If you’re hunting for fun and functional Kmart hacks for your primary classroom, you’ve landed in the right place! Let’s be real – we’re all guilty of going on a late-night Kmart run for ONE item, only to end up at the checkout with a full trolley and a lengthy receipt. With thousands of affordable, clever and creative buys, who could resist?
The Teach Starter teaching squad has reached out to our huge teaching community to find dozens of Kmart hacks that Aussie primary school teachers swear by, from holy grail storage solutions to DIY teaching tools. Read on for Kmart storage hacks, bin hacks and more ways to use your cheap finds in your classroom, plus links to buy some of these items if you’re keen to add them to your own teacher toolkit!
Kmart Hacks for Classroom Storage
Why is classroom storage so important? It not only keeps things organised and efficient, but it also contributes to an optimal learning environment and the longevity of teaching materials. Unsurprisingly, we’ve found that teachers turn to Kmart as you can pick up innovative storage options that won’t break the bank. Here are some of our favourite Kmart storage hacks:
DIY Anchor Chart and Book Rack
As vital as anchor charts are, they can be a REAL pain to store without getting damaged. Thankfully, Year 1 teacher Skye (@miss.clarksonxo) has a fabulous Kmart hack for us all!
Using a humble $22 nursery rack and some clip hangers, she’s upped her anchor chart organisation game and kept them in tip-top condition for future lessons. Better yet, you could even reuse this rack to hang up paperback books and other flat yet bulky teaching materials to save space in the classroom – it’s a win-win.
Can’t get enough of this hack? Here’s how Year 2 teacher Mrs N (@teaching_with_butterflyqld) uses the nursery rack to store her classroom charts. We could also see this rack coming in handy for hanging zippered plastic bags that have been filled with your manipulatives or the pieces to different games.
Colour-Coded Craft Paper Storage
What’s a successful art afternoon without colour paper strewn everywhere? Well, don’t throw out those paper scraps! Instead, grab a $10 tiered storage box and turn your classroom trash into treasure. Save the bits for future collage-making, creating paper chains and plenty other art projects your students can complete with those extra scraps of paper.
Sydney-based Year 4 teacher Lauren @a_teaching_life cuts up any leftover coloured paper and stores them for future art and craft projects in these small boxes, matching the colour of the paper to the colour of the boxes. We love that colour coordination!
Task Card Storage Hack
You’ve probably seen hacks using these Kmart stackable and $17 photo and craft storage boxes on your Instagram teacher feed once or twice, and we totally understand the hype.
Drama teacher Kristen (@misskristenteaches) swears by these handy boxes to categorise and store her teaching materials, including our drama games, for easy access. These boxes are the perfect shape and size for task cards, games and other knick-knacks, and they’re super practical for colour-coordinating your teaching tools.
Here’s another way to use these must-have containers. Aussie teacher Sommor (@stayclassyclassrooms) keeps her phonics resources safe, sound and organised for her little learners to use during English lessons.
Pill Box Dice Storage Solution
Sick of having to replace those elusive classroom dice? Here’s a perfect solution to keep them in check.
Year 5 teacher Miss Kwan (@misskwanteaches) created this nifty storage space for her dice using Kmart pill boxes and some nail polish to remove the day labels – genius! Now she can easily keep track of her dice during maths lessons, and you can too, with this handy hack.
Trolley Drawer Organiser
Although this Kmart trolley has been around for a while, the versatile organiser still holds up as a teacher-fave classroom storage idea. Primary performing arts teacher Mrs Pratt (@mrsprattsmotivation) tells Teach Starter that she swears by the $50 10-drawer trolley to keep her levels’ resources colour-coded and easy to reach.
You can adapt this trolley to your classroom needs in many ways, from allocating a draw per subject to using it as part of your learning rotations to store supplies!
Plastic Water Bottle Trays
Do you allow students to keep water bottles at their desks but struggle with spills?
