41 Best Preschool Classroom Themes (Fun Ideas to Copy)
If you’re a preschool teacher looking for some fun preschool classroom themes for the new school year, then this post is for you. The best preschool themes are ones that’ll spark the imagination of your students. If you want to create a magical learning space, then read on to discover the best themes that I’ve found.
Fantasy and Storybook Themes
Use classic fairy tales and fantasy stories as inspiration for your preschool themes. Children can explore the magical worlds of fairy tales, dress up as their favorite characters, and engage in imaginative play.
Promote a love for reading by incorporating nursery rhymes or popular book characters. This is a great way to incorporate storytelling into your daily activities. Check out some ideas that involve Fantasy, make believe and dress up below.
1 | Fairy Tale Classroom
Transform your classroom into a scene straight from a fairy tale by hanging floral garlands and fairly lights from the ceiling. You could also create a book display that features some of your student’s favorite fairy tales. Bonus points if you create a reading nook that looks like a mini castle!
2 | Superhero Classroom Theme
A superhero theme would be fun way to get your preschoolers excited about coming to school every day. You could add some of their favorite superheroes to your bulletin boards and class décor.
3 | Flintstones Classroom
Turn your preschool classroom into Bedrock with a Flintstones theme. Add faux rocks and stone walls to bring the theme to life. This teacher even provided students with their own Flintstone costumes for a little dress up fun.
Space and Solar System
Encourage your preschoolers to explore the wonders of the universe with a Space and Solar System theme. Introduce them to planets, stars, and the moon through stories, illustrations, and hands-on activities.
Create a mini-planetarium in your classroom by hanging model planets and stars from the ceiling or on walls. Set up a sensory bin with moon sand or moon rocks and provide astronaut figurines for pretend play. Check out some of my favorite classroom that have a space or solar system theme below.
4 | Space Theme
Copy this idea if you want to create a space theme and hang beach balls to represent the planets from the ceiling.
5 | Outer Space Theme
Let your students’ imaginations soar with an outer spaced themed classroom. Think of all of the fun puns you could use with this theme like:
- The Sky’s the Limit
- Blast into Learning
- Reach for the Stars in our Classroom
- Learning is out of this World
- Star Students Shine Bright in our Galaxy
6 | Galaxy Themed Classroom
Blacklight paint helps this galaxy themed classroom come to life! Steal this idea and add glowing stars to the walls and glowing planets hanging from the ceiling.
Space Themed Classroom Decor Bundle
If you like the space theme, check out the Space Theme Bundle in my Etsy shop Here.
Animals and Insects Themes
Preschool students would love if you incorporated animals in your preschool themes. From farm animals to jungle animals, teaching children about different species can broaden their horizons and inspire curiosity.
Bugs and insects, like butterflies, ants, and bees, can make for engaging themes as well with hands-on activities like studying their habitats and lifecycles. Check out some preschool classroom themes below that involve both animals and insects.
7 | Zoo Classroom Theme
Younger students would enjoy a Zoo themed classroom especially if they had a fun zoo play area like this! This is one of the best ways to introduce student to new animals in the animal kingdom.
8 | Farm Animal Theme
A farm theme works great in a preschool classroom as children of this age are often interested in farm animals and tractors. Dedicate a bookshelf in the classroom to books and toys to match your theme.
If your class is lucky enough to take a field trip to a farm you can take pictures of the experience and use those as classroom decorations too!
9 | Safari Classroom Theme
If you want to create a safari theme, then feature the main animals that you would see in an African safari through your classroom.
10 | Monkey Classroom Theme
In a monkey themed classroom, you may find monkeys swinging from the ceiling and tons of unique palm leaves and trees.
11 | Farm Theme
One of the most important parts of a preschool classroom are the play spaces. These are the spaces where they’ll learn social skills while they play. If you want to create a farm theme in your preschool classroom then start with a dramatic play area where they can imagine that they are on the farm.
12 | Bee Classroom
A bee classroom like this would be a cheerful and fun choice for a preschool. There are tons of learning opportunities including teaching about the habitat and life cycles of bees. Plus, think of all the fun puns for your bulletin boards like:
- Hive Helpers (for classroom jobs),
- Bee Yourself,
- This Class is Full of Busy Bees,
- We bee-lieve in ourselves or
- This Class is Buzzing with Creativity
13 | Bird Themed Classroom
Teach students about birds and their habitats with a bird themed classroom. You could add a tree that has birds, birds’ nests and of course eggs in it.
Environment and Nature Themes
Bring your students closer to the environment by introducing them to different habitats like jungles, forests or an African safari. Add plants and animals that you would find in that environment to really bring the theme to life. Check out some inspiration to do just that below.
14 | Jungle Theme Classroom
Transform your classroom into a jungle by hanging green streamers and vines from the ceiling. Bonus points if you can score a faux tree to place at the center of the room!
