5 Strategies for Classroom Readiness

By Heather Maydak, ATP

Where did summer go? It’s still summer, but have you looked at the calendar lately? As school is imminent and has already begun for some, it’s crucial to ensure your classroom is prepared for the entire academic year. Use these fun tips for an organized and decorated classroom.

5 Areas for Classroom Readiness

1. Decorating Tips: After you've finished arranging your furniture, it's time to make your bulletin boards pop—keep them fun and educational with interactivity.
   • Use Velcro or magnets to move items on the board that correlate to current lessons.
   • Record words, definitions, or facts on single message devices and hang for speech output.
   • If you have students who are rough on the boards, consider laminating the bulletin board paper.
2. Organization Tips: Keeping things tidy with kids around is tough, we all know it, but give these playful ideas a shot this year.
   • Take pictures that show how to put things away and then tape them to the front of bins or shelves.
   • Keep track of small classroom timers by attaching them to stretchy wrist bracelets (wired coils).
   • Keep track of where your students are when they leave for specials or therapy. Write each student’s name on a clothespin. When they go for speech therapy, occupational therapy, etc., they place their clothespin on a hanging visual schedule by the door.
   • Want more great ideas for organizing? Head over to Mrs. D’s Corner at http://mrsdscorner.com/.
3. DIY Tips: Money doesn’t grow on trees (why the heck not, right?) so use these inexpensive and straightforward DIYs for your classroom.
   • Create slant boards by gluing a binder clip to a three-ring binder to hold the paper. Need step-by-step directions for a binder or using tri-wall cardboard? Check them out here - https://www.instructables.com/Slant-Board/ and https://classroomdiy.com/diy-slant-board/.
   • Make charging stations with plastic drawer organizers. Velcro power strips to the back and run charging cords through the back of each drawer. Need more device organization on the cheap? Check out Nyla’s 20 Classroom Storage Ideas for Technology Devices.
   • Create a quick sensory space using two tall filing cabinets and a tension curtain rod. Hang a curtain between the two filing cabinets, arrange pillows, and have a bin of sensory items for students to relax and recoup.
4. Classroom Routines: Fostering classroom expectations for lining up, turning in assignments, technology use, and morning work may require inventive teaching strategies.
   • Use visuals to teach daily routines. Similar to a visual schedule, create picture and word representations of your most essential routines.
   • For younger grades, sing your routines with fun songs that teach the students about each classroom routine. Use catchy tunes they are already familiar with to make them easier to learn. Not sure how to write your own lyrics? Check out these classroom management songs for teachers.
5. Attention Getters: When you need to get your class’s attention because they are kids and being quiet is not in their nature, have fun re-focusing them.
   • Use attention-getting songs with hand gestures. I love the music therapy ideas found here: http://www.tunedintolearning.com/freebie-friday-attention-grabber-chants/
   • Use auditory sounds, gestures, and funny sayings to make re-focusing fun. Check out all of these fun ideas at http://educationtothecore.com/2015/09/25-attention-getters-to-quiet-a-noisy-classroom/.