Teachers are the best of the best of us. They teach, mentor, guide, educate, and love our greatest giftโฆ the rising generation. Anything that will help out our wonderful teachers is a worthwhile pursuit.
These hacks will certainly make life easier in the classroom. Here are some brilliant bloggerโs solutions to staying organized, smart, and creativeโon a teacherโs budget.
A special thank you to all the bloggers and teachers that have shared these ingenious ideas with us, so that we can share them with our friends and our family.
1) Chart Rack
Have too many papers floating around? Help organize your dayโand your studentsโwith easy access to anchor charts. Using a clothing rack to store them keeps anchor charts wrinkle-free.
Source:
@teaching6
2) Ding-Dong, Quiet Please
Itโs too loud! Tired of yelling? Get your studentโs attention without raisingโor losingโyour voice. A wireless doorbell is a friendly way to lower noise or signal the class to face the front of the room.
Source:
@katieplus4
3) Wall of Sick Work
Itโs easy to store sick studentโs absent work with a hanging wall organizer. It can provide easy access when parents and family members come in to pick up work. Choosing a fun color scheme can also brighten up your walls.
Source:
@mrsrifsroom
4) Portable Note Pockets
Tired of trying to hold on to hall passes and notes to home? Keep track of your portable notes with adhesive packets. Stick them to a clipboard, high up on a classroom board, or any surface you have set up.
Source:
@mrshenryinfirst
5) A Painting Place
Be green and keep things clean by reusing a disposable drink tray for painting. Itโs perfect for holding watercolor paint trays as well as cups with water for dipping between colors. These trays could also be adapted for holding other types of paint containers.
Source:
@planethappysmiles
6) Pencil Keeper
Where have all the pencils gone!! Help students keep track of their pencils and erasers with a pocket chart. Assign each student a number, or cover the pockets with kids pictures or names. A great idea.
Source:
@thirdgradeparade
7) Personalized Story Portals
File boxes are great for a lot of things, but especially quiet time. Give each kid their own box as a portal to explore new worlds with their imagination during reading time. Let your imagination roam with all the other uses for file boxes in your wonderful classroom.
Source:
@teachloveandicedcoffee
8) Parent Proof Notes
Create colorful backpack reminders with Asrtobrights. Staple labels to your studentโs backpacks, you can even color-code the message categories. Parents wonโt be able to miss them!
Source:
@learningandlovingit
9) Substituteโs Station
Help out your subsโand your students in the processโwith a desk caddy especially for the substitute. This picture is full of great ideas, including an emergency binder, which any sub would be grateful for!
Source:
@mrshenryinfirst
10) Teacherโs Toolbox
Keep your classroomโs desk mess under control with a toolbox. Donโt worry, toolboxes can be cute, just like your classroom. Itโs compact but still big enough to organize all your desk essentials.
Source:
@mrshenryinfirst
11) Through the Looking Glass
Help encourage literacy with magnifying glasses near your classroomโs stash of books. Students can look up close at words and pictures, helping with learning letters and story comprehension. This is an easy way to support independent learning.
Source:
@teachloveandicedcoffee
12) Cell Phone Lockers
Keep technological distractions to a minimum with a numbered pocket chart dedicated to storing student cell phones. Kids can sign them in at the beginning of the day, and sign them out when leaving the room. This is a great idea to combat social media in a current-day classroom!
Source:
@butfirstread
13) Painterโs Secret
Impress parents with super straight letter on your bulletin boards. Once everything is set and stapled on your board, you can easily pull off the painterโs tape without ripping or ruining any of your bulletin paper it is covering.
*Painters tape comes off easily, without leaving any sticky residue or pulling up what is underneath it.
*Painters tape comes off easily, without leaving any sticky residue or pulling up what is underneath it.
Source:
@theteachingtexan
14) Shoe Box Shelf
Keep everything in its place by using plastic shoeboxes can organize and store your classroomโs learning materials. Easily accessible, stackable, and shelf-able, these shoeboxes are a stellar idea.
