For me in the Pacific Northwest, August is back to school season and when I start to think about how I want to decorate my classroom. Now that I’ve been teaching for over 5 years, I’ve found tons of classroom decoration ideas to add to any classroom, as well as some things that might be forgotten about!
**This post contains affiliate links, where if you make a purchase through the links, I receive compensation, at no extra cost to you. To learn more about this, please read my Privacy and Disclosure Policy Page.**
Before diving into the different sections, I want to remind people – especially new teachers – it is okay to not have a Pinterest perfect classroom from the beginning. Every summer, I focus on one part or aspect of my classroom decor and make that my goal. If I get more done, awesome! If I don’t have it in the budget (or my bandwidth), that’s okay too!
Classroom Decoration Ideas for Organization
- Classroom Supplies
One of the first things I focus on is how I want to organize the classroom supplies I have. As a high school English and social studies teacher, my main supplies are pencils, coloring supplies, and basic art supplies. Something I do in my classroom is have the supplies in several areas around my room, so they are accessible on both sides of my room and students aren’t all rushing to the same area.
On one side of my room, I have an over the door shoe organizer that holds supplies. The great aspect about this organizer is that students can look around and see “oh, there’s supplies!” On the other side, I have a clear 3 bin dresser that holds the majority of the coloring supplies (markers and colored pencils).
I also have pencils in jars ALL OVER my classroom. When it comes to pencils, I let students take pencils with them to their next class, as I want them to be prepared for all their classes – not just mine. I personally love the pre-sharpened pencils to save myself time on sharpening them when refilling the jars!
- Turn in bins
Even in a post-COVID classroom, I still have students turn in assignments on paper. Not as often as before, but enough that I have turn in bins in my room. My favorite turn in bins are 5 section paper organizers for desks – 1 for each class period that I have. For elementary teachers, you could get sections for each subject you teach to organize the paper chaos!
Along with the paper organizers, you can usually put your stapler and tape on top for students to keep their work together (if it’s requested that it’s stapled together).
- Teacher Desk organization
When it comes to my desk, there are so many classroom decoration ideas. Some of the must-haves to have an organized space:
- Pen/pencil holder
- Calendar
- Someway to display notes
Everything else is “extra.” So I have extra? Of course I do – as my students tell me I’m very extra – but those are the first things I have set up and organized in my classroom.
- Magnetic borders
For organizing my board – mainly putting learning objectives, success criteria, and our weekly schedule – I will always always always recommend these magnetic borders. They are probably my favorite classroom decoration purchase when it comes to organizing my classroom and procedures!
If you’re curious about more of my “must-have back to school items,” check out my post about Things Teachers Need for Back to School!
Classroom Decoration Ideas for Wall Space
When it comes to wall space, it’s important to consider how much you have on the wall and the purpose for having it. According to Edutopia, 20 to 50 percent of the wall space should remain clear to limit visual distractions.
- Bulletin boards
One the best ways to have a wall display is if you have any bulletin boards in your classroom. Decorate them! I love “Better Than Paper” for the backing, plus a cute trim around the edges. A way to find cheap trim? Dollar Tree! I always check out their teacher section and often find some cute, basic trim for bulletin boards.
Some of my favorite ideas for bulletin boards:
- “The Fridge” (or a place to display all the awesome things your students do!)
- Helpful posters – I sell these poetry posters in my TPT store 🙂
- Student of the Month
- Calendar with important due dates
- Student work
- Wall Stickers
Another great classroom decoration idea is some wall stickers! I also check out the options at the Dollar Tree for wall stickers that fit my aesthetic. You can also put them on your whiteboard as well (if you have that weird sized spot that will never get written on!).
Classroom Decoration Ideas for Lighting
Lighting is one of the biggest parts of classroom decor! If there’s something you want to start with, I completely recommend looking at the lighting in your classroom.
- Fluorescent covers
First off, the fluorescent lights in a classroom are so harsh. So often, I have several students a year that explain that the lights give them headaches and this is actually super common! I only ever turn on half of my lights – so much so that my students know I have a sub if it’s bright in my classroom ha! I recommend getting some light covers as well – as it helps block the light some, but also adds some nice color and design to your classroom! I’ve even found some that have cute sayings on them!
- Lamps
A way to bring in more comforting light is to have lamps around your classroom. Some of my favorite places to find lamps are garage sales, Goodwill, or even just your local free or buy nothing group on Facebook!
Another classroom decoration idea for lighting is having fairy lights. I put mine around my whiteboard and keep them on steady to limit distraction from blinking.
- Christmas lights
Another common lighting idea is to have string lights around the room. However, make sure that they are safe for students who are prone to seizures.
- Faux fireplace
One of my favorite classroom decoration ideas that I’ve seen and want to eventually add to my classroom is to have a faux fireplace. There are tons of different ways to implement this – cardboard cutout, fake fireplace furniture, or using construction paper as well!
- Stain glass stickers
A simple and gorgeous addition to add to your classroom (if you have windows) is stain glass stickers. There are tons of options, but the ones below are some of my favorites!
Classroom Decoration Ideas for Flexible Seating
Flexible seating is a big classroom decoration idea that requires more planning and can become expensive as well.
With the increase in anxiety within students and the lack of emotional awareness, I love the idea of having calm strips on each desk for each student to access this to help them breathe through a stressful or difficult situation.
- Clipboards
One of the first things I did when I began to implement flexible seating within my classroom was to accumulate clipboards for students to have a flat writing space if they choose to work on the floor or rug. These are also nice for when you have an assignment where students need to walk around the classroom and write down observations.
- Floor cushions and yoga mats
A basic classroom decoration idea that functions as flexible seating is bringing in floor cushions and yoga mats (these options are great with the clipboards mentioned above). Often times, my high schoolers feel the need to stretch out after sitting in their desks all day, so allowing them the opportunity to lay on the ground is unique for them. Some of my favorite floor cushions are below:
- Sofa
If you can find the room within your classroom, a loveseat or sofa for your classroom is a great addition!
- Tall table & stools
I absolutely love my tall table and stools that I have within my classroom. Students love sitting in the back, but still being able to see over everyone. I also like to set up to monitor students in the back from this spot sometimes too (if it’s free!).
- Comfy chairs
I have an area in my classroom where I have a rug set up and there are 3 comfy chairs set up here. Students immediately gravitate to those comfy chairs once they are working. I also like to sit in them during my prep period if I’m just grading or trying to decompress after a difficult day! Valerie from The Weary Educator has a phenomenal guide about figuring out what kind of comfy chair to bring into your reading nook, plus tips on how to do it on a budget!
Other Classroom Decoration Ideas
- Faux plants
I will be the first person to admit that I am awful at taking care of plants. But I also know that having greenery in the classroom gives it a more homey feel. So to faux plants I turn to! Below are some of my favorite and gorgeous faux plants from Amazon.
It’s always important to consider the feeling you want to invoke with your classroom. A goal should be to bring a calm and welcoming feeling within your classroom. For more ideas about how to do that, I recommend reading about Hygge in the Classroom – which was a guest post written by a teacher with over 20+ years of experience!
Remember that you can also change up your classroom throughout the school year, with some transformations based on the season or holiday that is approaching. One of my favorites to do is a Halloween classroom transformation to go along with my Gothic Literature units that I do.
2 Comments
These are some great ideas to get ready for the new school year! I want to pass this on to my daughter who is getting ready now for her kids.
Wow! You organize your classroom better than I do my office. I wish I had you as a teacher in school… So many options of spaces to study/work at in 1 room