Pre-primary teacher Taylor (@tays.tiny.team.adventures) has found an ingenious way to limit spills in her classroom with the help of these $5 clear storage drawers. Simply add a waterproof label to each tray, and you have a super-effective hydration station!
Kmart Teaching Tool Hacks
While scrolling for Kmart teacher hacks, we found SO many clever teaching tools to help students better grasp concepts, such as subitising, CVC spelling and fractions. Read on to find some of our favourite finds from teachers across Australia!
Guided Reading Money Box Hack
The transparent cover means that students can see which group is in the lead and which ones need to pick up the pace, complete with play money to fit the theme.
Play Trays for Sorting Activities
This one may not be a typical ‘hack,’ but it is a versatile learning tool for various year levels.
Australian educator Kirsty (@playandlearnpioneervalley) has turned Kmart’s $16 Messy Play Bin into a fantastic tool for sorting activities and subitising games. Better yet, practising fractions with each tray section could be a creative way.
Explore our jam-packed collection of Sorting Activities.
Kmart Counters for Subitising
The Kmart coloured counters have been doing the rounds for a few years as favoured teaching tools, and we couldn’t go past this handy hack by Aussie teacher Carly (@learninginjp).
Carly says, “This hack with the infamous Kmart counters will always be a favourite of mine!! My kids LOVE sorting out these subitising counters, often pulling these out as an ‘early finisher’ activity!! These are also such a handy activity for my students who are still working on numbers up to 10!”
CVC Spelling Ball Activity
This CVC spelling ball hack is an oldie but certainly a goodie. Perth teacher Liv (@livslittlelearners) has adapted the idea for her class using Kmart $9 play balls and muffin pans and writing letters on each ball, with vowels on one colour and consonants on a different colour. Once students have formed a CVC, Liv encourages the class to read the word aloud in a sentence.
DIY Friends of 10 Rainbow
Want to help your class remember the ‘friends of 10’ rule in a hands-on way? You’re in luck.
Aussie teacher Amelie (@prepwithmrsmccomish) has turned this $13 Kmart wooden rainbow into an interactive maths tool by writing number pairings to make ’10’ on each colour. Such a simple yet effective idea!
Contractions and Multiplication Building Blocks
Take a look at this Kmart $7 building block hack from Year 1 teacher Marie (@theaussieeducator)!
Whether teaching contractions or multiplication, this simple hack is great for hands-on learning. Just remove the writing with acetone, and you can reuse the blocks for future classes.
$1 Kmart Eraser Pack Hacks
If you haven’t already snapped up some cute $1 Kmart erasers, these hacks may convince you to pick some up on your next trip.
After buying some packs, Year 2 teacher Miss Magee (@teachingwith.missmagee) tell us she empties the eraser into her prize bo, but she doesn’t stop there. She then uses the empty containers to make individual storage for cut-up spelling words. This is a fantastic way to be more sustainable and teach students how to reduce rubbish by reusing!
Additionally, these erasers are perfect for popping in your end-of-year student goodie packs!
Wooden Market Stall for Role Play
Looking for a creative role-play setup for your classroom? Kmart has the goods for this too.
Aussie teacher Marjorie (@fosteringaloveoflearninginprep) has repurposed this nifty $75 market stall from Kmart as a role-play station for her students to develop cognitive and social skills. What a fabulous display and idea!
Check out our Fruit and Vegetable Shop Role Play Printable Resource Pack.
DIY Popsicle Talking and Reading Sticks
Have a pack of Kmart popsicle sticks lying around? Aussie educator Tam (@misslearningbee) share these hacks for you!
Tam has created these cute and functional watermelon-coloured talking sticks to support her formative assessment focus. During a ‘no hands-up session’, Tam suggests that you select a name stick from the cup (when you ask a question), and encourage that student to respond.
Don’t stop there! Grab a pack of googly eyes and glue these onto the end of each popsicle to make reading sticks.
