Read on for the very best ideas for classroom decor for your primary classroom!

This blog post may contain affiliate links. I make a small commission when you purchase products through these links.

Classroom Decor Ideas

There are lots of choices when it comes to your classroom decor ideas. Amazon, Target, and Lakeshore are three top spots for many teachers. And of course, Teachers Pay Teachers is full of decor sets that you can buy from other teachers.

This list is going to be a mix of those different stores. We’re going to break it down by category to make it easier for you to sift through these classroom decor ideas and find what you really need.

Let’s take a look at our classroom decor categories:

• The Necessities
• The Fun Extras
• The Classroom Whiteboard
• Themes and Bundles

Feel free to scroll to the classroom decoration category that you most need right now.

Classroom Decor Necessities

These are the items that play a functional role in your classroom. You’ll need these to get organized for teaching. But luckily, they come in super cute options so that they can also add to the look and feel of your classroom!

Rolling Cart

This 3-tier rolling cart is a classroom staple. I have two in my classroom, and they are so useful for storing things you need to keep handy. I keep one stocked with all my small group materials, so that they're always within reach. The other I have stocked with teacher materials I use regularly – sharpies, colored pencils, stapler, etc.

Michael's has these for a great price, and over 15 color choices!

10-Drawer Cart

The rolling 10-drawer cart has so many potential uses. I like to label drawers Monday-Friday and store all my Xeroxes for the upcoming week so I can easily grab them by day. It's also perfect for stashing extra copies of work, done early worksheets, or just for fun coloring pages.

Desk Organizer

This rotating desk organizer is great to keep all your pencils, scissors, and things you need on your desk handy and in reach. I love the colors it comes in!

Pencil Caddy

One of the best things about this pencil caddy is that it nests perfectly in the 3-tier rolling cart! I used this for small group supplies, and I loved that I could just grab it out of the cart and put in on the table for students to access.

Bins and Baskets

You can never have enough bins and baskets as a teacher. Choosing the best bins and baskets for your classroom can be tricky, but I love having a color scheme with mine! These baskets would be perfect for storing center works, art supplies, or classroom notebooks.

Classroom Decor Extras

These are the items that your classroom can live without, but we teachers may not be able to! These cute extras provide that extra decoration to take your classroom to the next level. We’re there every single day, so these classroom decoration ideas will help it feel like a home.

Garlands

Garlands go such a long way in adding a fun feeling to a classroom. These rainbow garlands were such a great addition to my bulletin boards this year!

Tassels

These tassels are such fun decor to use around your classroom! I used these to add some flair to the front of my teacher desk, but they would also be cute on a bulletin board or whiteboard. Target has lots of fun ones!

Wall Signs

Inspirational wall signs are a fun way to decorate as well as send a message of inclusivity to your students. Target has lots of cute options, like this “Come As You Are” poster.

Hanging Stars

I used these hanging stars all over my classroom. I hung them over plain doors, put them up as garlands across my whiteboard, hung them in my windows, I even put them high up as a garland on my wall!

Curtains 

Curtains are a great way to add your own personality to a classroom. Ugly blinds or cabinets can be covered up with cute and simple curtains, which adds a huge boost to your room.

Lamps

Many teachers prefer the soft lighting of lamps to the sometimes harsh built in classroom overhead lighting. These boho lamps add warmth and coziness, while also being a cute classroom addition.

Pillows

Pillows are another way to add coziness as well as your own personal style to your classroom. Target has lots of fun pillow choices, like this cute rainbow decorative pillow.

The Classroom Whiteboard

The classroom whiteboard is usually the central point of learning. Making it functional but also aesthetically pleasing can make a huge difference in the overall feeling in your classroom. These classroom decoration ideas are where form meets function.

Acrylic Shelves

These acrylic shelves are so fun for displaying read alouds on your whiteboard. These command strips make them unbelievably easy to attach them to your whiteboard.

Hanging Rod

This magnetic rod is a fun choice for displaying anchor charts, the day of the week, or anything else on your whiteboard. Use these hooks to hang your display. If the magnet isn't strong enough to hold up what you need, go for these command strips to save the day!

Magnetic Eraser

This magnetic eraser is both functional and fun. Plus, it is so handy to have it stay right on the whiteboard, so you never have to go looking for it!

Magnets

There are so many cute magnets to choose from! For example, these tiny rainbow magnets from Target are too cute to pass up. They have lots more to choose from on their website.

