I had the honor of working at a nature center for nearly a decade coaching teachers to use nature as a vehicle to teach science through authentic and place-based experiences. I am now a nature preschool teacher by day and content creator by night sharing my love of science and ELA with other educators. Let's make science a priority in your classroom by making it more approachable, digestible, and enjoyable!

Podcast

6 Classroom Decoration Ideas: How Research Can Help Us Design Student-Centered Learning Spaces

Classroom decoration ideas

As the school year approaches, let’s talk about some classroom decoration ideas that can help you plan for a successful year. And hopefully, they will also help you stress less as you get back into the space. Back-to-school time can be hard on everyone and I’m hoping to be able to lessen the load with these research-based ideas.

In this episode, we’ll talk about 6 research-based classroom decoration ideas including:

Change your mindset to view decorations as teaching tools.
Select decorations that have purpose.
Use color intentionally.
Leave room for students to contribute.
Think about how you want students to use the space.
Think about students’ needs.

Color is a great way to personalize classroom decoration ideas to fit you and your learners.

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

References:

Barrett, P., Davies, F., Zhang, Y., & Barrett, L. (2015). The impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning: Final results of a holistic, multi-level analysis. Building and Environment, 89, 118–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.02.013
Fisher, A. V., Godwin, K. E., & Seltman, H. (2014). Visual environment, attention allocation, and learning in young children: When too much of a good thing may be bad. Psychological Science, 25(7), 1362–1370. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614533801
Godwin, K. E., Leroux, A. J., Scupelli, P., & Fisher, A. V. (2022). Classroom design and children’s attention allocation: Beyond the laboratory and into the classroom. Mind, Brain, and Education, 16(4), 239–251. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12319
Godwin, K. E., Leroux, A. J., Seltman, H., Scupelli, P., & Fisher, A. V. (2022). Effect of repeated exposure to the visual environment on young children’s attention. Cognitive Science, 46(2), e13093. https://doi.org/10.1111/cogs.13093
Godwin, K. E., & Fisher, A. V. (2026). Inattention and the classroom visual environment: Evidence of incidental learning. Mind, Brain, and Education, 20(1), e70040. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.70040