How to Set Up Your Kindergarten Classroom Quickly | Study.com (2024)

What Makes a Great Kindergarten Classroom?

Before diving into the classroom set up tips, let's take a moment to understand what makes for an optimal kindergarten classroom setup.

While a well-designed kindergarten classroom might look like a non-stop party palace for your little tykes, each component of the classroom should have an educational purpose.

In a comprehensive kindergarten classroom set up guide, TheResponsiveClassroom.org advises that kindergarten classrooms should be inviting, simple and functional. The guide recommends that the room should be neatly organized so students can easily and calmly find what they need.

Ideally, you want to make the room a place that encourages learning and an environment that you and your students will enjoy coming to every day.

Now let's take a look at how you can quickly plan and set up your classroom.

Get Ideas

Before putting supplies and furniture in the classroom, get an idea of what you want the room to look like in terms of decorations and furniture.

Pinterest offers a ton of ideas for kindergarten classroom decorations, and the National Education Association provides ideas for creating kid-friendly spaces and utilizing classroom themes.

Creativity is encouraged at this stage, so think about decorations and themes you can use to like to spice up your classroom.

Plan Your Classroom Layout

In order to quickly set up your classroom, it's essential to plan your classroom layout before moving in all your furniture, decorations, supplies, etc.

You may want to sketch out the layout of your classroom on a piece or paper, or use an interactive classroom set-up tool, such as the one offered on scholastic.com

An ideal kindergarten classroom should have distinct areas for different subjects and activities so students can stay focus and organized. These learning areas can differ depending on a teacher's curriculum, classroom size and amount of students.

Here are a few ideas for different classroom areas from Laura Turner, Bright Hub Education, the Responsive Classroom, and the NEA:

• Large and small group workstations
• Reading area/classroom library
• Art/music/theater area
• Technology/computer area
• Cubbies/storage space
• Teacher private storage area
• A large circle area
• Active play area

In addition to defining the different areas of your classroom, it's a good idea to plan seating arrangements and see if there is anything you can do to save space. TheResponsiveClassroom.org recommends getting rid of a teacher desk and filing cabinets since they tend to take up a considerable amount of space.

Acquire Materials

Next, you'll want to get all the supplies and materials you'll need. Consider your budget, curriculum and classroom size when selecting your materials.

BrightHubEducation.com and TheResponsiveClassroom.org recommend several materials that you'd want to consider putting in your room. These include:

• Bookshelves
• A large area rug
• Tables or desks
• A teacher chair
• Age-appropriate games, puzzles, hand instruments and blocks
• Pencils, crayons, colored pencils
• Paper
• Erasers
• Notebooks

You'll also want to make sure that you have ways to organize these materials, as they can easily accumulate and make for distracting and messy classroom. Consider getting plenty of storage containers to house these materials.

Setting Up

Now it's time to set up your classroom.

All the planning you've done will pay off and make the act of setting up the classroom relatively easy.

In a recent article for scholastic.com, teacher Genia Connell shares how she was able to set up her classroom in less than three hours. To do this, she recommends setting up your classroom at a time when the school won't be busy. That way, you're less likely to encounter distractions that will add time to your workload.

She recommends staying focused and setting a designated amount of time per task, such as furniture arrangement and decoration set up. Use a timer for each task to stay on point.

After the furniture is arranged, you'll want to adorn your walls with decorations. Decorations can create a fun learning environment; however too many decorations can be a source of distraction. Be conservative with your decorations and make sure that your wall displays have a specific educational purpose.

It's also important to consider safety and make sure that there are no possible areas where children can hide, according to SharingKindergarten.com.

Adapt as You Go

It's okay to make adjustments to your classroom after your students arrive and go through the first few days of school. You mind need to rearrange some furniture to create more space or remove distracting materials.

Genia Connell states that the kindergarten classroom setup should be considered a work in progress and you should do what works best for your needs.

Consider these ideas when planning and setting up your kindergarten classroom so you can quickly get ready for the new school year and create a learning environment that you and your students will love.