Borders

You can't talk classroom decor without talking about borders! Hands down, my favorite borders are from Lakeshore. They have an amazing selection, especially if you decide to do double or triple border combos.

Themes and Bundles

We can’t talk classroom decor without thinking about all those adorable decor bundles you can get on TPT. But how can you choose? 

First, you have to decide on our personal style. Are you more of a boho neutral teacher? Or maybe you prefer a hippy retro vibe? Maybe black and white farmhouse is your style?

Pastel Rainbow

Personally, I’m a pastel rainbow type of girl – you can tell by looking at any picture of my room! So of course I had to create the pastel rainbow decor bundle of my dreams. If you’re a pastel rainbow lover like me, look no further for the ultimate decor option!

Boho Neutral

Miss Jacobs Little Learners has a super cute Boho Neutral Decor Bundle, with lots of choices and editable pieces.

Retro

This decor bundle from Rachel Burnett is the ultimate retro bundle. I love her fun style!

Modern Farmhouse

This Modern Farmhouse decor bundle from Confetti and Creativity has a fresh and fun feel to it.

Ideas for Classroom Decorations

Of course, there are always more classroom decoration ideas you can find, but this list will help you make sure you check off the basics. And hopefully get you inspired to create the classroom of your dreams!

What's your personal classroom style? Let me know in the comments!
xoxo
Laura

Resources For You:

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10 Genius Ideas For Classroom Storage Teachers Will Love

The post The Ultimate Ideas For Classroom Decor To Create The Classroom of Your Dreams appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Read on for classroom must-haves from Amazon!

(This post may contain affiliate links. I make a small commission when you purchase something using these links.)

Amazon Classroom Must-Haves

There are so classroom must haves that teachers need to set up a new classroom. And lucky for us, we can find most of them affordably and conveniently on Amazon. Another great thing about Amazon is that you can create an Amazon classroom wish list to share with people who want to support your classroom!

I’ve put items into different categories to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. You can scroll through to see items for Classroom Setup, Classroom Whiteboard, Classroom Materials, and then Just For Fun stuff.

Classroom Setup Must-Haves

Here are all the Amazon classroom must-haves that will help you get your classroom set up and ready!

Matte Finish Spray

This matte finish spray is definitely a teacher must-have. Any time you laminate, your things come out all shiny – which means light hitting it can make a glare that’s hard for your students to see. Hit your laminated goods with a little bit of this spray, and you’ll be good to go! It instantly mattifies the sheet and makes it glare-free. 

Cordless Hot Glue Gun

Hot glue guns are definitely one of the most useful classroom must haves from Amazon. But what sets this one apart is that it's cordless!! After you charge it up, you can unplug it and use it around the classroom – such a useful feature.

Command Strips

Okay, these are definitely one of the top 5 Amazon classroom must-haves. I use these all over the place in my classroom – they are so strong! These are what hold up my acrylic whiteboard shelves, hold up heavy décor on the wall, and even hold up 

Chalk Paint Spray

I was surprised how much I used this throughout the school year! It’s just like spray paint, but it’s only chalk, which means you can use it all over school property without getting in trouble – water washes it right off. 

I’ve used this for a lot of things – marking spots on the grass field for students to sit or stand, even drawing giant math pictures on the sidewalk, or drawing boundaries for a game on the black top.

Command Clips

These clips do some heavy lifting in my classroom. I use them to store current anchor charts, to hold our microfiber cloths, even to hold up my fancy tassels on my teacher desk.

Desk Organizer

The perfect combination of cute and functional, this desk organizer fits everything that I need. I love the different compartments and the fact that it swivels.

Line Up Dots

I think these line up dots are an Amazon classroom must have that every teacher should try. These are vinyl stickers that stick to your floor to mark where students stand in line. When we line up to go to recess or line up to wash hands at the sink, these dots ensure that my students are spaced out – which eliminates most of the “line drama” that can easily happen when students go to line up.

Velcro Rug Spots

I was so impressed with these – they didn’t budge the whole year, even though our janitors vacuum nightly. They clearly mark students rug spots so that they always know where their personal space is. 

Cloth For Bulletin Boards

Two advantages of using cloth instead of paper as your bulletin board background: #1 you have way more color choices, and #2 it’s a whole lot sturdier. This cloth easily lasted 2 whole years for my bulletin borders.