15 | Forest Themed Classroom
Would your students enjoy learning in a classroom that looks like a forest. If you’re able to paint you can paint trees on the walls or use wallpaper or wall decals to give that woodsy feel.
16 | Sweet Safari Theme
To try this theme in your classroom, incorporate pretty pastels, cute safari animals and plenty of animal print.
Playful Preschool Classroom Themes
Preschool is all about play so how about picking a playful classroom theme. Check out some ideas below.
17 | Dinosaur Theme: Explore various types of dinosaurs, fossils, and paleontology.
18 | Sports: Teach about teamwork, sportsmanship, and various sports activities.
19 | Transportation: Encourage pretend play with vehicles like cars, trucks, airplanes, and trains.
Let’s check out some more ideas and inspiration for playful preschool themes that your students will love.
20 | City Themed Classroom
To create a city themed classroom, add stores and restaurants that you would find in real life. For example you can add a drive through fast food restaurant and even play cars. This is a fun way to spark children’s natural curiosity for being an adult.
21 | Community Helpers
Community Helpers is another exciting theme for preschoolers. Create a large play area that introduces different professions like firefighters, police officers, or doctors, and have students engage in role play activities. This can help them understand and appreciate the roles these community helpers play in their daily lives.
22 | Camping Theme
Camping is a favorite theme for young students. You can turn desks into tents or use a tent as a reading nook. You could also add a faux campfire as a focal point of your circle time spot where you read books to students.
Water Exploration and Ocean Life
Dive into the world of water and ocean life with your preschoolers! In a Water Exploration and Ocean Life theme, introduce children to various marine life such as fish, sea turtles, dolphins, and whales. Use colorful picture books, posters, and videos to pique their interest as they learn about these amazing animals and their habitats.
Set up a water sensory table in your classroom with plastic sea creatures, shells, and blue-tinted water for young minds to explore and learn through play. Focus on the importance of clean water sources and the impact of water pollution on these habitats.. If you want to try an ocean theme in your classroom, check out some different ways that you can pull it off below.
23 | Coastal Theme
If you want to create a coastal theme in your classroom sprinkle pictures of seashells, seaweed and starfish around the room. With this theme you can choose pretty shades of blue and tan for your classroom decor.
24 | Ocean Theme
Creating a fun ocean theme is all about the details. Add hula skirts to desks and have students help create jelly fish that you can hang on the ceiling. The window in this classroom is even transformed into an ocean with blue streamers and construction paper fish.
25 | Beach Theme
Transform your room into a tropical beach by adding beach chairs, a tiki umbrella and even a window with a view of the ocean.
Cute Preschool Classroom Themes
Are you looking for a cute classroom theme? Let’s check out some of the most popular themes that I’m seeing right now that would look amazing in your class and just add good vibes.
26 | Fun Retro Classroom Theme
Consider a fun twist on a retro theme with bright colored accessories, light up smiley faces and even a lava lamp. This theme would add a fun playful touch to your classroom.
27 | Sweet Theme
A sweet theme or even a Candyland theme would be fun for a preschool classroom. You can create a bulletin board like this with ice cream, donuts, cupcakes, popsicles and other sweet treats.
28 | Boho Classroom
Boho is a popular theme right now. To create a boho classroom stick to natural colors and elements. Boho rainbows, feathers, and plants make great accessories. Polka dots work well with this theme too.
29 | 70s Theme Classroom
For a fun 70’s themed classroom add retro graphics like smiley faces, Volkswagen vans and peace signs. Shades of orange pink and yellow would look far out!
30 | Simply Boho Theme
To re-create this theme, add natural textures and lots of greenery and boho style vases throughout the class.
31 | Retro Kindness
A retro kindness theme is all about those good vibes and is full of positive messages with a retro touch. Choose bright cheerful colors like pinks and oranges. Plus, be sure to incorporate flowers, smiley faces, roller skates and VW vans, throughout the class.
Simple Preschool Classroom Themes
I want to give you a few options of simple themes. If you don’t want to go all out and completely commit to a specific theme in your room but you do want the class to feel, put together and have a cohesive feel, then these next ideas are for you.
32 | Pastel Themed Classroom
When you are deciding on the feel you want for your classroom you can stick to a color pallet like all pastel colors. This will give your class a cohesive look and feel without having to fully commit to a theme.
Printable Pastel Theme Decor Bundle
If you like the pretty pastel theme then you might like my pastel theme classroom bundle. You can find it in my Etsy shop here.
33 | Floral Themed Classroom
If you want to try a floral theme steal this idea and add floral pillows to a cozy reading corner in your classroom. You can even add faux flowers to your bulletin boards and be sure to have some floral posters too.
