Sometimes it just takes the right environment to get motivated. The goal for any classroom is to feel like a safe, inviting space, and little things like charts and inspirational posters have been shown to improve memory and motivation. However, it’s important to carefully choose your classroom’s design to avoid going overboard with decorations and cause a distraction. There are a few factors to keep in mind to make sure your classroom fosters an environment for student engagement.
How to Choose the Right Wall Art
When choosing wall decorations, it is important to keep student learning in mind. In doing this, teachers should choose wall art that can be customized, such as dry-erase calendars or charts with places to input lesson material. The more attuned to student learning that you can make the wall art, the more beneficial it will be in motivating students and keeping them focused. While these are some of the best wall decorations to include in your classroom, it can also be beneficial to include posters that make the classroom seem warm and inviting.
These could consist of:
- posters of role models that students can look up to
- inspirational quotes for encouragement
- or character trait posters to model ideal behavior
Avoid Clutter
However, it is important to not go overboard with decorating. As general rule of thumb, it is best to keep at least 20% of wall space clear to prevent the classroom from appearing cluttered. If there is too much on the walls, the classroom could overwhelm students and become more of a distraction than an aid for student learning. It is also important to keep the decorations updated to avoid having posters on the wall that are no longer relevant; otherwise, you run the risk of the classroom appearing outdated and less engaging for students.
Let Everything Work Together
It is also important that the decorations you choose for your classroom work together with each other and the room itself. In this way, the decorations should complement the color of the classroom’s walls and floors, making the classroom appear balanced and neat. While you want your posters to stand out, it is important to choose colors carefully so they will not be a distraction for students. Subdued, calming tones, like blue and orange are best. Color choice of your posters and wall art can be one of the most important decisions when choosing how to decorate your classroom’s walls because color can have a strong influence on whether the art will distract or engage. Letting in natural light can also positively influence the classroom’s aesthetic, so opening blinds and curtains can be a good way to complete the look.
It can be difficult getting started when brainstorming a theme for updating or developing your classroom’s decor, but datebookstore.com has several wall-art designs to help you get started. Browse our classroom accessories and bring your vision to life.
