fun classroom transformation ideas

Transforming your classroom into a different scene or place can be an incredibly exciting experience for your students. As your students complete specialized challenges, they are immersed in an entirely new environment of learning. However, it can take a while to figure out all of the fun classroom transformation ideas by yourself. As someone who has completed many classroom transformations, I have discovered some exciting extras to include in your next transformation. Here are some fun classroom transformation ideas you may never have considered before!

Coloring Page

When your students walk into your newly-transformed room, they’re going to be blown away. All they’re going to want to do is talk to their friends and explore the new space. Keep your kids contained in their seats until the transformation starts with a morning work supplement: a coloring page. A coloring page that matches the theme of the transformation keeps students busy as they wait for everyone to arrive. It also heightens their excitement for the rest of the day.

If you already have morning work planned or decide not to bring out the coloring supplies first thing, you can use the coloring page as a fast finisher activity. Students who finish the challenges first can quietly color as they wait for others to wrap up. This prevents them from distracting friends and gives them a “reward’ for finishing early.

There are tons of coloring pages available for purchase online. However, if you’re looking to keep your expenses organized, I include coloring pages in all of my classroom transformations. If you don’t want to worry about looking all over the Internet for every piece of your transformation, my transformations include all the essentials (and extras) right for you.

Name Tags

Another fun “extra” is name tags. When kids walk into your classroom in the morning and see a name tag sitting on their desk, there’s no doubt they’ll be excited for the day. You can laminate and hole punch them with string for kids to wear over the course of the transformation, giving them a fun item to display. You could also put them in lanyards.

Want to save yourself some time? Print out some blank name tags and let kids write their own specialized names like Construction Worker Joe on Construction Day or Doctor Bob for Doctor Day. They can add a string to the name tag themselves in place of morning work so you don’t have to prep them ahead of time. Or you could print the nametags out with their names and paperclip one to each kid’s shirt. If you really want to go all out, you could even let students put the name tags on themed hats with tape.

There are so many different ways to pull off name tags, all of which kids adore. Because of their popularity, I decided to include customizable name tags in my room transformations on TPT. This extra is one of many other fun items offered in a purchase. There are so many different fun classroom transformation ideas you can incorporate into your themed days to make them even more exciting!

Posters

What better way to decorate for a classroom transformation than with posters? Themed posters are easy for print-and-go. Print messages on colored paper to make them pop. On Ocean Day, print out “Save the Whales” on blue paper. Use your red paper on the Floor is Lava Day to warn about the volcanic eruption. These “extras” are some of the best ways to bring out a theme into your classroom. Or, purchase them on TPT with any of my room transformations!

Posters can be placed practically anywhere. Stick them on desks, around the classroom, in the hallway–you can really get creative here. Posters are also easy to reuse if you laminate them. That way, you can save on paper and time in future years. With my transformations, I include lots of printable posters and banners for you. That way, you won’t have to format everything yourself. My posters include cute messages about the transformation that enhance the theme.

Admission Tickets

One of my favorite extras to add to a room transformation are admission tickets. These work to excite your students before the room transformation even begins. The day before your transformation, place the admission tickets on your kids’ desks to let them know what you’re doing the following day. These tickets “invite” them to participate in the upcoming transformation. This never fails to excite a class and also makes them excited to come to school the next day. 

Admission tickets are also a great talking point with parents. Instead of saying school was “fine” and leaving it at that, kids have something to talk to their parents about. They can bring the tickets home with them and show them off to their family. If they want, they can also use the tickets as bookmarks. When they come to school the next day and show you they have a ticket to enter your transformed classroom, their excitement is contagious.

These tickets are also included in my room transformations on TPT. I customize them to fit the theme of each transformation, and they’re ready for you to print out with zero prep. Every time I complete a transformation, they are a hit with my class AND my class’s parents!

Hats

A final “extra” idea for you is specialized hats. Hats that fit the theme of the room transformation can enhance the entire day. On Donut Shop Day, kids get to wear bakery hats. On Firefighter Day, they get to wear fire hats. Getting something special to wear throughout the transformation allows kids in a fun way to see what it’s like to work in a certain career.

Hats are usually cheap and easy to find in stores. You could also find free ones if you look in the right places. At Krispy Kreme, they sometimes offer free bakery hats to kids. The same goes for the fire station, where you can pick up firefighter hats for free for your entire class! I also have hats included in my room transformations. These hats are printable and match the theme of the day. If needed, you can also attach name tags to them. Students go wild over having something to hold or wear during the special day.

With so many ideas for fun classroom transformation ideas to include in your next transformation, I’m sure your mind is moving quickly! Even adding just a few special decorations to your classroom can bring your transformation to the next level. And if you want a bunch of extras to choose from without the stress of scouring the Internet, hop on over to my TPT shop and see if my transformations are a good match. I include everything you need (and more!) to create a fantastic room transformation.

Are you new to this idea and ready to try a classroom transformation? I’m here to help! Be sure to check out my additional posts with classroom transformation tips and follow me on Instagram where I share even more resources and tips for teachers.

Want to add some fun decorations to your next room transformation? I’ve got you covered right here with my Classroom Transformation Decoration Lists!

Looking to try out a room transformation but not sure where to start? Come join us in the Classroom Transformations with the Lifetime Learner Facebook Group to grab a free video game-themed room transformation for K-5!

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