Are you considering decorating your classroom door for your students to be greeted by each morning? Believe it or not, classroom doors are often overlooked or underutilized spaces within schools.
While your students line up outside, the door to the classroom can offer your stud to gather before class begins and you prepare for the day of lessons, so it only makes sense that you should decorate it.
Welcoming classroom doors are a great way to engage students and create a welcoming environment. In addition to being a useful resource, they can also serve as a valuable teaching tool!
Not only that, but the door to your classroom can help to positively uplift your students and prepare them for their learning day – so, first impressions really do count.
So, whenever you’re ready, read on to discover some of the best ways that you can create a welcoming and inviting classroom door! Let’s dive right in.
The Best Ways To Decorate Your Classroom Door
1. Informational Posters
An informational poster is an easy way to display information about yourself and your school. It’s a simple yet effective way to introduce yourself to your students and let them know what to expect from your classroom before they even enter it. You could include things like:
School name
Location (address)
Phone number
Email address
Website link
Social media links
Calendar of events
Important dates
If you wanted to make it even more personable, you could even add a quote that is special to you, or an uplifting motto to help your students feel inspired and ready to learn before the day even begins. Plus, to make it more eye-catching, you could even add a variety of decorations to help make your door look more fun and inviting!
2. Student Artwork
If you have a student who loves art, you may want to consider hanging artwork up on the wall behind your classroom door. This allows your students to see something beautiful every time they enter the room.
They’ll get excited when they see it, which will motivate them to learn more…especially on those early Monday mornings when everyone wishes they were still tucked up in bed!
3. Wall Hangings
Wall hangings are another fun way to add personality to your classroom door. You could use pictures of family members, friends, pets, or anything else that you think would be interesting to your students.
If you’d rather keep things simpler, you could just print out images of your favorite quotes or sayings. You could even nominate one student to decorate the door each month with something that is special to them.
4. Photo Collage
Photo collages are a great way to show off your interests and passions. You could put together a photo collage with photos of places you’ve visited, animals you love, or even people you admire.
You could also make one with images of your classroom students to make the door even more personable and special to you and your class. The possibilities are endless!
5. Posters
Posters are another fantastic way to express yourself through your classroom door. You can use posters to share important messages about your curriculum, upcoming events, or any other topics that interest you.
You could even put up new posters to celebrate the various seasons throughout the year, including spring and summer.
6. Name Plaque
You don’t need to go all-out with this idea; simply putting a plaque with your name on it near your classroom door can help students to be aware of who you are, and is a great way to prevent students from becoming confused.
The best part about adding a name plaque to your door is that you will be able to combine it with a variety of other greetings, including beautiful quotes, fun posters, a calendar of events, and whatever else you feel would elevate your door.
7. Bulletin Board
Bulletin boards are perfect for displaying calendars, schedules, announcements, and more. You could also use bulletin boards to display student work, special projects, or anything else that relates to your classroom.
It’s also a great way for students to know who you are, what you teach, and what the classroom is for so that they do not get confused.
8. Various Signs
Signs are always a good idea, especially if you want to encourage your students to come into your classroom. For example, you could post signs encouraging your students to “come in” which will help to make them feel welcome and invited.
This is especially a great idea to try if you have some new students starting and you don’t want them to feel nervous, or if you are just starting back after the summer break.
9. Chalkboard
Chalkboards are a classic classroom door decoration. Use chalkboards to write notes, reminders, or any other kind of message that you feel might benefit your students.
The best part about placing a chalkboard on your classroom door is the amount of customization that it offers. You could even allow your students to write a positive and uplifting quote or message each month throughout the school year!
10. Stickers
Stickers are a fun way to brighten up your classroom door. You should definitely try using stickers to decorate your classroom door. There are many different kinds of stickers available online, so you’re sure to find some that match your style and preferences.
Of course, one of the best ways that you can decorate your door with stickers is to use stickers that are specific and relevant to the topics/subjects that you teach. You could even use stickers that have inspiring quotes or sayings.
11. Door Decals
Door decals are a fun way to personalize your classroom door without spending a lot of money. You could use these decals to create designs, words, or symbols that represent your classroom.
12. Themed Decorations
Another awesome way that you can decorate your door to welcome your students into your learning environment is to give it a theme specific to the subject that you teach!
For example, if you are a history teacher, you could choose to decorate your door with pictures, maps, flags, or any other historical items related to your topic.
Alternatively, if you are an English teacher, then you could opt to decorate your classroom door with iconic literature figures, or quotes from your favorite novels.
This will help to create a fun and welcoming learning environment before your students have even walked through the door!
13. Calendars
Calendars are an excellent way to keep track of everything going on in your classroom. You could place a calendar on your classroom door to show off all the events, activities, and assignments that you plan to hold during the week.
If you are looking for something a little more creative than a simple wall-mounted calendar, you could hang a large clock on your door as well. You could also display a digital version of your class schedule on your classroom door.
14. Holiday-Themed Posters
Holiday posters are a great way to get your students excited about what’s coming up in their classes. You could put holiday themed posters on your classroom door to remind your students of upcoming holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Christmas and much more.
This will be a great way to greet your students and visitors to your classroom at various points throughout the year, and is a great way to celebrate the various holidays throughout the year.
15. Riddles/Puzzles
Riddles and puzzles are a great way to get brains working, so why not consider including a new one each morning for your students to figure out while they wait for you to prepare the classroom?
You could write riddles on pieces of paper and stick them on the back of your classroom door, which will encourage your students to work together to figure it out while also encouraging them to use their problem-solving skills.
16. Classroom Rules
Classroom rules are another effective way to make your classroom feel like home. You could include a set of rules on your classroom door to let your students know exactly how things are supposed to run around your classroom.
These rules could include things like: no talking during lessons, or no food allowed inside the classroom. This will allow your students to understand what they should and shouldn’t be doing, and this will help to ensure an organized working environment for them.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully, these 16 classroom door ideas have inspired you to come up with some unique ways to welcome your students into their classrooms.
Remember, there are many different ways to welcome your students when they walk through your classroom door, but these are just a few of our favorites!
You can get as creative as you like – why don’t you consider asking your students what they would like the classroom door to look like? Who knows, they might come up with an idea even better than the ones that we have shared!
Hi, my name is Helena Waters and I was a teacher for 40 years before retiring last year.
During my time as a teacher I dedicated the majority of it to making classrooms as fun as possible, with educational parties, fun activities, and low cost entertainment that made the children excited about learning.
I taught children of all ages, from preschoolers to high school students. Now, with the pandemic having uprooted everything that children once knew about school and learning, I think that the need for my ideas is bigger than ever.
That is why I created School Sparks, a place in which I can write down and share all of my ideas on how to get students excited about going to school again. I hope that you’ll find some useful within a school setting, even at home too!
