Classroom decoration Ideas for Secondary School

As the new term/year begins, there’s a need to change the scenery of your classroom. I mean, this is where your students learn, give them something to look forward to; after all, they aren’t in prison. We have come up with a couple of classroom decoration ideas for teachers, to keep your classroom as lively and colourful as it can be.

The classroom should be made conducive and because they are no longer in nursery/primary school doesn’t mean the class should be blank/plain. You can also have a couple of students who are interested lend a hand in bringing their classroom to life; it would help foster a feeling of ownership especially among students who participated.

Although I agree, decorating a secondary school classroom can be very challenging. You have to find the balance between professional, meaningful and age-appropriate. You also have to factor in appropriate seating arrangements for learners when making a decision on how your classroom will look like. There is no clear-cut answer or pattern to achieve this, but it is possible.

Ever imagined living in a home that had no form of decoration, just white walls, a clock, a couple of chairs? I’m sure it is quite dull and uninspiring and can lead to depression. However, you might ask why it is so important to decorate the classroom for secondary school pupils. I would say it is because decorations can not only inspire learning but also create a positive environment for learning, who wouldn’t want to be part of something beautiful? Before deciding, there are some boxes you might want to tick:

Considerations in Choosing Classroom Decoration Ideas for Teachers

• Time: Whatever is worth doing is what doing well. Do you have enough time to decorate your class?
• Timeline: You can’t possibly put everything up. You have to create space for upcoming projects to be displayed.
• Theme: How important is it to have everything relate to one another?
• Cost: are the equipment you need budget-friendly and can the school afford it?
• Color: Do you know your colors and what they represent? What are the possibilities of having the classroom re-painted?
• Resources: Are there specific information that you would want students to access readily?
• Longevity: How long would the decorations be up? Are there other festive decorations that would need to be incorporated?

If you’ve provided yourself with the appropriate answers to the questions above, then you’re good to go. Let’s dive into ideas on how you can make the classroom decoration inspirational and positive and still keep it organized.

Some Budget-Friendly Classroom Decoration Ideas:

1. Boxes:

Get boxes or cartons, wrap in plain paper or decorative papers, anything you feel would stand out then name them in a fun way, from subjects like Biology, Economics, or Geography, to categories like Inspirational, Documentary, Fiction, or poetry. It all depends on you.

2. Timepiece:

Make a statement with your wall clock, and have a time quote written on it too. Get a regular but small clock whose pieces are easy to dismantle. Get your tools and make a cute design around the clock before hanging. Don’t make it too cumbersome, just in case you need to reset the time or change the batteries.

3. Projects:

Give fun projects and display the best ones in the classroom without taking to much space, either individual or group( Group the class into  2 or 3, that way no one feels left out in the display). It could be a miniature building, a painting depicting their interpretation of a word or the economic situation of the country. Anything you think you and your student can look back on and be proud of themselves.

4. Go green:

In the spirit of saving the planet, you can have plants, potted in the classroom and assign groups to take care of them in turn or a fish if you can afford to feed it. You can also teach them how to recycle and have an area in the classroom dedicated to that. Don’t overcrowd your class; less is the new more.

5. Activity board:

Have a board which shows what book every student is currently reading or has read, you can organize group readings and get your students to share what they have learned afterward. You can also have a praise board showing stars they have collected for being the neatest/courteous that week/month/term., a wall of awesomeness you might call it. A reminder board where each student writes out their favorite quote, from someone that inspires them or a board where they can share inspirational pictures, alternatively a project where they put up a photo and share a story behind it, that way, whatever lessons learned from such tale would come to mind whenever they come in contact with it. You can also refer to it during classes; it doesn’t have to be a true story, it can be fictional too.

6. Wordplay:

Have a word train decorated around the classroom, words with deep meaning and that you would like for your students to add to their vocabulary. You can also include words/slangs you wouldn’t want them using in the classroom. Get them to write articles or bulletins centered around those words and put them up too.

7. Furniture:

How comfortable are the chairs in the classroom? Wouldn’t they love to feel comfortable; perhaps they can have a little lounge for those who don’t want to step out during the break period? You can get small cushions for each student to sit on or write to the school for better chairs, but don’t make it too cozy, you wouldn’t want your students dozing off during lessons. You can also have hanging lanterns from the ceiling made with different colors.

Remember that each teacher has their decorating style so, don’t make it a competition among your colleagues. Please focus on the curriculum, try to incorporate the culture of each student into your decorations and, make sure it’s inspirational. Lastly, know that there is no one “right” approach and most importantly, have fun!

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