Eight Classroom Environment Tips
Many early childhood programs continue through the summer, so I hope everyone who worked in July and August enjoyed working at their summer programs!
And now, on to a new and exciting start of the school year! Of course there are always many things to think about in the first weeks of school, but a good place to start is with the classroom environment.
Here are eight things I think are important to consider as we work on our classroom environments:
1. Safety – Remember, safety first, both indoors and outdoors. Use safety checklists and carefully review your classroom space as well as your playground areas to make sure they are safe places for young children to work and play.
2. Supervision – Make sure that you have arranged for proper supervision of your students at all times, both indoors and outdoors. Outdoor playtime needs to be carefully supervised, so remind your teachers that they must stay near the equipment and the children to watch for spills and falls.
3. Space – Take time to review and analyze how you are using your classroom space, how your space can be set up to meet the needs of each child, the group and support the program goals.
4. Materials – Do an inventory of your classroom materials. Check to see that you have enough materials for the whole class to use and a range of materials to meet the needs of all the different areas of the curriculum such as math, literacy, art etc.
5. Aesthetics/Decorations – Try to make your classroom bright and cheery, and be sure include children’s work nicely displayed at children’s eye level. Photos of the children and their families make the environment comforting to young children. Adding plants and pleasant music can also add to the attractiveness of a classroom.
6. Personal space for each child – Arrange a special place for each child in your class. For example, a cubby or a coat hook with a “My Things” box underneath provides a place for the child’s personal items.
7. Diversity – Make sure your materials include dolls, puzzles, pictures and other things that depict people of many cultures and backgrounds.
8. Place for parents – Try to establish a place where parents can receive and share information about the program, their children, and current events at the school. Suggestions include hanging a parent bulletin board, setting up a parent information table, designing a parent resource room or even designating a shelf in the school library as a parent book shelf.
What kinds of things have you done to set up your classroom environment for the new year?We would love to hear from you!
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