Decorating your classroom … whether you love it or dread it, there are dozens of decorating hacks that will make your life a whole lot easier for new and veteran teachers alike! Looking for some fresh classroom decor inspiration?
Look no further than the list our teacher team here at Teach Starter has compiled for you.
We’ve all been right where you are,standing in an empty classroom, looking all around those cement walls and wondering where the heck do we even start? Keep scrolling for some of our very favorite decorating hacks for teachers, some of our coolest classroom decorating resources, plus some tips from our entire teacher team’s years in the classroom to make back-to-school decorating a lot easier in 2023 … and hopefully a lot more fun!
Classroom Decorating Ideas for 2023
1. Hang a Clothesline
Display your student’s work or teaching posters simply with a hanging clothesline and some clothespins. Two ceiling hooks will allow you to string the line from one end of the room to the other!
2. Use Peel & Stick Wallpaper
If you want to make a major change to a section of the classroom without having to paint or do anything that will leave a long-lasting impact, invest in some peel and stick wallpaper! This makes a great bulletin board background too, and it’s easy to remove at the end of the school year or when you change classrooms.
3.Use Free Letter & Number Cutouts
Make your life a whole lot easier with blank number and letter cutouts that you can use on your bulletin boards, classroom doors, and just about everywhere else. Bonus: The templates are free to download now!
You can also download full bulletin board kits — letters, pictures and all!
4. Use Painter’s Tape to Help Space Bulletin Board Letters
Now that you have your letters, let’s talk about hanging them up!
Ever wonder how other teachers always seem to have perfectly straight bulletin board letters with perfect spacing, while yours still looks like a handmade card to Mom with the big birthd and the teeny weeny ay? The trick is painter’s tape!
Photo courtesy ofthird-grade Tennessee teacher McKay
Tennessee third-grade teacher McKaydemonstrates above, but basically, you lay out your letters on a flat surface the way you want them to look, then run a piece of painter’s tape straight across to hold them that way.
Carefully pull the painter’s tape away from your surface with the letters still connected, then place on your wall or bulletin board! You can then use mounting putty or tape to stick the letters to the wall before pulling up the tape! Oh, and you can use this trick when removing them too! Just slap a piece of tape across, and they’re easy to store! If there’s a ton of space (like these letters shown above), line a second piece on the back so the sticky parts touch one another before you store.
5. Use Painter’s Tape to Evenly Hang Pictures
While you have the painter’s tape handy, we’ve got another one for you. If you’re hanging frames or shelves that require multiple nails, you don’t need to call another teacher or your favorite janitor to help you. Just grab your painter’s tape, and tape along the back of the item you want to hang. Mark on the painter’s tape the spots where you’re going to need your nails or screws.
Now head to the wall with a level, tape the tape to the wall, drive in the nail or screw, and voila … perfectly spaced and ready for hanging!
6. Use Painter’s Tape to Prevent Wall Cracking
OK, this is the last painter’s tape hack for the classroom; we promise. But it’s a good one!
If you’re nailing into freshly painted walls and don’t want the custodians to groan when you’re cleaning out your classroom next summer, grab a tiny piece of painter’s tape and place it wherever you’re going to add a nail to the wall for hanging.
When it’s time to take things down next year and pull those nails, the tape will prevent the paint around the nail from cracking, and you can easily fill the hole with a teeny bit of putty … it’s like you were never even there!
7. How to Use Tape So Decor Doesn’t Fall Down
If you’re rolling the tape to hang your bulletin board letters, we are pleased to inform you… there is a better way! Check out our Instagram reel for a demonstration of how to make sure your letters don’t fall off your bulletin boards.
8. Add a Classroom Snack Dispenser
Missing breakfast is a fact of life for some kids, and a rumbly tummy makes it hard to concentrate in school. That’s where a classroom snack dispenser can go a long way toward helping your students succeed.
TeacherTraci Bender of Virginia included this simple setup in her classroom, and she says it’s also great for simple rewards. Instead of plastic cups that would have to be cleaned (and load up the landfill), she included paper cupcake or baking cups as holders.
Photo courtesy of Virginia special education teacher Traci Bender
Be sure to check for any allergies among your students before adding this to your classroom setup.
9. Create a Pencil Dispenser
You’ve probably grabbed a straw from a dispenser a few thousand times over the years, but have you thought of using one of those dispensers for classroom pencils? Leave it to a kindergarten teacher to come up with this genius idea to store her trusty Ticonderogas and make it easy for students to access them!
