in kindergarten! For students who need a little extra help, have them work in pairs. Pull a small group of students to work with a teacher, as needed. For students who are ahead, plan on having extra activities for them to complete or another page that accompanies that lesson of the day.

Guide students to refer to their notebooks for extra support with letters, sounds, sight words, numbers, and more!

Sound Interactive Notebooks with Real Mouth Photos

Now that you know HOW to use them, why not try one out? Check out our new sound interactive notebooks featuring real mouth photos. This Science of Reading aligned resource includes printable and digital activities with real mouth photos to support your instruction. Perfect to use with or without a sound wall! Click here to read the article explaining more AND get a free sample of the letter M to use!

We hope you feel more confident using interactive notebooks in kindergarten with these tips and ideas! Have anything else to add or any more questions? Check out our Simply Kinder Teacher Group Facebook Page! Happy teaching!

All the best tips and ideas on how to use interactive notebooks in kindergarten!

This post was written by Johanna, an experienced early elementary teacher who loves learning about new teaching ideas for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade!

At Simply Kinder we work together to bring you ready-to-use resources to partner with great teaching for any curriculum, a Facebook community where teachers talk all things Kindergarten, and low-prep learning ideas that your students will love. Be sure to stay up to date with all things kindergarten on InstagramFacebookPinterest, and through email. Simply Kinder: where teaching Kinder is definitely better together!

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