It’s a new year — a fresh start, a clean slate, and a much-needed reset. Educators and children have returned to school to continue the second half of the school year, making it the perfect time to give classrooms the “new year treatment” and breathe new life into your classroom environments.
With all the responsibilities an early childhood educator has, it is understandable if switching out classroom materials and adjusting classroom centers falls to the bottom of your priority list. However, your classroom sets the tone for children’s learning and creative expression, and it is important for their learning environments to evolve as they do!
Having the same materials and ideas in your centers all year can leave children feeling understimulated and less engaged in learning, and they will most likely let you know they are feeling this way through their behaviors as they seek out stimulation in different ways — wandering around the classroom, fidgety or restless bodies, and trying to engage physically with teachers, children, or materials (e.g., pushing, throwing).
Related reading: 8 Ways to Make Your Classroom Culturally Inclusive Year-Round
A classroom reset doesn’t have to happen all at once, especially if it is not already part of your regular routine. Start by asking yourself some reflective questions like these and take it one center at a time:
The best part about this reflective process is that the children in your class can be a part of it! Invite children to share their ideas about what toys and materials should go in centers next and what should be swapped out. Involving them in the physical process of switching materials gives them agency, and means they are more likely to engage with the new materials with interest and respect.
Speaking of involving children, a classroom refresh goes beyond swapping out materials. Coming back to school after a long break creates an opportunity to sit together as a class and reset your classroom expectations.
For toddler-age children, this process will be primarily teacher-driven, but with consistent verbal cues and visual reminders, even our smallest learners can become familiar with classroom cultures and routines. For preschoolers and above, teachers can begin to involve children in this process by creating a Classroom Charter and asking questions like:
Write down children’s ideas and have everyone sign the charter. Now you have a classroom agreement for how children want to be treated and what the expectations are for treating others kindly for the rest of the year!
Follow along with these strategies to start the new year with a “new” classroom, and make a regular classroom refresh part of your routine!
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