For many teachers, their classroom is their home away from home. It’s where they will spend a lot of time each day, so it makes sense that they will want their classroom to represent who they are as a teacher.
Aside from that, a unique classroom may make students feel welcome and thus create a positive learning environment. But the question is how exactly do you make your classroom unique?
If you want to learn some tips on how to do just this, you’ve come to the right place.
Unique seating options
Of course, children will spend most of the day at their desks and chairs, but you can create a unique classroom by switching up the seating arrangement. For example, you can have desks face each other so that students can work in pairs. You may also want to provide alternative seating options for when the students aren’t doing traditional classwork, but rather playing games or having conversations.
Having these activities take place in a more relaxed seating environment could help children feel more at ease and help them to open up more.
Have a look at some flexible seating in the classroom if you need more inspiration for unique seating options.
Decorate
As you can imagine, the easiest way of making your classroom unique is to decorate it. Instead of having blank walls, fill them up to create a fun and exciting environment.
You can use any empty space and decorate it in a fun and creative way, such as having children draw pictures to put on the walls, or you can use it to educate your students. For example, you could place some educational posters on the wall and switch them out now and then. If you’re on a budget and can’t afford to buy loads of posters, you can always print posters on regular printers so that you can create your own posters.
Pick a theme
As mentioned, decorating is certainly the key to creating a unique classroom, but it can be hard to choose between all the decorating options, and the last thing you want is a chaotic classroom that will overstimulate your students.
Instead, why not choose a theme and stick to that when decorating your classroom? You can choose a theme that fits the subject you teach – for example, if you are an English teacher, you can pick a children’s book as your theme. You can also choose something else that you like. If you like the ocean, you can buy ocean-themed decorations for your classroom.
Make your desk feel personal
It’s fully understandable that you may not want your students to know a lot about your personal life, so you may want to avoid putting photos of you and your family on the wall.
However, you can still add a personal touch to your desk, since this is where you will spend a lot of time and the odds are that students won’t be there as often. You can add photos of you and your loved ones, or other things that are meaningful to you, such as seashells from a recent trip or other sentimental items. Keep in mind that if you spend a lot of time at your desk, you may want to do some stretches to counteract sitting.
Make it feel welcoming
In the end, children won’t remember how your classroom looked, but they will remember how it made them feel. As much as you can make your classroom unique by decorating it and buying some fun items, the only way it will make a lasting impact on your students and truly stand out will be if it has a warm and welcoming atmosphere where students can feel safe.
There are different types of students, and you need to make sure that they all feel welcome in your classroom, no matter what their personalities may be.
In conclusion
Since you will be spending so much time in your classroom, it makes sense that you will want it to be unique, so that it truly feels like your classroom.
A unique classroom can also be beneficial for students, especially if the decorations used will educate them in some way. There are plenty of ways for you to create a unique classroom, so play around with a few methods until you find what works for you. Keep in mind that a unique classroom isn’t just based on how it looks, but also on how it feels, so do your best to create an accepting environment.
