Decorate Daycare Classroom: 13 Easy, Fun and Low-Cost Ideas 

Out of ideas? Looking for inspiration and ideas for decorating your daycare classroom? You’re at the right place. 

You can easily get started by picking a theme, adding furniture like tables & chairs, and then adding
decor elements e.g. wall decals, posters, and bulletin boards. Learning materials like educational posters & sensory play are always a plus.

I have a foolproof method for classroom decoration plus 7 tips to ensure you effectively use your resources and set up your classroom within your budget. Yes, we’re going for budget-friendly daycare classroom decoration ideas. 

So get ready to have your creative juices flowing!

Select a Theme

Before you start decorating, you have to select a theme for your classroom. Now, if you do a quick search, you’ll find a thousand different ideas. You’ll be tempted to see every other one, and you know how it will end? With you being overwhelmed and unable to decide. 

So, instead, have a look at these finite yet most interesting and common daycare themes. And if you’re reading this in summer, here are the 10 most summery themes that kids will love. And the best part is there are free printables for every theme in both articles.

Bring in the Furniture

Now that the theme is decided, we can start the decor with our furniture. One thing that you need to understand is that furniture is a huge expense. It’ll take a huge chunk of your budget. However, you can drastically reduce this cost if you shop from the right places. 

Keep in mind you don’t need the highest quality furniture. You only need good-quality things within your budget. Try

• Amazon 
• Garage sales 
• Second-hand products from Facebook groups and communities 

Idea#1 Storage Shelves 

A functional plus decorative item! Get colorful shelves, and you’ll instantly see life in your plain classroom. 

Another class cupboard decoration idea is to put toys on shelves with transparent doors or no doors at all. Let all the goodies be visible. Kids find it attractive, and it’s extremely helpful in distracting and calming them. It makes them feel like the place is made for them. 

And let us help you select the right toys for the relevant age groups for both learning and playing. This guide will save you from buying unnecessary toys, which will only waste your money. 

Idea#2 Table Chairs 

Next, put some table chairs in your classroom. Don’t buy the boring wooden ones. Add some colorful kid’s furniture. Arrange them according to your space and see your classroom coming together. 

But where will you buy good quality, affordable furniture? Have a look at our daycare furniture shopping guide to find affordable options. 

Idea#3 Bookshelves 

Again, we’ll be using colorful shelves here. Put kids’ storybooks, workbooks and coloring books there. They serve as an attraction to kids. 

Idea#4 Rugs and Curtains

Rugs can be a great addition to the play area. It’ll be gentler than the floor for kids. And when the kids aren’t there, it adds dimension and depth to the room. 

Add Relevant Decor Elements

Once we get the furniture set, we can move towards decor elements. The reason why we put furniture first and decor later is to prevent overdecorating. You’ll see your colorful furniture has already added some life to the classroom. Reversing the order might lead to overcrowding, which doesn’t look good. 

Idea#5 Wall Decals/ Wallpapers

Let’s decorate your daycare classroom walls. 

An effortless and timesaving way to make your plain walls fun is by adding decals or stickers. Just stick them on the wall, and you’re done. You can also try DIY wall hangings.

We have a detailed blog post dedicated to wall decoration ideas for all age groups. Have a look at these 28+ daycare wall decoration ideas for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.  

Idea#6 Murals 

If you like painting and want to do some DIY, try murals. You only need paints and creativity to make the magic happen. And they always catch people’s attention. 

If you don’t want to paint, you can use paper cuttings to get the same effect.

Idea#7 Posters and Banners 

No classroom is complete without charts and banners. Here are a few poster ideas.

• A combination of text and drawing
• Learning material
• Drawings 
• Cartoon characters. 
• Text to cheer the kids.

Idea#8 Bulletin Boards 

Last but not least is a bulletin board – Every classroom’s must-have. Use it to paste paper crafts, instructions, learnings for kids and their achievements. Have a look at effortless and inspirational bulletin board ideas for your daycare classroom. 

