Every teacher goes through it. On the first day of school, everything is clean and tidy. You set yourself up for success by making sure that you have a place for everything, but then as the semester goes on, things accumulate and you end up with a tornado aftermath in your classroom.
Here we are going to share 6 ways that you can reorganize your classroom to reduce clutter and increase space.
Keep Jackets Off Students’ Chairs
As the cold months roll in, students become accustomed to wearing jackets and hanging them over the backs of their chairs, ready for the next time they have to take a trip outside. This typically leads to jackets falling on the floor all day, creating a tripping hazard or a recipe for stained jackets.
Skip the angry parent letters and set up coat hooks on the wall to keep jackets out of the way. Wall hooks allow children to pick up their coats when needed and have them stored securely out of the way when not.
Add Shelving for Frames and Other Decor
There’s nothing wrong with having plenty of pictures and decorations to make your classroom feel much homier, but there comes a time when your desk runs out of space. You can only have so many frames on your desk before there’s no more room to actually use the desk.
A simple solution? Add more shelving. Wherever you have free space on the wall, install small shelves where you can display your pictures and decor without them getting in the way. This makes your classroom look much more appealing and allows for a more productive workspace.
Get Creative with Your Toy Storage
Most of the time, toys end up in a box that children have to rifle through to find what they’re looking for. It might be time to try out a new system for storing these toys that allows children to choose from a display without having to throw all of the other toys on the floor.
Try adding a cube organizer shelf that can help you further organize each category of toys. Another option would be a toy hammock that you can set up by mounting 3 hooks in the corner of the room and attaching a small hammock to hold stuffed animals and other toys.
Hang Bookbags Where Kids Can Reach Them
Cubby areas are great for storing bookbags and lunch boxes, but what if your classroom doesn’t have these? There is an alternative to setting bookbags on the floor at students’ feet.
Line up hooks that are secure enough to hold bookbags and safe for classroom use, such as a Toughook Original. Lining up hooks for students’ bookbags and jackets allows them to easily access their belongings and put them away when they don’t need them.
Declutter
As the semester progresses, there becomes an evergrowing amount of things that are taking up classroom space- though the classroom is no bigger than it was on the first day. It’s important to get rid of things that no longer serve a purpose in the classroom.
For starters, old projects and worksheets aren’t necessary to keep in the classroom after a month. It might be beneficial to get rid of old papers and projects at the end of every month, whether that be sending them home with the students or sending them to the dump.
The same thing goes for old supplies. It’s very easy to ignore the dried-out gluesticks and markers that are mixed in with supplies, but every few months these old supplies could stand to be decluttered. This will allow for room for fresh supplies and reduce frustration in the long run.