The Importance of Intentional Classroom Environments

As summer Preschool has progressed, I have been stretched as a teacher in the best way possible and I heard a lot of parents and coworkers commenting on how they have appreciated the way the classroom was set up. This was something I tried very hard to prepare so that our summer of learning would be as fruitful as possible and thought it would be fun to let people into that preparation process. In setting up our 3-5 year old classroom environment this summer, I had several considerations and goals in mind that I wanted to share about. These considerations and goals fall into three different categories, the physical space, systems within the classroom like “stations”, and the consistency of routines and rules for using the spaces.

In considering setting up the physical space, I wanted the center of the room to be open and the sides and corners of the room to be where kids were drawn to, primarily during their playtime period. Part of that is because we have so many different kids with different play styles and some kids can easily get sensory overload while others are seeking out sensory input. One of the most clear example of this is kids who want to yell and play rough versus kids who get overwhelmed with loud noises and enjoy quietly tinkering with things. To help make space for varying play styles and preferences, I wanted there to be a good amount of space in between stations. If kids needed to move away from a station that was too loud for them, they could go to another section of the room and still play without getting easily overwhelmed. The hope was to create an environment where kids can freely play and express themselves while mitigating situations that would lead to classmates getting frustrated with each other.

Another consideration with the physical space was to provide plenty of access to things for students to freely explore. Noticeable examples would be the art station, which we call “Creation Cove”, and science center, which we call the “Exploration Station”. In these stations, there are plenty of items, tools and supplies that are freely accessible but don't necessarily have a specific use. This actually stimulates a lot of creativity and it gives students an excellent outlet for developing their creativity, and also developing their critical thinking, and fine motor skills.

Having the ability to manipulate items in a variety of ways promotes asking questions and curiosity, which leads to just better cognitive functioning and a love for learning. We don't ever want our classroom to become overly academic, or put too much pressure on performance or sticking to a very strict schedule that makes children feel rushed. Routines are incredibly helpful, which I will get into, but routinizing play time while providing structure and open ended ways to play and express themselves is very important and was a key consideration in developing the physical layout and structure of the classroom this summer.

Now for the structure of the stations, classroom rules, and routines. This summer, I implemented a name tag system and a limit on how many students can be in each station. This was something I noticed that this specific group of students needed, especially because we have a very large age gap from fresh three year olds all the way to upper five, almost six year olds. With that large of an age gap and so many different dynamics being introduced to the classroom between playmates, it can get chaotic very quickly. I knew that we were going to need some sort of structure and routine that everybody could follow. So when it came to their name tags, I couldn't just put their name on it, because some of them, especially the younger ones, don't recognize their letters in their name yet, which is perfectly normal for their developmental range. I still put their name on it so they can start getting familiar with the print of their name, but also put their faces on the name tags.

The actual system itself has been very helpful, because we have had moments where, in the past, when we didn't have limits on who could be playing with what, where students would get frustrated because they all wanted turns with the same things, and It would be challenging to help them understand a very conceptual thing like waiting your turn without something physical to represent the concept like the nametags can now symbolize. If the station is full, it is a visual cue to students that they will need to come back later and find something that is available which they can better identify with an open spot for their name tag. The stations also make it easier for a teacher to facilitate sharing, becoming aware of who's been in a specific station playing with something for a long time. It even has helped us to make better observations on who is playing with each other and their different play/social dynamics within the classroom. It has provided an extra form of structure, even for the younger kids who are starting to build habits of cleaning up their sections when they want to move on to another toy or another station.

When it comes to the considerations for routines, I actually felt very convicted to grow in this area. I am not a routinized person by nature . . . at all. However, I recently attended training and learned more about how the brain works and different tools to help students regulate thei nervous system and in turn, their emotions. One of the things I learned here was when your brain responds to stress using primarily the brain stem, logic and emotions are no longer something you are in control of. One of the things the brain does access in these “fight or flight” moments is routine. It is common for my students to have trouble regulating their own nervous systems and emotions, meaning, it is normal for them to respond to stress using only that fight or flight response. So if they can’t access logic or have full control of their emotions, I knew I would need to develop healthy routines for them to become resilient and better prepare them to respond to stress. Some routines I implemented were a check in each morning where every student picks a job to help in the class and they make a scribble on our thermometer to show how they are feeling. Other routines included implementing different regulation tools throughout the day when I knew students would get more stressed. Every time they come back in from outside we go sit at the circle, taake big drinks of water and do stretches, breathing exercises and maybe another regulation tool with shaking our arms and legs if needed. There are many other routines throughout our day but those are two examples.

There are so many different needs in our class, whether that's due to the age range or whether it's just due to different social emotional learning curves that each student has. Without a shared understanding of behavior and how we all operate within the system of a classroom, it can be very challenging for students to know how to interact within social dynamics. Providing routine and consistency with systems like the stations and name tags is essential because so much of how students in their early childhood are learning is through observing the models that are given to them. They are observing and picking up a shared understanding based on what they see happening around them. So when things aren't consistent, it can be very confusing and frustrating for students, especially students that rely heavily on their observations and pattern recognition. So whenever there is inconsistency, it becomes really hard for students to form connections quickly and to learn how to express themselves in an environment where they don't know what to expect. Making expectations clear is challenging for this age, and one of the best ways to do it is through establishing a consistent routine. They don't always understand the purely conceptual things, but they understand what you show them, and they often repeat what you show them. Showing students something that is consistent, routinized and structured can create trust in the classroom, and not just with the teacher and the students, but among students.

These were some of the many practical considerations that were going into how we ordered the classroom this summer. In the end, one of the largest considerations that was behind it all was our theme this summer “God's Kids Make Good Friends”, and we've been looking at 2 Peter 5:1-8 and learning about the different attributes of someone who follows Christ. We have been focusing on how these things should specifically affect our friendships. This was the impetus for our considerations going into how we ordered the classroom environment, which innately becomes a social environment. My hope this summer was to create an intentional classroom that was hospitable to children. These were my thoughts all the way from the physical arrangement of it, to the thought process of how we order and use that environment daily making sure it was informed by God's Word. I hope and pray that this work can help students develop socially the way that they need to in order to be good friends that treat each other in a way that pleases God.