- Tuesday 01 August 2023
There's nothing better than seeing the excitement on your pupils’ faces when they first enter your classroom and are fully immersed in the world of wonder you have created for them to learn in.
But how exactly do you create this kind of instantly comfortable environment for your pupils? Well, we’ve compiled a few of our top tips to help you create a fun, active learning environment in your own classroom.
Starting the Day Right
Morning rituals can be a great way to start the day and provide pupils with a consistent, familiar space they can feel at ease in. Here are a few ideas that you can incorporate into your daily class routine.
- Always greet and welcome your pupils in a positive manner. This could mean standing at the door to welcome your pupils into your classroom, or writing a lovely welcome message or positive quote on the whiteboard in the mornings.
- Have a consistent starting activity; figure out how you want to start the learning for the day. This sets the tone for the rest of the day and is also a great way to settle in your pupils, signalling to them that it’s time to start the day.
- Make communication key. Start each day by establishing the best ways you and your pupils can
communicate with each other that day. It can be a space where you can talk about toileting, being late, and anything else that may be hard for pupils to talk to you about. It’s important that you open the lines of communication everyday so that you are able to more easily create relationships built on the mutual sharing of information. - Set your expectations for the class. As well as encouraging open communication around the issues above, there should be a conversation about how activities will start and stop throughout the day and how pupils will know when the classroom needs to quieten. This is a good way to outline your expectations as the teacher for the rest of the year and demonstrates how the class environment should be treated.
Personalising Your Learning Environment Together!
So, now you’ve established some key routines and expectations for your classroom, but how else can you enhance the environment you’re teaching in? Well, this is your classroom, the only limit is your imagination—why not put your own personalised stamp on it? To give you a splash of inspiration, here are some of our favourite ways to add a spark to any classroom.
- Choose a popular icon to highlight special areas of the classroom. For example, if you have a reading area, you might like to have a picture of a popular character, such as Hermoine Granger, reading above it.
- Get the room ready to showcase the excellent work your pupils will create throughout the year with one or two designated areas outlined with display paper.
- Put up posters of the topics that will be covered throughout the term, giving pupils a taste of the fun, future learning in store. Check
out our range of posters! - Draw up and hang a weekly planner so pupils know what is happening each day. Plus, you can make handy signs for other areas too, including storage areas with a drawn-up plan for where to find the right equipment.
- Create a list of all your pupils' birthdays and display it somewhere they can all see. Birthdays are important, and everyone loves their birthday being acknowledged.
- Add touches of inspiration and encouragement around your classroom for your pupils to find as they work. Details matter; if you show your classroom some love, your pupils will too.
Over to You ...
Starting in a new classroom is a daunting prospect for any pupil. Help to
dispel their worries and ease them into the new school year by using these tips to create a safe, inspiring, and vibrant space that makes coming to school fun!
We'd love to hear from you! What is your favourite morning ritual to welcome your pupils to your classroom? What are your top tips for making a classroom environment that breeds positivity, happiness, and learning?
We have some great resources that can be used to help with setting up your classroom for success, such as our poster resources and stickers. We can't wait to see how you create the perfect learning environment for your pupils!