Whiteboard Must-Haves

These items have transformed my whiteboard from blah to totally functional and fabulous. These are awesome solutions for making your whiteboard work best for you.

Whiteboard Display Shelves

I love these acrylic shelves from Amazon. They’re only 12 inches long, so they don’t take up too much board space, but you can still fit 2 books on each one. They add so much to my whiteboard display, and I love having a place to put the read alouds we are currently working on. And what holds them up? Command strips of course!

Magnetic Clips

These magnetic clips are definitely a classroom must-have. I use these all the time – they’re so handy and unbelievably strong. For example, I use them to hold up anchor charts, a work sample, or anything else I want hung up on the whiteboard.

Magnetic Shelf

This is another fun choice for displaying books on a whiteboard. It’s mega strong, so it’s a good choice for displaying heavier items on your magnetic whiteboard.

Classroom Materials Must-Haves

These are my ride or die classroom must-haves from Amazon. They do so much heavy lifting in my classroom, so I can say they are definitely worth the purchase.

Laminator

I get so much use out of this laminator! I am constantly creating new bulletin boards or new center works. And I have learned the hard way – if you don’t laminate it, it will be destroyed. Laminating lets me reuse materials year after year. 

I went with this basic little laminator, and it gets the job done. It’s lasted years, and it’s super easy to use. Don’t forget to stock up on plenty of laminating sheets! 3m is the size you want for most things – 5m if you need something super strong and sturdy.

Drying Rack

This isn’t just for art projects – I actually use this as a catch-all for all unfinished work. It’s wonderful for when you’re mid-craft and have to clean up quickly – students have a designated slot to pile up their work to resume later.

Worried about papers falling through the cracks? Cut pieces of foam board or cardboard to slide into the rack and give each student a sturdy surface to place things on.

Wireless Headset Microphone

These became all the rage during pandemic teaching when we were all in masks and couldn’t be heard. But I became so attached to mine, I don’t think I’ll give it up!

I love being able to raise my voice without having to raise my voice, if you know what I mean. And the wireless feature of this duo makes it so I can move around the classroom without having to wear the bulky speaker.

Classroom Mailboxes

These are a great way to organize anything you want to be sent home with your students. I have students pick up their homework and put it in a folder that lives in their mailbox slot each day. Then any papers or crafts that need to be sent home get put in the mailbox and students can take them home along with their homework folder.

The mailbox slots are handy for larger items, like crafts and projects, that wouldn't fit in a folder or file.

Bathroom Cones

This is my favorite way to be able to tell which students are in the bathroom at any given time. When a student asks to use the bathroom, they put one of our cones at their desk. Then I can easily glance around to see who's gone if another student asks to use the bathroom.

Microfiber Cloths

I’m all about having students help keep their classroom clean. These microfiber cloths are great for students to wipe up messes, clean tables, and wipe off surfaces. I keep a huge backup stash of them in the room so that I only run out and have to wash them every two months or so.

Just For Fun

Okay, so maybe these don't qualify as must have classroom items. But they are still definitely some of my favorites, so I couldn't leave them off!

Karaoke Microphone

When I need an engagement boost in my classroom, I whip out this karaoke microphone. I’ll announce that any student who raises their hand to participate will get to tell us their answer using the microphone. And like magic, every hand goes up to answer each question!

Tassels

Well, I just couldn’t resist sharing a couple of my Amazon classroom décor faves as well. These tassels are adorable – I used them to spruce up my teacher desk area.

Silver Stars

These hanging stars definitely qualify as one of my personal classroom Amazon must-haves because I use them literally everywhere in my classroom. Hanging over my whiteboard, dangling over doors, glued to clothespins, hanging in windows… they really do pull my room together in such a fun way.

R E A D letters

I love my READ display in my classroom library. These wooden letters are so versatile, you can decorate them any way you want to. I pasted on pastel tissue paper circles to create a cute bubble look on the front.

Classroom Must-Haves From Amazon

Like I said before, the list could go on and on. I will come back and update this periodically, as I am bound to discover more wonderful items from Amazon to help make your classroom run even more smoothly.

Which Amazon must-have are you the most excited to get? Let me know in the comments!
xoxo 
Laura

Resources For You:

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10 Genius Ideas For Classroom Storage Teachers Will Love

The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now

The post 21 Classroom Amazon Must-Haves That Teachers Will Love appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Read on for classroom storage ideas that will make classroom organization a breeze!