Tam’s students find these reading sticks to create finger spaces in their writing and also as re-readers (reading back to check their writing). How nifty!
Cat Climbing Tower for Small World Play
Ever thought of having a cat climbing tower in your classroom? We discovered this creative hack by Australian kindergarten teacher Mrs Caratti (@kindy_explorations), and we were inspired by her creativity.
She’s transformed the $42 Cat Tower Flower into a small play world for her young learners to use their imaginations for role play.
Kmart Decor Hacks to Brighten Your Classroom
Organisation and storage are important, but we also know Kmart is widely known for its affordable, on-trend decor ranges. We’ve rounded up a few Kmart decor hacks to help brighten your classroom.
DIY Kmart Reading Corner Stool
Looking for a nifty way to jazz up your classroom reading corner and spark curiosity with your students? Check out this creative idea!
Year 3 teacher Ash Rush (@ash2707) shared how she transformed a plain wooden stool from Kmart into an ultra-cool author’s share chair. The Melbourne teacher tells us she used the covers of popular children’s books to create an eye-catching spot for students to sit when they read their writing to their classmates.
Wooden Postal Box for Letter Writing
Take your letter and narrative writing lessons to the next level by encouraging kids to ‘post’ their letters in the classroom. Teacher Mrs H (@ms.h.teach) tells us she swears by her own $16 wooden post box from Kmart to practise writing with a purpose in her Year 2 classroom.
While this is a functional hack, we couldn’t help but think about other ways to expand on this idea. You can reuse your post box for events such as Christmas for students to ‘mail’ their wish lists to the North Pole. You can also use this post box to help build your teacher-student relationships. Print ‘letter to the teacher’ templates and post them beside the box for students to fill out when they have something they want to share with you!
Reusable Washi Tape Peg Hack
Here’s a simple yet effective hack to reduce waste and add a colourful touch to your classroom birthday chart.
Year 3 teacher Vanessa (@mess_with_missness) uses a $5 Kmart washi tape to stick over plain wooden pegs before writing her students’ names and pinning them up in her classroom. The best part? No need to buy fresh pegs each year. You can peel, reapply and rewrite next year!
This could also be used to create nice ‘messages’ for students who have been ‘caught’ being kind or doing especially well in the classroom. Add the washi tape to the peg, write a sweet message and clip to your student’s work to celebrate their classroom win. It’s so simple, and yet it can be just enough positive reinforcement to encourage students to keep up the good work.
Kmart Bin Hacks for the Classroom
Now, we know bins aren’t the most exciting classroom addition to shop for, but they’re a necessity. If your rubbish bin station is in need of a bit of a makeover, check out these awesome Kmart bin hacks from fellow teachers to keep the classroom clean and help students form a recycling habit early.
Classroom Recycling Bin Hack
Aussie primary school teacher (@learn.flourish.grow) has innovated her classroom bin station using a $35 Kmart tiered trolley and plastic containers to help your students practise sustainability in the classroom. We love that she’s included a compost section for students to add their leftover bits of lunch, plus she’s made the most out of her classroom space by building up instead of out!
Reusable Desk Bins
Year 3 teacher Miss Gobbe (@theinspiredlearners) has a super simple hack to limit the number of trips to the bin (aka disruptions) during class – mini desk bins! These $2 plastic tubs from Kmart are the perfect size to pop on each group’s table to use during lessons. Just pop bin labels on, and they’re ready to go.
That’s a wrap on our round-up of Kmart hacks from teachers for teachers! We hope that you feel inspired to try one, two or all of these ideas in your classroom, and be sure to tag us — @teacherstarter on Instagram or Facebook —to share your Kmart teaching hacks with us!
I love Kmart resources too! Thank you Alison for the terrific hands-on activities!
Hi Donna, Thanks for your positive feedback! It's time to get down to Kmart! Have a great day, Ali