Classroom Ideas
Nobody loves color coding more than a teacher! Not only is color coding classrooms super satisfying, but it also makes a teacher’s life easier. Teachers are busy and always have a thousand things to do, so color coded organization can go a long way toward making our lives easier. Your color coded classroom will also help your students be more efficient and productive. Here are some ideas to get you started!
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1. Color code your centers for easy locating.
Another time waster is when you ask your students to go get a center and they can’t find what they need. Help your students locate their materials faster by assigning a color to each type of activity. For example, you might sort your math centers using such pink for addition, yellow for subtraction, purple for hundreds charts, and orange for measurement. A rolling cart with colored drawers will make this even better!
2. Use dot stickers to identify textbook subjects.
This one can be a game-changer! Assign a color to each textbook and place a sticker on the inside front cover of each. For example, place a red dot sticker on each science book. When it’s time for your students to get out their science book, you can remind them to look for the one with the red dot. They’ll have their books out and ready to go in no time.
3. Pre-count and file colored copy paper.
Nobody uses more colored paper than teachers! Lessons and assignments are just more fun when they are colorful. A random stack of colored paper, however, makes it time-consuming to count out the number of pages you need. Save yourself time by grouping paper colors together and storing them in a file box. When you dream up your next great lesson, the paper will be ready to use.
4. Label laptops and charge cords for easy put-away.
Students aren’t the best at putting things back exactly where they belong, so teachers usually need to help them learn how to organize their supplies, especially classroom technology. Use colorful washi tape to label each classroom laptop and its coordinating charge cord. When it’s time to put the technology away, your students simply need to match up the colors.
5. Sort small groups using stickers.
Time is often wasted picking where to sit when students are called to a small group. Eliminate the arguing by assigning each student within each small group to a specific color. Place coordinating color stickers to your small group table. When a group is called to work with you, each one will go to their matching color. The seats will be assigned ahead of time and your group can get straight down to business.
6. Sort your classroom art supplies by color.
It is so frustrating when you ask students to get out a certain color of crayon or marker and it takes minutes upon minutes for the kids to locate the right hue. It takes even longer if a student has lost or otherwise doesn’t have the color they need. Quit letting the kids waste all your teaching time by sorting all the supplies by color. Next time your students need a yellow and can’t find their own, they’ll know right where to look.
7. Assign a different color to your turn-in baskets for each subject.
Papers and assignments are easily misplaced, but assigning a color to each subject will help your students stay organized. You’ll need several paper collection bins in a variety of colors. Social studies might be purple, science yellow, and math red. When your students finish a social studies assignment, for example, they will know to turn it into the purple bin.
8. Rescue your desk by organizing your teaching supplies.
Your desk can easily get messier and messier the further into the school year you get. Use small colorful containers to organize your stuff. For example, you can put paper clips into a blue container, staples in a green one, and thumbtacks in a pink one. When you need one of your supplies, you’ll be quick to find what you need.
9. Use colorful clothespins to sort your paper piles.
Teachers know that stacks of paper are just a fact of life when it comes to giving and collecting assignments. Make it easier for yourself by using colorful clothespins. You might clip math lessons with red clothespins, spelling with purple, and science with orange. Another idea is to assign each child a color and clip all their assignments together. This is particularly handy when collecting makeup work for absent students. You might also assign blue to meeting notes, green to professional development documents, and yellow to classroom data. Colored binder clips will accomplish the same goal!
10. Use color coding to sort task cards for any subject.
Maximize independent work time by sorting task cards. Sort sight word cards using a different color for each beginning letter. Organize your math flashcards by copying each family of problems on a different color of paper. Another way to get your task cards ready to use is by putting each group in a small colored container. Your students will easily find what they need to work on and get down to business.
11. Create random groups using colorful popsicle sticks.
Easily put your students into groups using colored popsicle sticks. Count out the same number of popsicle sticks as students in your class. Have each student blindly reach into a box and choose a popsicle stick. All the kids who chose red sticks are in one group, all the kids you selected a blue stick are in another group, and so on.
It takes a bit of time up front, but organizing your classroom with color codes will save you a lot time and frustration during the day. And all your color coding efforts will make your classroom look beautiful!
