The new school year is in sight! So a big (almost) welcome back to all of my fellow teachers! With the summer moving along, it has me thinking about how I’m doing my classroom set up this year. I don’t change my décor theme much from year to year but I do want to make sure that it is well organized and visually appealing.
Keep reading for all of the tips I’m sharing for setting up your classroom for the school year with ideas about visuals for your walls, systems to organize all of the things, and classroom layouts that make your classroom set up efficient and accessible.
Visuals for your Classroom Set Up
1. Choosing a Décor Bundle
If you follow me on Instagram you’ve seen my classroom so you know I love a cohesive colour scheme or vibe. This is so important to make any classroom feel welcoming for me and for all of my students too!
Think about what colours you gravitate towards in your life outside of your classroom. These are colours that likely make you feel comfortable and confident! A well-chosen colour can do the same for your classroom. So when you’re deciding on your décor, you want to make sure to make an informed choice.
There are two routes to take with picking décor: colour or theme. In the end they end up linked but it depends on where you want to start.
For colour as a guide, look to colour theory and that colour wheel (invented in the 17th century by Isaac Newton!) is a good tool to use. If you find this part challenging check out websites that suggest colour groupings like this one or this one. You can start with the mood you want in your classroom and choose an associated colour; like blue is calming and yellow is tied to happiness.
The other option is to go with a theme and then choose a décor bundle that aligns with it. If you’re teaching younger grades think about the things they may be into or books geared to the age group to pull out a theme. For older grades, you’ll probably want to think broader themes like travel, the outdoors, pop, and so on.
2. Analyzing the Room/Space
The next step for a successful classroom set up is the set up of the space itself.
I always conduct a thorough analysis of my classroom space and also keep in mind what did and did not work in previous yeas.
First go through and identify key areas for displays and decorations. Lower traffic areas in the classroom are ideal for more creative displays. Consider sightlines too; what will students see when they’re seated at their desks. What can be distracting and what is useful.
Next is to figure out a good balance between functionality and aesthetics. You want to make sure that areas where your students will be focusing most are not too crowded or overwhelming visually. Sometimes this means using a try and try again approach. Some years I find that having colorful displays right at the front of the room draws my students’ attention and sometimes I find those same displays are a distraction. During the year, I might switch things up if I’m noticing that the aesthetic is impacting the classroom set up in terms of functionality.
Other considerations in choosing where to put décor are about access and reach. Consider putting more “permanent” displays like birthdays in a spot that is harder to reach and more “seasonal” displays in the easy-to-reach areas so that it is easier for you to change those displays when necessary.
If you’re short on space, use the vertical space you do have! Put birthdays up high, but bulletin boards for student work lower on the wall in a spot that’s easy for you to change.
And remember it’s okay to leave things blank! You can add to it as you welcome your class and get to know them better. Your students should feel like there is room for them in the room too. 🙂
3. Preparing Displays
The décor for my classroom set up doesn’t (usually) change dramatically from year to year. Part of the reason I’m able to reuse décor and display elements is because I print off and laminate necessary displays. Things that I know will be touched and shifted definitely get laminated to save them.
And as things get changed based on seasonal elements I make sure to sort them into different folders and resealable bags. That way before school starts I can re-organize materials and ensure everything is ready.
Classroom Set Up: Functional Systems
1. Determining Necessary Systems
In this post with 8 amazing teacher books, I talk about one – Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential by Tiago Forte – which was a game-changer for organizing my digital life in the classroom and beyond.
While not everything in my classroom is digitized, the thinking in the book helped me figure out essential systems for my classroom set up from supply storage to student work organization.
It’s important to tailor your systems to your teaching style and classroom needs. For me, I I love having an alphabetized turn in bin for student work. I have a multi-drawer cabinet labelled with the days of the week so I can make copies during my prep periods for what we’ll be doing each day of the week to come.
2. Organizing Supplies
Along with establishing efficient systems, you want strategies for efficient supply storage and accessibility too.
I love a bin that’s colour-coordinated to my classroom décor. It’s a multi-use product that fits just about any type of supply and you can get a variety of sizes too. When you get those bins or containers you have to decide where they will go.
- What will you and/or students need to access most? Think about accessibility for students in terms of height and other classroom elements that might impede students from getting to the space easily – desks, shelving, or other furniture that cannot be maneuvered around with ease.
- What items will be needed less frequently and where could those go? Learn from me and stack items with caution!