Get Some Learning Materials 

Now it’s time to add some educational stuff to your daycare. 

Idea#9 Educational Charts

This is for toddlers’ and preschoolers’ classrooms. You can do alphabets, numbers, flowers, countries, science and whatnot. Depending on what theme and curriculum you have, you can design charts and posters on anything you want.

Idea#10 Sensory Play 

Best for infants and toddlers under 2 years.

• Playdough or clay
• Kinetic sand
• Musical instruments
• interactive books 
• Scratch and sniff books

Idea#11 Drawing and Coloring Workbooks 

Workbooks are always fun learning material, so make sure you include that. But there’s no need to spend money on them. You can find free workbooks and coloring pages printables on the internet on every topic and theme and for every age group. And if you have anything specific in mind, you can design your own pages as well.

Idea#12 Art Supplies

How can we forget art? Paints, brushes, coloring pencils and all that stuff should be in your classroom. 

Idea#13 Create Corners

While you design your daycare layout, create corners. For example, you can have a nap corner where kids can rest. You can decorate it with moons and stars. 

There can be an eating corner. You can decorate it with drawings of fruits and vegetables. You can also write sentences to encourage kids to finish their meals. 

An activity area can be where you put the activities kids will do that day. Appreciate them by putting their names when they do something good or paste their drawings and crafts.

7 Tips to Decorate a Daycare Classroom

1. Make It Colorful

A kid’s classroom should be colorful. So ensure that the furniture you’re adding isn’t dull. Colorful shelves and desks complete 50% of the decor. The remaining 50% is done with different decor elements. 

2. Consider the Age Group

Are you handling toddlers, school-going kids or infants? It’s an important question before you start the setup. 

There’s no point in decorating a toddler’s classroom with words and sentences they can’t read. The toys you put in and how you decorate your classroom depend on the kids who’ll be there. 

3. Don’t Overdecorate

Too much of anything is bad. Overdecorating your classroom can be overwhelming. It takes away the charm and beauty of it, which you wanted in the first place.  

So, how do you know when to stop? Enter your classroom and look at it. If you can absorb everything easily at a glance, then it’s perfect. When it starts to get complicated and overwhelming, it’s your sign to stop now. 

4. Keep Things Organized

Organization and presentability are everything. Even if you haven’t added a lot of stuff, it looks like a total mess if it’s disorganized. An arranged classroom looks beautiful, even with a few decorations. 

5. Allow the Daylight to Come

If there are any windows, don’t cover them. Let the sunlight come in. It’s good for kids’ health and mood. And the view can be fascinating to kids. It’s helpful in distracting them.

6. Add Season and Occasion-Specific Decorations

The occasion-specific decor is an excellent way to keep your daycare classroom up-to-date. It excites kids and makes them happy. 

You don’t have to change everything. Just add a few cuttings and decorations according to the event, and you’re done.

7. Make It Safe

Lastly, make sure everything in your classroom is safe for kids. The furniture or any other thing shouldn’t have sharp corners. And don’t put pencils openly on desks. Keep them in a locked cupboard. 

• Add electric outlet covers
• Soft padding on sharp corners
• Install child-proof gates near stairs

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What Should Be Considered When Decorating a Daycare Classroom?

These are a few things you need to consider before decorating your daycare classroom.

• Kids’s age
• Theme
• Budget 
• Space
• State guidelines (make sure you’re breaking any rules)

2. What Is the Easiest Way to Decorate a Classroom?

The easiest way to decorate a daycare classroom is to put colorful kids’ furniture. It completes half of the decor. For the rest, you can go with wallpapers and bulletin boards. Even if you only do these 3 things, your classroom will look fun and exciting. 

Conclusion

How to decorate a daycare classroom isn’t a frustrating question for you anymore. You got tips, tricks, ideas and inspiration. So tell us in the comments if you’re ready to make your classroom a fun and exciting place for kids. And if you have any other ideas, contribute with your creativity and leave them in the comments.