To run an efficient preschool or daycare, your teacher prep supplies are just as important as the toys on the floor. This list covers many of the durable tools and high-volume consumables needed to prep lessons and to preserve the children's treasured art work to share with their families.

1. Professional Prep & Preservation

It is typically better to spend a little extra to laminate and preserve your learning materials, so that they last for years.

• Thermal Laminator: A must-have for protecting "Circle Time" visuals, weather charts, and reusable tracing sheets.

  • Supplies: 3mil and 5mil laminating pouches (letter size and menu size).

• Heavy-Duty Paper Cutter: A guillotine-style or rotary trimmer for prepping flashcards and craft squares quickly.

• Binding Machine: Excellent if you plan to turn student artwork or family history projects into "published" books for the kids to take home.

• Circle Punches & Specialty Shapes: 1-inch and 2-inch circle punches save hours of hand-cutting for "counters" or letter-matching games.

2. Essential Desktop Tools

Standard office supplies, but sized or selected for high-volume classroom use.

• Hole Punches:

  • Single-hole punch: For "fine motor" activities where kids punch holes around the edge of a paper.

  • Standard 3-hole punch: For organizing student portfolios in binders.

• Scissors:

  • Teacher Shears: High-quality fabric/paper scissors (keep these out of reach).

  • Adaptive/Training Scissors: Spring-loaded scissors for children still developing hand strength.

  • Safety Scissors: Blunt-tip stainless steel blades for general student use.

• Staplers:

  • Long-reach stapler: For stapling the center of "books" made by the children.

  • Standard desktop stapler and a heavy-duty staple remover.

• Tape Dispensers:

  • Packaging tape: For "laminating" floor labels or reinforcing box edges.

  • Masking/Painter’s tape: For hanging art on walls without peeling paint.

  • Double-sided tape: For seamless craft projects.

3. High-Volume Consumables

Stocking these in bulk prevents mid-week runs to the store. The best time to do this is typically at "Back to School" sales in the fall.

• Adhesives: * Glue Sticks: Buy by the 30-pack (they dry out fast).

  • Liquid School Glue: Gallon-sized jugs for refilling small bottles.

  • Glue Dots: Great for 3D crafts where liquid glue takes too long to dry.

• Paper Stock:

  • Cardstock (65lb or 110lb): Necessary for any "moveable" parts or items you plan to laminate.

  • Multi-color Construction Paper: 9x12 and 12x18 sizes.

  • Butcher Paper / Easel Rolls: For large-scale group murals.

• Writing & Marking:

  • Dry Erase Markers: For teacher use on whiteboards and student use on laminated "traceables."

  • Chart Paper: Large gridded or lined pads for "Morning Message."

  • Permanent Markers: For labeling cubbies, water bottles, and clothing.

4. Organization & Storage Supplies

To keep the your classroom/playroom environment orderly, everything needs a designated home.

• Plastic Mesh Zipper Pouches: Perfect for storing "busy bags," puzzle pieces, or themed sets of alphabetical animal cards.

• Clipboard Set: Have one for each child or several for "field work" during outdoor play.

• Totes: Portable plastic bins with handles for moving art supplies from the shelf to the table.

• File Folders & Crates: For organizing lesson plans by theme (e.g., "Space," "Gardening," "Dinners for 20").

Pro-Tip for Longevity:

If you are laminating items for a Montessori "Work Cycle," round the corners of the laminated plastic. It prevents the sharp edges from poking little fingers and keeps the plastic from peeling over time.