Photo courtesy of Kindergarten teacher Sarah Pennington of Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia kindergarten teacher Sarah shared this fun idea with Teach Starter, and we don’t think we’ll ever store pencils the old way again. Check your local restaurant supply store for a dispenser, or find one on Amazon.
Can’t find this kind of straw dispenser? You can also use the type that has a pull-up top — don’t worry, it’s plastic — after all, straws and pencils are about the same size.
10.Make Catch-Up Work Easy for Absent Students
Make it easy for students to catch up on work if they were absent or had to be out of the classroom by hanging a “catch-up work” mobile.
Fast finishers can check the mobile to see if they’ve got work to catch up on, and you won’t be chasing kids down as you’re nearing the end of the grading period … or having to hold kids in at recess to catch up on missed work. It’s better for you and for the kids!
11. Pack in the Plants
The best way to keep the air fresh and clean in the classroom? Fill it with plants! Bonus: Classroom plants can boost the overall mental well-being of the people around them — that’s you and your students!
Photo courtesy of EYFS teacher Alice Miles of West Sussex, UK
EYFS teacher Alice Miles may not have used real plants in her classroom, but she sure transformed her teaching space with faux vines, green leaves and even an imaginative tree! Who wouldn’t want to learn in this beautifully imaginative classroom?
Find out which plants are the best for teachers … and which ones you’ll want to avoid!
12. Create a Pencil Sign Out Station
Students are required to sign out pencils if they’ve forgotten one, and each pencil is labeled with a reminder to “please return to the teacher”.
What happens when the pencils are gone? The sign-out station gets closed down with a sign explaining that people didn’t return them! Not only do you keep track of pencils, but your kids learn about the consequences of their actions.
13. Hang Hand Signs
We love this classroom management trick to prevent students from shouting out in the middle of a lesson. Teach your students a few hand signals so they can quietly let you know they’ve got to go to the bathroom, have a question, need to fill their water bottle, and so on.
Hang signs featuring the different hand signals and what they mean prominently in your classroom to help them remember!
14. Add ASL to Your Alphabet
While we’re on the subject of hand signs, there are countless benefits to teaching American Sign Language in elementary school — among them ensuring that deaf students have classmates who are better able to communicate with them.
To start kids off early with ASL, add the various letter signs to your classroom alphabet display! This way students have a visual reference not just of their capital and lowercase letters but also of all the letters they’re learning to finger-spell.
Not sure where to start? You can print out these American Sign Language flashcards and cut them up to post on your wall, or hang these ASL pennant banners all around your whiteboard!
15. Create a Weather Station
Set up a thermometer in a corner of the classroom, and create your own weather station! K-2 teacher Debora Marines of Maryland shared this fun STEM activity and classroom decor idea with us, and we can’t wait to set one up. Throughout the year, Marines and her studentsrecord the temperature by using a colored dot that matches her chart. They also write down the temperature to practice number formation. At the end of the year, the students have a great visual representation of the weather cycle!
Photo courtesy of Maryland k-2 teacher Debora Marines
You can also opt for a weather graph activity for the class or hang this thermometer poster to help kids understand how temperature is recorded!
16. Greet Each Day With a Sign
Classroom greetings can set the tone for the rest of the school day. Have some fun — and decorate your doorway with some creative greeting ideas. Students can point to or tap the greeting they want to exchange with you for a fun interaction that will start the day off right.
17. Set Up a Chill Out Zone
Social and emotional development is part and parcel of going to school, and with that comes learning to self-regulate your emotions. But that’s tough for all of us — especially the little kiddos we see day in and day out. Setting up a chill-out corner or zone in your classroom gives kids a place to go when they just need a place to gather themselves before they return to their regularly scheduled programming.
First-grade teacher Laura White of California set up this beautiful classroom library complete with innertube chairs to promote a relaxing space to dive into a new story.
Photo courtesy of first-grade teacher Laura White of California
18. Pick a Classroom Theme and Stick to It
Let’s face it, the fewer decisions you have to make, the faster you can get your classroom decorated and set up, right? So choose one simple theme, and build from there! Our classroom theme booster packs range from penguins to sloths, camp classroom to rainbows, and beyond. Bonus? They have everything you need all in the theme — welcome signs, award certificates, border trimmers, tray labels, class lists… you name it!
