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Classroom Decoration Tips
Here at Persnickety Prints, we are passionate about enriching children’s experiences and their childhood memories. Positive experiences at school are crucial to building confidence. We love helping teachers whenever possible, and many of us have friends and family members who teach. When summer rolls around, we are often asked to help set up classrooms for the new school year because of our eye for design. We’ve set up classroom decor for all ages and needs: from kindergarteners to high schoolers, to Special Education centers. We’ve polled our team and created this list of our favorite five tips for how to decorate a classroom for any age.
1. Inspire Your Scholars With A Collage Wall
Showcase what they will learn that year – period of history, area science, or stills from the movie adaptation of books you will read that year. Inspire your students with beautiful images! Our collage wall kits contain 100 loose sheets of 8.5×11 in prints on a thick 100# flyer paper, and the bigger size easily fills up a larger space. If you take the time to find files that will print well, your collage wall will really pop!
We’ve also seen some teachers use collage wall kits as an affirmation wall to decorate their classroom. Print graphics with sayings or other images that convey the positive messages you want your students to absorb.
Bonus Tip: If your classroom will be filled with little grabby hands, place the collage wall high enough where they can’t reach it. We also love the idea of arranging it above the primary whiteboard to fill that space and keep it top of mind.
2. Incorporate Physical Play
Including play items is an obvious choice for classrooms with younger children, but it is still important for teens too. Everyone learns faster through play vs boring repetition, so the more you can incorporate fun, the better! Incorporating play with technology is a very popular option, but there is value in tactile learning.
For rooms that are short on space, consider items that easily stow away or are disposable. It can be as disposable as creating a hopscotch game with blue tape on the floor, or as compact as setting up curtains on a tension rod for a dramatic puppet show reenactment of a Shakespeare play. If your current group of kids display respect for your room, a fidget toy box is a fantastic way to subtly engage kids in play during more quiet activities. Have a larger classroom space? Consider an alternative seating zone! Kids of all ages will be excited by a fun place to complete independent or group work.
3. Keep It Clearly Organized
Labels are a teacher’s best friend. We are a big believer in keeping tools and resources clearly labeled and separated to promote sustainable organization. Our favorite way to incorporate labels in a classroom setting is keeping the words large and big, so even inattentive eyes will be drawn towards the letters. If you have learners that are too young to read or are trying to learn a second language, incorporate pictures or graphics! We recommend printing your visual label at least 4 in wide for easy visibility, as a 4×6 or 4×4. Photographic prints are a great choice for this application because of their affordability, great image quality and they are thin enough to fit inside any label holders you already have.
4. Utilize Lighting For Transition Cues
Flexible lighting has become so much more accessible in recent years with the rise in popularity of battery powered puck lights, LED light strips, and smart light bulbs. There are now a plethora of ways to improve and enhance the lighting in your classroom. We love the suggestion of using visual cues to signal transitions to students, so they know what behavior is expected during different times. Consider setting your alternative lighting on timers during different blocks of time to keep everyone on track.
5. Communicate Clearly With Visual Reminders
Having a whiteboard with upcoming deadlines and reminders is a favorite choice of many teachers because it is a large visual reminder. Help it stand out by having this whiteboard look a little different than the others. Wrap it with a border, place it in a conspicuous place, or even have the material be different like an acrylic board or a paper roll.
When students enjoy and feel comfortable in their physical spaces, teachers notice a big difference in their learning. By going the extra mile to decorate your classroom and helping your students be inspired, you are making a difference in their education.
For a limited time, teachers can receive 40% off a collage wall kit with code: Classroom
Implemented any of these ideas? Share your projects with us using #persnicketyprojects