My Top 5 Tips for Choosing a Classroom Theme
Choosing a classroom theme can be a tough decision whether you are a new teacher decorating your classroom for the first time or a seasoned veteran looking to spice up your space. Here are my top five tips for choosing a theme to fit your style.
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Tip #1: Work with what you have!
As nice as it would be to buy all new everything, we all know that is not an option on a teacher’s salary. My number one tip is to work with what you have already invested into your classroom. Over the past 10 years, I have purchased rainbow and neon items a little bit at a time. My neon and rainbow center bins and baskets from Really Good Stuff along with my hand-painted rocking chairs add a pop of color to my kindergarten classroom. This beautiful Rainbow Fun with Phonics Rug from Discount School Supply had been on my wish list literally for YEARS! Our generous PTA donated it to my kindergarten classroom last year, and it was the perfect finishing touch to complete my rainbow room. My goal was to now find a classroom theme that complimented the rainbow color scheme.
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Tip #2: Get Social!
Connect with fellow teachers who share your interests and bookmark your favorite classroom décor posts. Instagram is my favorite social media platform for sharing ideas. I highly recommend creating a separate Instagram account for your teacher shares as many of your non-teacher friends most likely aren’t interested in seeing how fabulous your latest bulletin board looks!
Scrolling through my teacher Instagram account for a few minutes each day is always fun. It’s inspiring to see what other teachers around the world are doing in their classrooms. I began following Melanie @schoolgirlstyle on Instagram while I was on maternity leave last school year. If you aren’t already following her, you NEED to. Her posts are so inspirational, and her classroom photos are simply AMAZING! I knew that I wanted to choose one of her collections to redecorate when I headed back to the classroom last August. I started saving my favorite posts of hers, which helped me decide which theme would work best in my classroom.
Tip #3: Set a budget and stick to it!
Next, keeping your budget in mind, create a wish list and prioritize which items to purchase first. Begin with the essentials and add as you go. My must-have items for kindergarten included a calendar set, a birthday board, an alphabet, and number posters.
Tip #4: Go shopping!
Then, it’s time to shop a variety of online collections. Select the one that suits your style and one that is appropriate for your grade level. Carson-Dellosa Education and School Girl Style have so many beautiful classroom décor collections for all grade levels that it makes it hard to choose!
Tip #5: Keep it simple, sophisticated, and purposeful.
Last, try not to go overboard. The goal is to create a cohesive, clutter-free environment with meaningful products that will enhance your students’ learning experience. Remember to leave blank space for your students’ work to be displayed. Add decorative borders that compliment your theme for the finishing touch!
My Classroom Theme
So, which theme did I choose? Keeping my top five tips in mind, I decided on the beautifully designed Just Teach Collection by Carson-Dellosa’s School Girl Style. The rainbow color scheme was exactly what I was looking for, and the products are absolutely perfect for my kindergarten classroom. This collection had all of my must-have essential items: a beautiful alphabet, number posters in print style font, a birthday board, and a calendar set. The new magnetic numbers are a dream come true! I also added rainbow lanterns and posters from the Just Teach collection. I used the rainbow dot and rainbow striped borders throughout my room with a black fabric background to complete the look.
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Here are a few photos from my classroom makeover…
The JUST TEACH COLLECTION includes the alphabet, birthday set, and shapes set seen here PLUS the word wall set, number poster set, library labels, color cards, nameplates, and beautiful polka dot borders.
I paired my two favorite School Girl Style Borders to complete my boards: the Rainbow Dot Borders and Rainbow Stripe Borders . They turned out absolutely beautiful! Three packs of each were just what I needed for all of the boards around my room.
I used the Rainbow Stripe Borders on my Writing Center board and hung my Portable Word Wall on the bottom so that the kids can easily reach the words!
I added on this Hooray for School Poster for under $4. It adds so much color to the board behind my desk, and it’s the first thing I see when I walk into my classroom!
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Selecting a classroom theme that suits you will help to make your space a place where both you and your students will love spending the day. So, are you ready to get School Girl Styled? Carson Dellosa Education is here to help!
CLICK HERE to SEE MORE OF MY CLASSROOM MAKEOVERS!
Thanks for explaining that there are some essential things that should always be in a classroom theme such as an alphabet chart. I’d like to look for a good kindergarten where I can enroll my child soon. Maybe I should be meticulous about the design for the classroom.