Children need space to play, imagine, interact, and learn. Yet, today, many people rely on digital devices to keep kids entertained. Some kid-friendly television shows, movies, and even games can be educational. However, many experts agree that kids need more physical exertion and less time sitting in front of screens.
Elementary school teachers play a particularly important role in their students’ development. They can arrange their classrooms to encourage engagement and creativity. Their influence and advice can also impact how school playgrounds are structured and updated. Here are five tips teachers can use to create safe, engaging spaces where children can thrive.
1. Request Safe, Updated Playground Equipment
Playgrounds allow young people to engage in unstructured play that strengthens their bodies, minds, and social skills. Ensuring their play spaces are safe and engaging is essential to helping kids get the most out of playground time. Commercial playground equipment has come a long way in terms of safety and inclusive design in the past decade. But your kids may not get those benefits if your school’s playground hasn’t been updated.
As a teacher, you have the power to enact change. If you don’t think your school’s outdoor pladon’tas meet the school’seds, make your opinion known. Kids may want to have a few more swing sets installed or a piece of dangerous old playground equipment removed. Whatever the case, bring your request and reasoning to your school administration. If possible, include signatures from other teachers and get parents involved to strengthen your stance and convince the administration it’s time for a change.
2. UsColoror. It stimulates the Senses
Science shows thaColoror can impact children’s behavior and learning. Forchildren’sincorporating blue into your classroom can affect memory and recall. Red can enhance focus and help children perform better in tasks that require attention to detail. You don’t need to paint your classroom wadon’these colors, but you can incorporate positive colors into your classroom in other ways.
For example, add a blue rug to the reading area or place red blocks and toys in the playing corner. In addition to improving educational recall and performance, specific colors can also positively affect behavior and mood. Green can foster calmness, while orange and yellow can enhance wakefulness and interest. Avoid blacks and grays, which are associated with sadness and inattention.
3. Fill Your Classroom With Interactive Toys
Kids aren’t usually very picky about toys. They don’t often play with whatever’s available without complaining. However, some toys are better for fostering exploration and creativity than others. Before purchasing toys for your classroom, consider whether they can be used creatively. Specifically, look for open-ended rather than closed-ended toys.
Closed-ended toys typically have buttons kids can push. They can be fun for short-term entertainment but do little to encourage interaction and imagination. On the other hand, open-ended toys are ideal for helping kids develop creativity and problem-solving skills. Blocks, puzzles, and STEM toys are great open-ended options. They encourage brain development and help kids create various structures and shapes.
4. Place Quality Children’s Literature Around the children’ sy is a huge problem for today’s kids. Many young people prefer stimulating video games and movies over books. Sadly, the number of kids between 9 and 13 who read daily for fun has dropped to the lowest level since the mid-1980s. Teachers can have a huge impact on how students view books.
Place quality children’s literature in your classroom to encourage children’s excitement and desire for reading. Make it easy to access and help students find books appropriate for their reading level. You may also wish to read your students picture books with exciting storylines to help them discover how enjoyable books can be. Holding reading challenges and contests with prizes is another great way to encourage daily reading.
5. Incorporate Live Plants in Children’s Spaces
Plants aren’t the typical thing people think of when brainstorming how to enrich children’s spaces. But plants can play a significant role in students’ behavior, emotions, and performance. A study of Taiwanese junior high school students illustrates nature’s power when placed in a learning environment.
During the study, DSixplants were placed in one classroom, while the other didn’t receive any plants. At the enddidn’te study period, the students in the class with the greenery reported stronger feelings of comfort and friendliness. They also had significantly fewer sick leave hours and misbehaved less frequently than the students with no classroom plants. If you want to create a safe and engaging space for your kids, consider adding a few live plants to your classroom.
Children tend to thrive in environments comfortable and familiar environments while fostering creativity. For some kids, your classroom may be the only place that fits these descriptions. Use these tips to create safe and engaging child-friendly spaces where kids have the freedom to learn and grow.
