Enhancing your Sunday school classroom to establish an engaging learning environment for children can be difficult when dealing with a restricted budget. Here are 19 cost-effective decorating ideas for Sunday school rooms that will incur minimal expenses.
Uh oh! The monotonous walls. The dull layout. The outdated carpet. The empty bulletin boards. You have a challenge ahead of you—transforming your Sunday school classroom into a captivating learning environment that children will be attracted to. However, as you let your imagination run free, you are reminded of the reality that (obviously) you always need to consider The Budget.
You can revitalize your room even on a tight budget—take a look at these 19 ideas that will incur minimal expenses and leave your students amazed!
Add Flair to Your Doors
1. Rear Pockets
Classrooms frequently struggle with storage issues, particularly those that are prone to clutter. Hence, consider purchasing or sewing a hanging pocket bag that goes over the door. To sew the pocket bag, you will require a 7X2-foot piece of sturdy fabric. Cut out pockets of varying shapes and sizes using different fabrics, and sew them onto the larger piece.
2. Think Outside the Box
Don’t just decorate your door, make it a part of the bigger picture! Utilize butcher paper to create a temporary scene or latex paint for a permanent scene. For instance, recreate John 20:1-9 by turning your door into the entrance of a tomb. Design the scene outside the tomb on the walls. Then, write the verse above your door.
3. Keep Them Guessing
Select an event from the Bible and illustrate it on your classroom door in a storyboard style. For example, illustrate four scenes from Noah’s Ark. Leave the conclusion as a mystery, and entice visitors with a sign that reads, “What happened next? Come in to find out!”
Creative Ceiling Decor
4. Borders
Get the kids involved in this delightful ceiling decoration. Create a border of handprints around the top of the wall or the ceiling using different colors of tempera paint.
5. Mobiles
Mobiles are an easy way to add life to any dull room, and they can also serve as a creative class project.
Impressive Walls
6. Colorful Delight
Replace the institutional white on your walls with something more modern. A trip to a home improvement store will give you an idea of the wide range of cheerful color combinations available. Enlist parents or preteens to help you in giving your room a facelift.
7. Embrace the Darkness
Dramatic colors can add depth and interest to your room, and they create the perfect backdrop for displaying children’s art projects. You don’t have to paint every wall and the ceiling magenta, but one dark wall with a display at the back of the room is inviting and will attract people.
8. Add Some Glow
Glow-in-the-dark paint and stickers are a unique way to add excitement to your room, and kids love them. Design a biblical skyline or scene, and then decorate the walls and ceiling with stars. Children will be enthralled as you dim the lights to read passages from the Bible.
9. Sticking Marvel
What will they come up with next? Magnetic paint is an interesting addition to your painting repertoire—and you can cover it with any color you choose. Consider adding stripes of this paint to your room. You can easily attach pictures, art projects, and decorations using magnetic sheets.
10. Murals
Murals never go out of style and they are always a fun collaborative effort. You will need an artistically-inclined person to create the mural outlines, but almost anyone with a paintbrush can fill in the rest. Alternatively, bring your classroom to life with a custom-painted mural from www.wackyworldstudios.com or an Etsy shop.
Eye-catching Windows
11. Surprising PVC
PVC piping (readily available at home improvement stores) is inexpensive, lightweight, and versatile. For curtain rods, cut sections slightly longer than the width of your windows. You can drape fabric over each section or cover the pipe itself with fabric using glue.
12. Glass Enhancements
Windows are wonderful, but sometimes the outside distractions can divert children’s attention. If you want to maintain the natural light while minimizing distractions, “stain” your glass. Stained glass kits can be found on Amazon or at craft stores.
Fabulous Floors
13. Remnants and Rugs
Hide worn-out carpet or soften the look of tile with carpet remnants or inexpensive rugs. Breaking up a plain floor color with rugs also helps to divide the room. You can create a cozy storytime area or designate an activity area using different carpets.
14. Beautify with Paint
If your floor is forgettable, make it memorable with a fresh paint job (suitable for uncarpeted floors). You can get creative with wacky designs and vibrant colors, or you can keep it simple with a single serene shade.
Decorating With Unique Furniture
15. Crates
Crates can serve a dual purpose as storage and bench seating. Spruce up older crates by spray painting them or covering them with fabric. To create benches, simply cut a piece of plywood to fit over the crates. Attach foam to one side of the plywood, and finish the bench top by covering it with fabric. Use a staple gun to secure the fabric to the bottom of the bench top.
16. Mini Beanbags
Beanbags don’t have to be expensive. Visit a thrift store and stock up on durable pillowcases. Gather plastic foam peanuts from home or check with office supply stores and department stores to see if they have any leftovers. Fill each pillowcase with plastic foam peanuts, and then sew the open end of the pillowcase shut to create a mini beanbag. These are perfect for children ages 3 and up to lie or sit on during storytime or activities, and they can be stacked for games and easy cleanup.
17. Tables and Chairs
You probably already have a room full of tables, chairs, and desks. However, if you want inexpensive yet unique additions to your classroom furniture, check out the catalog at www.ikea-usa.com.
Add a splash of color to your bland-looking classroom furniture by using brightly colored fabric. For example, cut tablecloths from fabric remnants, new shower curtains, or oversized tablecloths. If your chairs need improvement, return to the thrift store and purchase more pillowcases. Have children decorate the pillowcases with fun designs and pictures. Slide the pillowcases over the backs of the chairs and tie large ribbons around the bases of the chair backs.
18. Puppet Paradise
PVC works wonders for creating puppet stages. Stock up on PVC pipe sections and corner connectors. You can adjust the sections to fit your stage requirements and then drape fabric over the piping to serve as curtains.
19. Focal Point for Teaching
Every classroom comes with a designated writing area—whether it’s a chalkboard, a dry-erase board, or a flip board. However, if you want more options for wall writing, apply chalkboard paint to an entire wall.
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