Finally, label and categorize supplies for easy access for you and for student use too. There’s nothing worse than knowing you have a supply but you aren’t sure which bin it’s in! You can do it low-key and just attach a sticky note or even a piece of masking tape with the category of items inside. Or you can go all out with colour-coding and creating digital or printable checklists, or even getting that label-marker you know you want.
3. Technology Management
Beyond storing supplies you want to make a plan for technology access and usage in your classroom set up.
How and where can you organize and charge devices efficiently? Not every school can supply a laptop cart but if your students still have devices you’ll want to set up a charging centre for them.
And the location and set-up of the charging centre should take into account that students will need to retrieve and return their devices from the space. As a result it should be something that is straightforward and easily manageable.
One way to do it is by colour-coding with a small piece of electrical tape. Add a piece of tape to the device, the charger, and a spot at the charging station. It’s then a matter of colour matching for students – red device, red charger, red spot at the charging station. If you only have 5 colours of tape, create a pattern – a blue and yellow stripe, a yellow and red stripe, etc. This also means it’s easy to tell what is missing based on the colour that’s left unoccupied at the station.
4. Personal Organizational Systems
Finally, you’ll want to decide what works for your space in the classroom set up.
Setting up a personal space with organizational systems you need as a teacher will promote productivity. It is also helpful in times of stress to have a system to rely on so you can find what you need when you need it!
Tools and accessories to keep your materials and plans organized might include a circular container you can rotate for access to different items, dividers or smaller containers in desk drawers so things stay where they’re supposed to.
You don’t have to get everything all at once. If you’re new to a classroom, take a bit of time to see how you work in the space and what tools you find yourself reaching for time and again.
Classroom Set Up: Deciding on a Layout
The key to a successful classroom set up is deciding on the plan for your classroom layout. This will include the location for your teacher area as well as optimal set ups for student desks. I also like to incorporate a collaborative group area where I can work with a few student at once when needed.
First things first, I start with where I’ll put my teacher area since I will need access to an outlet or two! Plus I want a space that is good for sightlines in the room to help with classroom management.
Your room might mean putting your teacher space at the back but that’s not always conducive to having what you need when you’re teaching elsewhere in the room. I actually have two set-ups in my classroom – my main personal teacher space and then an “I teach from here” mini-set-up. This mini set-up could be a three-tier rolling cart with a laptop stand in the top so it can function kind of like a stand-up desk. You just want to make sure you can lock the wheels!
Once you choose your personal space, you’ll shift to desk arrangements for students. And there are pros and cons for putting desks in rows, groups, a U-shape, etc.
Rows encourage individualized work but not always when you want that. Whereas groups can encourage collaboration but not always at the times when you want that either.
A U-shape is a great way to combine individual with some collaboration but then the shape can hinder movement in the class or take up too much space depending on your room’s layout.
I like to have a collaborative learning centre too where I can meet with smaller groups to be able to review or re-teach as needed. And then there’s the choice of whether you will or if you can incorporate flexible seating options for diverse learning styles.
A lot of decisions but a little planning goes a long way!
Take a bit of time at the start of the year once you know how many students will be in your class and how much seating you have, and create a quick and basic sketch of your room’s floorplan. Then create a few options for layout to know what can work without having to do the physical moving of desks as part of the trial and error of classroom set up.
I actually create the layouts in Canva so it’s easy to change things up and I have a digital file to refer to when I’m thinking about change.
Once you have a layout you think will work, ‘test’ it:
- Can you and students move around between desk areas to access supplies?
- Can anyone get to the teacher desk or leave the room without significant disruption to everyone?
- If a student has a mobility device is there room to maneuver?
- Are cords for tech in a footpath and pose a hazard?
You want to make sure it is functional and accessible for everyone in your classroom.
There is a lot to consider with classroom set ups but don’t let it overwhelm you. If you can, start early even if you can’t access your room. There are decisions you can make early that will make the process more enjoyable when you do get into your room!
Some of the easy decisions include getting a décor bundle like cozy modern boho colours one that is the right combination of muted tones and colour to bring a little life and energy into your class without feeling overstimulating. If you want to create a beautiful, modern, colorful yet calming classroom, this classroom décor set is perfect for you!
And make sure you download the Classroom Routines and Systems freebie that goes through every single routine you need to teach your students with tips and real examples from my classroom. There’s also an implementation guide so that this runs smoothly, all year round.
Remember, we’ve all been there as we make these decisions for our classroom set up at the start of the school year, so please share your tips and experiences in the comments to help us all with successful classroom set ups.
