This school year, I’ll be stepping into classrooms in a new role—substitute teaching! After years of writing, creating, and sharing resources with teachers, I’m excited to have the chance to connect with students face-to-face again. Last year, I volunteered in classrooms to read picture books and guide students through directed drawings, and I found myself looking forward to those visits more than anything else.
I enjoyed them so much that I was left longing for more time with students—more chances to share stories, spark creativity, and be part of the classroom community. That’s what led me to step into subbing this year.
While I’ll always follow the lesson plans left by the classroom teacher, I also wanted to be prepared with a little “substitute teacher survival kit” for those moments when extra time needs to be filled or plans need to be adjusted.
Previously, I shared activities for teachers to leave for subs, but I thought it might be helpful to share what I’m bringing in my sub bag essentials, too. These are simple, flexible activities that can be adapted across grade levels, so no matter what elementary classroom I step into, I’ll have something meaningful (and fun!) ready to go.
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A few tried-and-true read-alouds with a variety of themes that I know kids love. Books are always a safe and engaging choice when you need to fill a pocket of time. These titles will change and rotate throughout the year as the seasons change.
I printed a set of open-ended questions that work with any read-aloud. These are tucked into sheet protectors, so groups of students can use dry-erase markers to jot down their responses and then share with the class.
My go-to graphic organizers that cover skills like retelling, main idea, character traits, and more. These can be copied if needed or reused in sheet protectors with dry-erase markers.
Because drawing is one of my favorite things to do with kids! I have hundreds of kid-friendly illustrations ready to go. I can lead the class in a drawing related to a theme or book we read, or just let students pick one as a brain break.
Perfect for math activities! Students can hold up numbers to build equations, model problems, or even create number sentences as a group. The oversized format makes it interactive and fun.
These are simply large clipart images cut into pieces. I have six puzzles so each group can work together. The twist? It’s a silent challenge! Students have to cooperate without talking to complete their puzzle.
Simple addition and subtraction practice that can be used in pairs or small groups. These games are quick to teach, engaging, and adaptable depending on the grade level.
These little tools are surprisingly versatile! Notecards can be used for vocabulary, sentence building, math problems—or even tower-building team challenges. Sticky notes are great for exit tickets, text responses, or quick writing tasks.
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Having this substitute teacher bag gives me peace of mind knowing I have activities in my back pocket that are meaningful, engaging, and adaptable. Elementary substitute teaching can be unpredictable, but with these sub bag essentials, I feel prepared to step into any classroom and make the most of the time I have with students.
If you’re a substitute teacher (or even a classroom teacher who wants backup activities), I hope this gives you a few ideas for creating your own substitute teaching supplies kit!
Hey, y’all! My name is Amy Lemons and I am passionate about providing students with both engaging and effective standards-based Math and ELA lessons.
Sample a day of Rooted in Reading with these lesson plans and activities for Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Grammar!