(This article contains affiliate links. I make a small commission when you purchase items through these links.)

Classroom Storage

Classroom storage can be huge headache. There is just so much stuff that goes into making a classroom function. Finding a space for everything that makes sense to you is crucial. Because having things organized is a non-negotiable when you’re in the middle of a school year and need to be able to find things quickly. 

These are solutions you can use for summer storage and throughout the school year to make sure there’s a place for everything and everything is in its place!

Ziplock Bags for Bulletin Boards

One thing you don’t want to lose and have to redo is your bulletin board pieces. It’s so worth it to laminate and store all your bulletin board pieces so that you can re-use them every year. The best way to store them? Gallon-sized Ziplock baggies! These are a great classroom storage staple.

I put each bulletin board set in its own Ziplock baggie and label the outside with a Sharpie. And this doesn’t have to be wasteful – I reuse the Ziplock baggies year after year.

File Organizer for Bulletin Boards

Part 2 of the bulletin board storage is, in my opinion, pretty darn genius. Instead of having a bunch of loose Ziplock bags to keep track of, use a file organizer. This lets you see them all in a row. 

You can organize them by month or unit, or whatever makes the most sense for you. A serious lifesaver if you’re like me and like to switch out your bulletin boards all the time.

Dry Erase Pockets for Center Works

I always have tons of these dry erase pockets because I use them for center works, math class, etc. But did you know they double as storage solutions too? You can use your dry erase pockets that are out of rotation or that are a little old and beat up to house center works! 

This keeps all the pieces of each center neatly together. Plus, they’re in a container that you can see through so you won’t have to open up bin after bin looking for the one you need!

Oversized Zip Pouches for Center Works

For center works that have bulky pieces (I love using manipulatives and stuffies in many of my center activities), these oversized zip pouches are the perfect classroom storage solution. Just zip up all those pieces, and you won’t have to worry about losing anything!

They come in several different sizes, but I find the 9×13 size is the most versatile. If you have something unusually large, you can opt for this extra-large 17×12 size! 

Pencil Cases

Pencil cases are definitely another classroom storage staple. But I like to use them for a lot more than just pencils…

At the end of every school year, I always have some leftover pencil cases that are a little too beat up to give to next year’s students, but still totally functional. I find that these are the perfect classroom storage idea for keeping all my leftover materials organized. Got some leftover unused gluesticks? Put them in a pencil box. Whiteboard markers that still have juice? Another pencil box. Student erasers that I’m going to reuse next year? Into a pencil box! 

This helps me take control of the materials and contain them in a way that is helpful. Extra points if you color code and label them too. These are by far my favorite pencil cases because they are sturdy enough to last the year, and the price point is unbeatable.

The Perfect Classroom Bin

One of the most crucial storage ideas for the classroom is the ultimate classroom bin. I found one that I use for almost everything. Just a few ways that I use these bins in my room:

• Classroom library bins: I organize my library by level, and these bins are the perfect size to hold my books.
• Student crates: Students store all their class materials in a crate. These crates hold their workbooks, notebooks, plus their pencil pouches and math toolkits.
• Center activities: When students go to our workshop shelves to get a work for centers or workshop time, they are often stored in these perfectly sized bins.

I always keep some extra on hand for when I need flexible storage throughout the year to hold current math materials, or unfinished project materials, or anytime I’m collecting materials from families.

Paper Trays

There’s no doubt that teachers need a lot of paper in their classrooms. Especially for us primary grades – the more colors, the better! Paper trays are hands down my favorite way to organize all my beautiful papers. 

I have paper trays for all of our colored construction paper, for our writing paper, and for our blank paper. I love that paper trays allow you to visually see what you’re low on for easy re-stocking. And it’s easy to make some paper trays in student-accessible cabinets if they need everyday access. For example, our writing paper, blank paper, and paper scraps go in paper trays that are accessible to students throughout the year.

File Folders for Master Copies

Saving and organizing materials you use each year is a game changer for making subsequent teaching years easier. But it can require some creative ideas for classroom organization to find a system that works. 

While many teachers like to keep their master copies in binders, I have found files to be the best solution. There are lot of things that I want to save that don’t fit well in a binder, but fit in a file beautifully. The kinds of things that I save masters of so I can reuse them year after year are: craft templates and samples, reinforcement work for each subject, challenge assignments for each subject, homeworks.

