Classroom Decoration 101: 25 Helpful Tips ‘n’ Tricks
- Design a budget proposal: If you are going to exceed your allotted classroom supplies budget, don’t barge into the principal’s office demanding more money. Draw up a sensible budget explaining why you’d like certain supplies and how your students will benefit.
- Be resourceful: If you aren’t getting much help financially or artistically to decorate your room, go with what you already have or can easily get. To create a seasonal bulletin board, pick up colorful fall leaves from outside to hang up. Complete a recycled art project from everyday household items if you’re strapped for supplies cash.
- Get students to help: If you feel too overwhelmed with grading and lesson plans to stay late and finish up your classroom, have trustworthy students help you out during their off periods or when you don’t have much going on. They can hang up posters, take down an old bulletin board or cut out designs from construction paper.
- Make it a class effort: Decorate your room with materials from class projects, or make it part of your lesson plan to design the room based on a unit from your textbook.
- Open the windows: For a quick fix, open up your blinds and the windows to introduce new light and fresh air.
- Get a plant: Plants boost your mood and improve your health by helping remove toxins from the air.
- Rearrange the desks every once in a while: Switching around the furniture keeps things interesting and changes the dynamic of the entire room.
- Give yourself privacy, but not too much: Set your desk enough away from your students so that you have some privacy, but not so much that you can’t monitor everything that goes on in your room.
- Incorporate team spirit: Show your students that you care about their clubs and athletic teams by hanging up a school flag or banner.
- Inspirational posters: Hang up funny, educational or inspirational posters as a decoration and to deliver a message.
- Put up class pictures: Take pictures of your students and hang them up around the room to show them you’re proud.
- Post a word of the day or joke of the day on your door to generate a discussion.
- Free stuff: Check out this list of teacher freebies that you can use to decorate your classroom.
- Keep everything neat: Loads of clutter will distract your students and make you feel irritable.
- Decorate with college material: Encourage your older students to go to college by putting up college flags or other souvenirs around your room.
- Don’t overdo it: Don’t give your students information overload by covering up every bit of empty space with decorations. Pick your favorites and alternate them according to season or unit.
- Set up a comfortable corner: Bring in a couch or comfy chair for reading or quiet class work.
- Get a class pet: If you think you and your students can handle the responsibility, get a class pet to add some excitement and life into the room.
- Grow a garden: Teachers with outside entrances can plant a small class garden outside their door. If you don’t have outside access, explore container gardening to grow colorful flowers or vegetables.
- Color according to mood: Paint your room a color that is conducive to learning, focus, energy or peace to bring out these qualities in yourself and your students.
- Feng shui: Consider implementing some of the principles of feng shui to promote energy in your room.
- Keep it neutral: Don’t plaster your room with political or religious statements that may offend some students.
- Enlighten your students: On the other hand, don’t be afraid to introduce new ideas or cultures to your students by putting up posters that reflect different cultures and respect for diversity.
- Have a calendar for birthdays: Keep track of your students’ birthdays by letting them mark their special day each month.
- Listen to your students: Ask your students which parts of the classroom they like best and welcome their decorating suggestions.
