A fresh start and a positive mindset
A new school year is a fresh start, so let’s make it a positive one! The colour yellow represents happiness, creativity, and enthusiasm which is a great way to set the tone for a new year. Some colour theorists suggest yellow can encourage feelings of optimism, self-assurance and success, which can be great for classrooms that adopt a growth mindset. You could incorporate yellow sunflowers into a growth mindset display, or use them as a way to set goals and get children thinking about how they want to grow this year.
An exciting classroom entrance
Speaking of setting the tone for your classroom, don’t overlook the actual entrance. This is the place where children set foot in your space, and making that transition can be really helpful in getting children into a positive headspace when they enter your room. Think about what that entrance looks like and how it feels to walk through it. You could use our printable sunflower border from our display pack all around the doorway to create a vibrant, happy entrance to your room and remind your students of your classroom values as they come in.
Get arty and creative!
Get children thinking about these ideas of sunflowers and how they make you feel by getting arty. Sunflowers should still be in season when the school year starts, so pick up a bunch of sunflowers and do some observational drawing or painting with your class! You could use this to start a discussion on how the flowers make them feel, or what they think about when they look at the flowers. Can they bring that into their painting with bright colours? When you’re done, set up an art gallery and have the students view each other’s artwork!
Positive affirmations
A simple and easy way to bring some positivity and optimism into your classroom is by putting up some affirmation posters – and we have some ready to go in our vibrant sunflower design in our sunflower classroom display pack. You could set up an affirmation station in a quiet area in the room, with posters all around, so children can go to this place when they feel they need a boost. Or you could dot them around the classroom so they are always a visible reminder to the children as they are working.
How do you make your classroom a positive space? What kind of colours do you like to include? Do you ever bring real plants and flowers into the space? We'd love to know what you do to create a happy, positive classroom when you decorate for the start of the year! Make sure to tag us on instagram in your classroom pics, and if you like the look of our sunflower classroom display pack you can find it here.
