Being a former Kindergarten teacher, my brain thinks in classroom mode sometimes, and early literacy development is on my mind a lot. But, my home is not a classroom, at least not by decorating standards ;-). I don’t think my husband would appreciate a house full of Kindergarten classroom decor.
However, there are ways to modify ideas that are wonderful for Pre-K and K students in a visually appealing way that doesn’t make your home look like 25 kids need to move in.
When I saw this post on Teach Mama I remembered my little tacky labels from teaching {that I actually used for Pac when he was homeschooled K}. I loved the sticker labels Amy used, but knew I couldn’t afford to do that! I saw the simple labels she made and offers for download {which are perfect for those of you who don’t want color or design} and loved them.
Labeling the classroom {or home for homeschoolers} is a wonderful way to bring print awareness into a child’s life in a natural way. A child automatically knows how to “read” the word since it is attached to a known object. This process increases a young child’s confidence and makes print come alive in a very real way. From these simple labels, many activities can be done, which I hope to share more about in the future.
I was inspired to make some home-decor friendly labels for our home {school}…
I printed on white cardstock, laminated and put a tiny removable mounting square on the back {so I can easily take them down when we are done with them, but I can also pull them back out when it’s time for Ladybug to have them up}. The mounting squares I have are 1”, but I cut them to be smaller. They do carry smaller ones also. You can get them on Amazon or I have seen them at Target.
Supplies I used…
- Scotch Mounting Squares {removable}
- Laminator {see post about Amazon’s amazing deal here}
- Cardstock
Of course I can’t make something without sharing with you, right? You can download the labels I made here on my Misc. Preschool Printables page.
If you don’t like teal and orange {obviously I do}, you could print on grayscale for a black/gray/white version ;-).
A little giggle for you…my husband walked in after work on the day I put most of the labels up and came upstairs and told me he thought he walked into Sesame Street ;-). So much for making them home friendly huh? He giggled and told me he loved them.