19. Use Your Clock as Part of Your Decor
Your kids are bound to look at your classroom clock a LOT over the course of the school year, so make good use of that prime piece of real estate. Teacher Jeanie Culip used hers as the “o” in “you” for this inspiring message, but the sky is really the limit here!
Photo courtesy of Janie Cullip
Use it as the “o” in dozens of other words, add flower petals to make it look like a flower (bonus if you add numbers on the petals to help kids translate the analog numbers — we’ve got the fun template, here), or even add some pom-poms for a flash of color!
20. “Grow” Positivity
Many of our belief systems are formed in early childhood, and repetition can help reinforce them — but you want to make sure the things kids believe are positive, don’t you? Grow positivity in your classroom with a positivity tree. You can invite your students to gather round the tree once a day and choose one affirmation to read or send students to pick out an appropriate affirmation from the class tree when you catch them being down on themselves.
The tree we bought isn’t in stock anymore, but we found this fun wood tree with leaves for just $15 at Target! Get the positive affirmation cards here.
21. Add an Affirmation Mirror
Do you have a classroom mirror set up?
If a positivity tree isn’t for you — maybe you just don’t have the space — try this instead. Print the positive affirmation cards, and hang them all around your classroom mirror for some positive reminders each time you or your students take a peek at yourselves.
22. Set Up a Kindness Rock Garden
This is a seriously inexpensive idea to promote kindness in the classroom plus add some pops of color when you’re decorating your room! Collect rocks, and paint on positive sayings to let your students know they have your full support. B
onus idea: Allow them to collect a rock before big tests, so they have something to hold onto (think a worry stone) and a positive reminder that they have got this! While you’re at it, grab this poster to go with your garden!
23. Create a Positivity Walk
Carry along the positivity theme by creating a positivity walk for your students! Hang posters that encourage a growth mindset near where they line up to go to lunch or along the wall outside of your classroom, so they’ve always got a reminder to look on the bright side of life!You could include their names or photosto really reinforce that this positivity walk belongs to them!
Take a peek at some ready-to-print classroom posters to add positivity to the wall!
24. Use Tap Lights for Sound Levels
Add these tap light posters to your tap lights for a great classroom display to highlight voice-level expectations in the classroom.
25. Make a Share Chair
Find a stool or chair at a secondhand store or garage sale (we’ve also seen some sturdy options at stores like Five Below), and paint on the words “share chair.” Use this extra bit of classroom furniture to prepare for a year of students taking turns sharing their work with their classmates!
Photo courtesy of behavior teacher Emily Rosen of Texas
Texas behavior teacher Emily Rosen created the share chair above — we’ve also seen them called author’s chairs or reader’s chairs for her writing lessons to get kids excited about sharing their writing during her literacy block! You can also use the share chair for show and tell, for read-alouds, and a whole lot more.
26. Track Books We Have Read
If you struggle to find time to swap out your bulletin boards throughout the year, try a permanent display like fourth-grade teacher Bailey Russel did with this “Book We Have Read” display. Ms. Russel laminated each book cover preview so they can be used year after year, and students can admire a visual of all the stories they’ve listened to or read!
Photo courtesy of fourth-grade teacher Bailey Russell
27.Use a Gumball Machine
Have you seen the Target gumball “machine” that’s took teacher Instagram by storm a few years ago? Pre-K inclusion teacher Michaelle painted hers and uses it to store washi tape!
With a lift-off lid, it’s perfect for storing plenty of small but colorful things from desk pets to classroom prizes.You can also use candy jars —the old-fashioned kind with lids — for the same thing.
28. Rolling Carts Make Great Desk Extensions
Did you end up with one of those teacher desks that doesn’t have drawers? Or maybe you work on a teacher table. Either way, borrow this idea from teacher Jill of @hello_fifth who has been exactly where you are! Set a rolling cart upright next to your desk or table for an instant desk extension and the storage you need! And if you add a few organizers, you can keep your supplies neat and easy to find.
How to Decorate Cinder Block Walls
Decorating can be tricky if you have a classroom with cinder block walls, but not to fear! We have some ideas that will help make your space just as bright and colorful as any other room.
To hang your posters, student artwork or other wall decor, you’ll want to collect some of the following materials:
- Self-Adhesive Hooks (be sure to clean the wall with rubbing alcohol first for the best adhesion possible)
- Mounting Putty
- Landscape Block Adhesive (only use this for permanent decor)
- Self-Sticking Display Strips
- Hot Glue Gun (the glue will pull off easily to switch decor later)
Fire Safety Concerns to Keep in Mind When Decorating a Classroom
You have creative ideas and beautiful decor goals for your classroom, but will they pass fire safety codes? Save time by reviewing your school’s fire safety rules before collecting your classroom decor. In general, here are some tips to keep in mind to keep your kids safe and the fire marshal happy:
- Fire extinguishers should remain in plain view without decor hiding them.