Source:
@mrshenryinfirst
15) Bubblegum Prizes
Bring in the fun of a bubble gum machine without the sugar! Fill the machine with small prizes, and reward good behavior from your students. A fun way to add some pizzaz to your daily routine.
Source:
@firstgradewithmsk
16) Pencil Dispenser
Keep your students going with an easy way to grab a pencil. Keep track of pencils that need to be sharpened or ones that are ready to go with an acrylic straw dispenser and little bins in your pencil station.
Source:
@brittnynguyen
17) Hula Hoops & Pool Noodles
Use these everyday items for a giant math manipulative. Itโs easy to cut up a few pool noodles and thread them on a cut open hula hoop. When youโre done, just tape the hula hoop closed with some masking tape and you are ready to go. Itโs cheap too!
Source:
@primaryscouts
18) Contact Paper Remodel
This is a great hack! Fun printed contact paper can be used to spice up old tables, boxes, or any dull or old surface in your classroom.
Source:
@teaching6
19) Facial Erasers
Packs of little facial scrubbers make great whiteboard erasers. Itโs easy to keep stocked up, they are small and comapact, and each student can have their own without breaking the bank. These scrubbers come in fun colors too.
Source:
@heyheyfirstgrade
20) The File Box of Learning
A boring old file box can be spiced up with color to keep track of paper copies for each week. This way, you donโt have to shuffle things around on your desk or run back and forth to the copy room every day.
Source:
@mrshenryinfirst
21) Hanging Tissues
Use a hanging rack to keep germs at bay by converting it into an easy to pull out tissue dispenser. This is easy to reach for the kids, and easy for you to refill. The tissue boxes wonโt get lost either!
Source:
@teachovertherainbow
22) Wall Stapler
Create a permeant stapler station by putting it on the wall. Itโs hard to lose or break a stapler when itโs mounted in one place. This way also makes it easy to know when you are out of staples and takes up very little room.
Source:
@triedandtrueteachingtools
23) Pom Erasers
Everyone gets there own eraser with craft poms. Just whip out your glue gun, match the colored poms to the color of marker, and geniusโno more endless searching for an eraser.
Source:
@fabulousfigs
24) Color-Coded Condiment Paints
Condiment bottles are easy to spray paint and rinse out at the end of the day. They make fun and low maintenance paint dispensersโitโs an easy way to save of the mess during painting time.
Source:
@missgirlingsclassroom24
25) Organized Groups
Make group work easy with organizer drawers. Itโs easy to tape up color-coded signs on each bin and gives each group more time to work. This method also fosters independence during the school day.
Source:
@thehappyteacherspalette
26) Individual White Boards
Dry erase spots can replace a pencil and paper for activities like guided reading time. Let your students have the freedom to easily write, draw, and erase. This method is good for the environment and the imagination landscape.
Source:
@create_inspire_teach
27) โRingโ-le Up Stickers
A binder ring and a hole punch with wrangle up any sticker sheets or other loose papers you have running around your desk. This is a great idea for student materials as well.
Source:
@mskohlskids
28) Wall Anchor Charts
Laundry hooks and pant hangers at the perfect solution to store anchor charts. You can have a hook for each category to keeps things organized. This method gives easy access for the students to view the anchor charts for that day.
Source:
@primarygraffiti
29) Bulletin Board Border Rod
Keep your bulletin board borders nice by hanging them on a rod. Shower curtain rods are adjustable in size, and easy to move and mount at different locations, depending on your classroom set up. A great idea!
Source:
@teacher_of_tinies
30) Dry Erase Space
Make an entire table for use with dry erase markers. Duck dry erase lamanite allows you to dedicate a large space that can be written on with no boundaries. Use the dry erase space for yourself or your students during group work or guided reading.
