Rolling Out the Red Carpet
By Kelly Mead

As summer comes to an end, the final preparations for the start of school begin. It's almost time to roll out the red carpet to welcome incoming children and their parents.

Although a five-year-old entering kindergarten is probably excited about the new experience, there's often a degree of anxiety involved. Each August, one of my goals as a kindergarten teacher is to create a classroom environment that fosters learning, encourages independence and is orderly, cheerful and welcoming. Here are 11 simple things which can I do to achieve this objective:

1. Choose an identifying symbol or theme to decorate your classroom. I use apples as welcome signs at each entrance to my classroom and have a framed print of apples by a local artist displayed prominently on a wall. The apple logo is always at the top of my parent letters – this identifies them as "important information to read" from our classroom. On the first day of school, I offer my students apples as an example of a healthful snack. Kids quickly learn the association between apples and our classroom.
2. Personalize the classroom as much as possible. Lists of students in alphabetical order by first name can be found in several highly visible places. For example, I write names on sentence strips and Velcro® them to the hallway door – this allows changes to be made easily when children join or leave our class and the location ensures that they are seen readily and frequently. It's also an effective way to introduce alphabetical order and it establishes a purposeful organizational system for children. Not only can these names be used as resources for everyone throughout the year, but they also allow the children to actually see themselves as part of the room.
3. Dedicate a bulletin board to self-portraits. On the first day of school, I take photos of my new students. Then, on an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of drawing paper, the kids draw a picture of themselves and write their names (unassisted). I mount the developed photo on the left-hand side of a large piece of construction paper and staple their drawing to the right. Each month, the kids draw a new self-portrait and write about themselves. The new portrait is stapled to the top of previous month's. This provides a valuable display of student work all year and by June, each child has a treasured portfolio that documents his or her progress.
4. Prepare a cubby for each child. Cubbies are set up in a central location. Children enjoy having at least one space in the room to call their own. It gives them a place to put special items from home and helps them learn respect for the space and property of others while promoting order and organization.

5. Provide a place for folders to be filed. Every child has a folder that goes home daily. Parents know to check the folder for information or notes and I do the same when they're returned each morning. I've attached two large magnetic holders to our classroom heater. Each morning as the kids are unpacking their backpacks, they automatically put their folders there. This establishes a routine for students and families and teaches responsibility.
6. Have a designated table for lunch boxes and snacks. There's a food pyramid on my lunch box table to remind children of food choices. As part of the morning routine, the kids put their lunch boxes on the table. Any "loose" snacks are placed on a baking sheet as a way to organize them. This procedure saves time and also encourages responsibility and organization.
7. Put colorful, interesting things in the not-so-pretty areas of your classroom. The bathroom in my classroom is rather old, large and unattractive. Many children used to avoid it. I laminated alphabet charts and put them on the walls. The area now appears less intimidating and students don't hesitate to use it.


Simple things like personalizing your classroom or spiffing it up with some pretty plants can do wonders for creating a welcoming classroom environment for your new students.

8. Keep plants in the room. Each August, I dig up geraniums from our garden at home and take them into school where they are repotted and placed in my three classroom windows. They cost nothing, are low maintenance and provide an attractive window display from outside as well as inside the school. Classroom plants provide many opportunities for science education in a very practical, natural way.
9. Set vases of fresh flowers on the tables. Every couple of weeks, I purchase an assortment of cut carnations from our local grocery store. I arrange them in child-sized vases and put one on each of our work tables. For a minimal investment – less than $2.00 a week – the children (and I) enjoy the beauty these flowers give our classroom all year round.
10. Plan an activity which involves the use of glitter. Before school starts, I cut out stars and write children's names and birth dates on each one. The students add glitter to the points on the stars. Once it has dried, the kids help arrange the stars on a wall near our calendar where they are on display all year. Children delight in using glitter and it adds a lot of sparkle to our classroom!

11. Place a gift-wrapped box near the meeting area. As kids gather on the first day of school, they'll be intrigued by the surprise awaiting them. I write on the attached tag, "To Mrs. Mead's Class. Please open at the end of the day." Inside are individual classroom supplies – crayons, markers, pencils, paper – which are each gift-wrapped. By allowing every child to unwrap an item and add it to the supply area, each student feels like a contributor to our classroom. One final package – a book – has a special note on it which says, "Please open on the second day of school." This technique builds excitement and my students can't wait for their second day of school!

Kelly Mead has been an elementary school teacher for 25 years. She currently teaches kindergarten in Bangor, ME.

Updated July 2010
August/September 2004, Vol.35, No.1