- No decorations should block the emergency exit windows or doors.
- Don’t hang any decor or plants from the lights, sprinkler pipes or ceilings.
- Exit signs should be visible at all times.
- Bookcases should be secured to the wall.
- Don’t plug in more than one power strip to an electrical outlet.
- Don’t use extension cords for permanent use and do not connect extension cords between adjacent classrooms.
- Any decor or supplies should not be closer than three feet to the ceiling and 18″ to automatic sprinkler heads.
- Extra paper products and supplies should be stored in approved storage closets, not in open classrooms.
- Stay away from any upholstered furniture in your classroom.
- Check with your school’s fire safety rules before bringing in any kind of space heater.
- Do not decorate with open-flame candles.
Really trying to get organized this school year? Check out some of our favorite classroom storage hacks!
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
Decorating Hacks for Classroom Decor
When it comes to decorating your classroom, there are numerous hacks that can make your life easier as a teacher. From hanging student work to creating a positive learning environment, these hacks can help you create an engaging and inspiring space for your students. Let's explore some of the concepts mentioned in the article and provide more information on each one.
Hang a Clothesline
One decorating hack mentioned in the article is to hang a clothesline in your classroom to display student work or teaching posters. This simple and inexpensive solution allows you to easily showcase your students' achievements. By using two ceiling hooks, you can string the line from one end of the room to the other [[1]].
Use Peel & Stick Wallpaper
Peel and stick wallpaper is a great option for making a major change to a section of your classroom without the need for paint or anything that will leave a long-lasting impact. It can be used as a bulletin board background or to add color and pattern to your walls. The best part is that it's easy to remove at the end of the school year or when you change classrooms [[2]].
Use Free Letter & Number Cutouts
To make your life easier, you can use free letter and number cutouts for your bulletin boards, classroom doors, and other areas. These cutouts can be downloaded and printed, saving you time and effort. They are a versatile resource that can be used in various ways to enhance your classroom decor [[3]].
Use Painter's Tape for Bulletin Board Letters
If you've ever struggled with hanging bulletin board letters straight and evenly spaced, painter's tape can be a game-changer. The trick is to lay out your letters on a flat surface the way you want them to look, then run a piece of painter's tape straight across to hold them in place. Once the tape is secured, you can easily transfer the letters to your wall or bulletin board using mounting putty or tape [[4]].
Use Painter's Tape to Hang Pictures
Painter's tape can also be used to hang pictures or shelves that require multiple nails. By taping along the back of the item and marking the spots where nails or screws are needed, you can easily transfer the tape to the wall, ensuring that everything is evenly spaced and level. This hack eliminates the need for additional help and makes hanging items a breeze [[5]].
Use Painter's Tape to Prevent Wall Cracking
When nailing into freshly painted walls, you can use a small piece of painter's tape to prevent the paint from cracking around the nail. By placing the tape where you plan to add a nail, you can protect the wall and easily fill the hole with putty when it's time to remove the decor [[6]].
Classroom Snack Dispenser
A classroom snack dispenser can be a helpful addition to your classroom setup. It not only provides a solution for students who may have missed breakfast but also serves as a simple reward system. Instead of using plastic cups, you can use paper cupcake or baking cups as holders, reducing waste and promoting sustainability [[8]].
Pencil Dispenser
Using a straw dispenser as a pencil dispenser is a clever idea that can make accessing pencils easier for students. This idea allows you to store pencils in a fun and organized way, ensuring that students always have access to writing utensils. You can find straw dispensers at restaurant supply stores or online [[9]].
Catch-Up Work Mobile
To make it easier for absent students to catch up on missed work, you can create a "catch-up work" mobile. This mobile serves as a visual reminder for students to check if they have any work to catch up on. It also helps you keep track of missed assignments and reduces the need for individual reminders or holding students back during recess [[10]].
Classroom Plants
Adding plants to your classroom not only enhances the aesthetic appeal but also improves air quality and promotes a sense of well-being. Classroom plants can create a calming and inviting atmosphere for both you and your students. It's important to choose plants that are suitable for indoor environments and require minimal maintenance [[11]].