Source:
@ksclassroomkreations
31) Portable Parents
A rolling cart makes the perfect station for volunteer parents. All of the supplies for that day can all be kept in one place, and your volunteer parent can be free to move around, students can stay at their desks and stations.
Source:
@cootiesandcuties
32) Headphone Headphones
Command hooks are an easy way to store and keep track of headphones. The hooks come off easily, so when you need to move a hook it wonโt damage your walls. You are also free to arrange the hooks however works best for your walls.
Source:
@my.specialed.adventure
33) Hanging Books
Using a baby clothing rack is a nice way to display big books. This option looks nice and it will help your kids practice their fine motor skills with the clips. Great find.
Source:
@fun.in.year.one
34) Erase Plates
Itโs easy to make quick individual dry erase boards. Use plastic plates! They are cheap and your students can choose their own fun color.
Source:
@mrsrichardsonsclass
35) Scotch Tape Sections
Make sections for each student at your group desks with colored scotch tape. This way, your students can stay in their own individual lane and pay more attention to what is going on.
Source:
@primaryqueens
36) Cut Composition Notebooks
Composition notebooks can be cut in half for double the quantity and half the price. We heard that your local Home Depot will even cut them for you!
Source:
@thespedhead
37) Desk Drink Holder
No more spills with a fin inflatable drink holder. Keep your desk dry! Little hands and shuffling papers can easily knock over the sturdiest of cups.
Source:
@teachingcardigansinfourth
38) Meaningful Spaces
Give your students something to think about by creating meaningful spaces with adhesive letters. Colorful and fun letters can give meaning to a space while making things more fun and interesting.
Source:
@teacherintulle
39) Easy Circles
Everyone needs a circle cutter! Itโs great to be able to cut circles easily and quickly, and have the, be the same size and shape EVERY TIME. This is a priceless tool.
Source:
@the_sharpened_pencil
40) Useful Tape Display
A jewelry holder is the perfect way to store and dispense your washi tape. You can color-code your tape and this method is compact, organized, and pretty!
Source:
@teachloveandicedcoffee
41) Voice Level Tap Lights
Tap on the corresponding light for the voice level you want in your classroom. Tap lights provide an easy way to communicate with your students without wearing out your voice.
Source:
@misscourtneysclass
42) Eye Catching Files
Astrobrights cardstock is an easy way to color-code your files, making things quicker, easier, and more organized. Itโs also fun to choose the colors for your cabinet.
Source:
@theengagingstation
43) Magnetic Anchor Boards
Itโs easy to put anchor boards up and take them down with magnetic curtain rods. Pull out the anchor board your students are currently working with, and stick it right on your whiteboard.
Source:
@ms._cinderella
44) Rolling Cart Storage
Store large amounts of Astrobrights and other colorful paper effortlessly. Use rolling carts to make your paper storage compact and easy to access.
Source:
@missmskindergarten
45) Simple Sensory Experience
Sensory experiences always a fun time, especially for kids. Water beads are an easy way to fill up a sensory experience bin, and they come in all different colors.
Source:
@mrsbarnesbunch
46) Boxes For Task Cards
Photo boxes are the perfect size to hold student task cards. Itโs easy to print and stick labels to each box, to keep everything organized and compact.
Source:
@teachloveandicedcoffee
47) Finger Puppet Fun
Finger puppets are a fun way to help students track the text while reading. Students can feel like they have a little furry friend accompanying them while reading.
Source:
@islandloverteacher
48) Desk Fairyโs Door
This is genius. Encourage students to use their imaginations, all while keeping their desks clean. You never know when the desk fairy will pop out of their mini door to say hi!
Source:
@learninginwonderland
49) Writable Paddles
Paddle answers back and forth, or give students an easy way to answer while still keeping the noise down by using dry erase paddles.
Source:
@primaryscouts
50) Designated Spots
Stick some sit spots to your classroom rug to help assist students in finding a seat during circle or reading time. Itโs easy to put colorful spots and assign students different colors if needed.
Source:
@talkin_pinata_teaching
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