20 Classroom Storage Hacks For A Safer Space

Succumbing to a nightmare of classroom clutter? Check out the following steps for a safer, more productive learning environment!

1. Tidy classroom – tidy mind! As well as creating health and safety hazards, undue clutter can bombard younger children with stimuli, affecting their concentration and ability to learn. If in doubt, keep it clutter-free.
2. Organise bookcases in ascending order of reading ability, and clearly label with eye-catching, vibrant posters. Perhaps even get the students to design them!
3. Pushed for space? Don’t be left standing, pick up one of our Toy Boxes for tidy storage space and soft seating options in one package.
4. Take your classroom storage on the go! Get mobile and change up the learning dynamic with classroom trolleys.
5. Can’t afford to go mobile? Pick up some curtains or fabric from your local shop for an affordable, convenient means of discreetly hiding any unsightly or hazardous storage areas.
6. Colour code everything! Invest in multi-coloured classroom storage items to help save time, and to get a grip on all those pencils that just seem to disappear at the end of every week!
7. Already invested in transparent boxes? Don’t worry – line them with coloured paper for the same effect!
8. Put a label on it; even with colour coded boxes, remember to clearly label draws and sections to avoid mess and misplaced items.
9. Practice what you preach! Remember that children learn by imitation, so make sure you’ve got a clean, organised desk before you tell them off for being too messy.
10. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your desk tidies; retro jam jars and old board game lids can make fantastic stationery holders and paperwork trays.
11. On this note, start embracing “In/Out Trays”; using old shoe boxes or lids, get students in the habit of depositing completed work and picking up new projects in designated spaces.
12. Mask unsightly or potentially dangerous corners with curved classroom storage pieces for a softer, more inclusive aesthetic.
13. You’re not at your best when you’re worrying about student safety; invest in some piece of mind, consider lockable units for harmful items like glue, scissors or staplers.
14. Reduce, reuse, repurpose! Common household items can make excellent classroom storage hacks; try using plastic wallets and clothes lines as an innovative (and splash resistant) means of showcasing student work on your walls.
15. The art of clean surfaces! Had a particularly creative (for that, read messy) art lesson? Fill old tin cans with rice to hold drying paintbrushes in place; the rice will keep them upright and prevent drips from landing on your work surfaces.
16. Get your students to bring in some old egg cartons and paint them, they’re a great place to store smaller items like paper clips and erasers, and can even be closed when not in use!
17. Remember that cables cause trips and falls, use old shoelaces to bundle excessive lengths of cable together in discreet nooks and crannies.
18. Make yours modular! Check out the All Sorts range of classroom storage furniture; comprised of several different interconnecting pieces, these items can grow and develop alongside your learning environment.
19. Don’t stack the odds against yourself; as well as looking a bit messy, precariously stacking items like exercise books or boxes of classroom supplies can lead to accidents that could easily have been prevented. Pick up some affordable classroom storage units to stop piles of clutter building up!
20. A picture says a thousand words – make sure to take a picture of what an area should look like so your students know whether or not it’s sufficiently tidy.

New Year, New Classroom!

The festive break might be over, but it isn’t too late to start embracing new, safer classroom practices. Try out these 20 classroom storage hacks for yourself and let us know how they go! Got any tips of your own? Share them with a growing community of education professionals on our social media.

 

Originally written 28 January 2016