I like that I don’t have to fumble for the right binder – I just look at my file box and I can see everything I have in one place.

Binders for Assessments

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A post shared by Laura White 1st Grade Teacher (@lovegrowslearning)

Now, I know I’m team file for most things, but I do like binders for assessments. These are easier for me to keep organized with tabs, so binders are a great storage solution. You can create a separate binder for each subject, and then keep masters of your assessments for each quarter so that you don’t have to go looking for theme every year.

There are so many cute binder cover designs out there, so it’s easy to personalize them! Click here for the binder covers shown in my picture.

Monthly Bins

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A post shared by Sabrinna Anne (@teachinglittlemindss)

Having monthly bins is one of the most convenient storage ideas for classroom organization. Once you have a clear idea of what bulletin boards, centers, and other materials you need for each month, you can store them in these handy plastic bins. 

This makes it so much easier to stow away the stuff you no longer need at the end of the month, and bring out the new stuff! You could also organize these by season, theme, or unit, depending on how you like to break down your schoolyear.

Classroom Storage Ideas

I hope these ideas for classroom storage were useful! If you’re a new teacher, I suggest picking a couple ideas to start with and then slowly building on as time goes on. I certainly did not have all these systems in place at the beginning of my teaching career.

And the truth is, as you continue to teach, your supplies will change and grow, and your organization will have to change and grow as well. So you can always return to these ideas when that happen. After all, the classroom is an ever-evolving environment.

What storage solution are you most excited to try out? 
Let me know in the comments! 
xoxo Laura

Resources For You:

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The Best Activities To Build Classroom Community To Try Now

The Philosophy For Classroom Management That Changed My Life

10 End of the Year Craft Ideas Your Students Will Absolutely Love

The post 10 Genius Ideas For Classroom Storage Teachers Will Love appeared first on Love Grows Learning.

Concurrent Teaching

In case you're all turned around by the lingo (like I constantly am…), concurrent teaching is when a teacher has on-campus students and distance learning students watching lessons at the same time. Now, I'm not 100% concurrent. I have my distance learners with me for part of the day, and then the other part of the day they're doing pre-recorded lessons and activities on Seesaw. Apparently that's a part synchronous, part asynchronous program, or a hyflex hyrbid… honestly, the lingo is too much for me! All you need to know is that sometimes, I have distance learners on Zoom live in the classroom with me.

My Setup

I've tried to keep my set-up as simple as possible, because honestly I need to keep my attention on my students. If the technology takes too much focus, it's just too hard to stay with my learners.

Laptop Setup

My main tool is my 3-tier cart from Michaels. I love that I can put my laptop on top and then roll the cart around so that my Zoom students can see whatever they need to be able to see. I'm still working on getting it at just the right angle and position to not block the view of my kids on the carpet. But I'm finding that if I position things higher on the whiteboard, everyone can see better.

TV Setup

Sometimes I need to be able to show things on the TV, like when I want the children in the classroom to be able to interact with the children at home on Zoom. Other times, I need to show a video lesson to my on-campus students–our science lessons are prepared by another first grade teacher, and our enrichment classes (specials) are all video lessons.

For this setup, I recently switched to using my iPad. I was originally using my laptop, but I needed to be able to do other work on it, so it was very inconvenient to always be using it for screen sharing to the TV. Making the switch to the iPad was so much better, because my laptop is now freed up.

When I'm using the TV, I keep this setup on my desk, so that I can have all the tech stuff safely in one place. So far, this works really well.

Document Camera

I also have the option of showing a document camera during a lesson. To do this, I use my laptop hooked up to the TV. My on-campus students watch the document camera on the TV. My online students see the document camera on my shared screen over Zoom.

Future Plans

There are still some additions I am hoping to add on to my setup as time goes on.

The first thing on my wish list is a headset mic that can work with a Bluetooth speaker. My voice is getting really worn out talking through my mask (thanks to Covid), over the air conditioner (thanks to 100 degree weather), and over air purifiers (thanks to wildfires). I've seen some teachers trying out a headset, and I think I'm going to have to give it a go! I will definitely share if I find a good one!

What does your setup look like?
xoxo
Laura

The post My Concurrent Teaching Setup appeared first on Love Grows Learning.