In Home Classroom Ideas for Parents

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School is starting back up in many places around the country. If your child is completing virtual learning at home, you may find yourself asking, “How can I create and organize an in home classroom space?”. If you’re not a teacher, and don’t know where to begin, this can be a tough question to answer. Luckily, the teacher in me is here to help you figure that out. Read on to discover how easy it is to transform your home into an engaging learning environment for your child.

Where do you begin?

The first thing to do is to find an area in your home that your child can work, with as little distraction as possible. It could be a spare room, the basement, an enclosed porch, their bedroom, or even the dining room table. Feel free to be creative here! You could even let your child help pick out which room they’d like to use as their home classroom. This will provide them motivation to be in there during school hours because they helped pick it out.

Okay, we picked out our place to work. Now what?

I’m so glad you asked! Now that you and your child have picked out their room to work in, the fun really begins. You can work together to help your child design this room. Don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on this. You can do as little or as much as you want. The important thing is that your child has a say in this and you work together to make it as relaxing and distraction free environment as possible.

Home classroom decor

When teachers design classrooms, they often try to make them as “homey” and comfortable as possible. To do that, consider adding some lamps, comfortable furniture like bean bags or pillows to work on, and a rug to make the room more inviting. Below are some great recommendations that won’t break the bank.

A Rug

This rug is super soft for stretching out on to do school work.

This rug will match any color room.

This rug will brighten up a dark space, and it will make your child feel like they are at school. My personal classroom at school has a rug very similar to this. I love how bright and colorful it is!

Of course a simple search for playroom rug will yield thousands more results. And hint! A rug will also work great for those PE assignments so that your child has a place to complete those workouts. Feel free to cuddle with your child and take a peek at what all is out there to choose from.

A Lamp

A lamp will also make things more inviting. Check out the suggestions below.

This lamp will add a pop of color and coziness to a room.

This one will give off a soft, relaxing glow.

Or you could even pick a theme for your home classroom and add something like this Marvel Avengers lamp to complement your theme.

Just like with the rugs, if none of these suit your style, a simple search of playroom lamps will turn up thousands of choices. Have fun with it, and let your imagination run wild.

A Place to Work

If your child prefers to work on the floor, then great! You might not need to add anything else. However, if your child likes to switch it up from time to time (kids get super squirrely) , then check out these recommendations below.

Bean Bags or Fun Chairs

The kids in my classroom will fight over my bean bags, balance balls, wobble stools, and fun chairs. There’s just something about being able to stretch out on a comfy bean bag or fun chair that makes learning exciting. And hey, I’m all for whatever works.

This one is much larger than what I have in my classroom, but since you’re working from home, why not have fun with it?!

The kids love to curl up with in saucer chairs like this one.

For kiddos who constantly have to move, balance balls are a lifesaver.

Reclining seats are always fun for kids too. They can still work on the floor but have the option of sitting upright.

My wobble stools are always a big hit!

And so are these fun scoop chairs.

Couches that are kid sized are lots of fun too, if you have the room.

Desks

Of course if your child would prefer to work at a desk, there are some great options out there.

This desk has gotten AWESOME reviews from parents in several Facebook groups I’m a part of.

This one doesn’t take up as much space but still gives your child plenty of room to work.

I LOVE the bookshelves and drawers that this desk has! It could really help to keep your child organized.

Again, a simple search of children’s desks will yield hundreds of possibilities. Feel free to explore away.

Posters

Nothing says school like posters. Many classrooms have them hanging all over the walls. Of course you don’t want to over do it and over stimulate your child. There are so many FUN posters online. You can pick from motivational posters, to learning posters, to posters for decoration. Check out the fun ones below.

These posters remind your child of some important life lessons.

These are perfect for a K-3 classroom.

These could help out your older learners.

To hang your posters, you could put up some wired twine and hang the posters to it with clothespins or use some putty to adhere the posters to the walls.

How to store school supplies

There are lots of options out there for your child to keep his or her school supplies organized. Check out the suggestions below.

A wooden desk organizer will help keep school supplies from getting lost.

Over the door organizers work great if you’re low on space.

You can also use these mini organizers to keep track of suppplies.

These rolling carts also offer plenty of space.

But what if I don’t have extra space?

I totally understand this! It’s not like you may have the space to be able to totally give up an entire living area of your home. If that’s the case, you can create what I like to call a “pop up classroom” using things you may already have on hand. And if not, a few simple purchases can help create an inviting learning space for your child to thrive.

Rolling storage carts

This rolling storage cart offers plenty of space to store school supplies in an accessible place out of the way.

A small cabinet serves the purpose as well. You can keep your child’s school supplies tucked inside using small organizers to help keep everything in its place. Decorate the doors with school posters and a calendar if needed. When the doors are open, school is in session. When the doors are closed, school is done for the day. How simple and easy is that?

Extras

Many parents notice that their child doesn’t seem to want to sit still for home learning. Don’t worry. It’s not just your child. Chances are they are this way at school too, but you’re just not there to see it. So you may find yourself asking, “What do I do?” Some kids work better if they have something to fidget with in their hands. You can pick up a pack of assorted fidgets to help your child stay focused during an online lesson. Of course if you notice it has the opposite effect, then you’ll want to take them away. But teachers (myself included) use these all of the time to help kids stay focused on the lesson. Lots of times it might even look like your child isn’t paying attention, but many kids are indeed listening while they fidget. They just need that extra sensory stimulation to help them process.

So there you have it. You can make your home classroom space as elaborate or as simple as you like. You know what works best for your particular home space, so use these ideas to create something that makes this school year as enjoyable and memorable for your child as possible. If you use these ideas to create a home classroom space, I’d love for you to post your pictures in the comments. Also don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about creating this space. I’m happy to help.