34 | Dreamy Bright Classroom
Add bright colors to your classroom décor if you want to inject some energy and happy vibes in your class. Print classroom posters and labels in vibrant colors and spread them throughout the room to give your class a cohesive feel.
Plants and Gardening
Cultivate your preschoolers' love for nature through a Plants and Gardening theme. Start by introducing various types of plants and their growth processes. Show them informational books and pictures to learn about flowers, fruits, and vegetables. In your classroom, set up a small garden or plant station where children can plant seeds in pots or containers.
If there is a specific plant that you love consider sticking to that theme. For example sunflowers, daisies, cactus or succulents. You could also choose a more broad plant or gardening theme and incorporate a ton of different plants and flowers.
Use this opportunity to teach children about the importance of soil, sunlight, and water for plant growth. You can also use gardening as a way to introduce your preschoolers to the concept of recycling by reusing containers and showing the value of composting. Check out some more ideas to add a plant theme to your preschool classroom this year.
35 | Plant Theme
Cacti and Succulents work great together in a plant themed classroom. Just think of all the fun puns you can use for this one like stay sharp or we are ready to grow.
Temporary Classroom Themes
So, in this next section I want to show you a few classroom theme ideas that would work well to create a fun atmosphere in your class for a short time. You may want to change up your class to go with your lesson plans or to create a special day or week for your students. Check out some fun ideas that will really spark your students’ imaginations below.
36 | Movie Star Theme
In a movie star themed classroom, you may find a red carpet and popcorn holders used to store classroom supplies. Transform classroom doors into a VIP stage door entrance. You can plan some preschool activities based on this theme.
37 | Diner Themed Classroom
Add checkered tablecloths and pictures of food if you want to have a fun diner themed classroom. Have students take turns creating menus and playing the role of cooks or wait staff.
38 | Hospital Themed Classroom
Transform your classroom into an operating room for a hospital themed classroom. For classroom decorations add x-rays as well as a red cross banner. Provide students with scrubs, gloves and even stethoscopes for some interactive play.
39 | Rock n Roll Classroom
Would your students have fun with a rock and roll classroom? This might be a fun theme for a class party! You can decorate with records, keyboard keys and VIP signs. Plan activities that revolve around music like musical chairs or a dance party.
40 | Secret Agent Classroom
Turn students into secret agents with this theme. This would be fun for a themed week where your students can solve mini mysteries and decode secret messages.
41 | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
This teacher did a Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs classroom transformation during the class weather unit. Copy this idea to get students excited to learn more about the weather!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are popular themes for decorating a toddler classroom?
Popular themes for decorating a toddler classroom often include animals, nature, or characters from children's books. For example, you might create a safari or jungle theme featuring various animals or an ocean theme with sea creatures. Another great option is to base the theme around beloved children's books or characters, like Dr. Seuss or Winnie the Pooh.
How can I find unique themes for my preschool classroom?
To find unique themes for your preschool classroom, consider the interests and backgrounds of your students. You could explore themes such as cultural celebrations, different habitats, or even scientific concepts like space or the weather. Additionally, look for inspiration from current events or seasonal changes. Don't be afraid to think outside the box and incorporate your creativity.
Where can I get free printable materials for preschool classroom themes?
My two favorite sources for free printables are Pinterest and Canva. If you’re not familiar with Canva it’s a design site that is free for teachers and anyone that works at a school. You just create a free education account and then you can make your own classroom décor!
Can you suggest adorable themes for a preschool classroom setup?
Sure! Some adorable themes for a preschool classroom setup include:
- Garden theme - transform your classroom into a charming garden, complete with flowers, insects, and a little 'garden' corner for hands-on exploration.
- Superhero academy - create a colorful and playful environment where children can imagine themselves as super-powered learners.
- Storybook lane - decorate the classroom with elements from popular children's stories, encouraging book exploration and creativity.
What are the best themes for a preschool classroom for the year?
When thinking about themes for the entire year, a fun idea is to select monthly themes that align with seasons, holidays, or educational topics. For example, you could structure your year around themes like:
- January: Winter Wonderland
- February: Friendship and Love
- March: Spring and Growth
- April: Earth and Conservation
- May: Bugs and Insects
- June: Ocean Life
- July: Space Exploration
- August: All About Me
- September: Harvest and Fall
- October: Halloween and Spooky Fun
- November: Thankful and Giving
- December: Holidays and Celebrations
How should I set up my preschool classroom according to a specific theme?
To set up your preschool classroom according to a specific theme, utilize decorations, artwork, and learning materials related to the theme. Start by defining the primary colors or patterns associated with your theme and incorporate those elements throughout the classroom.
Create themed bulletin boards and display themed artwork on the walls. Also, choose books, art projects, and preschool activities that align with your theme. This is the perfect way to create an engaging and welcoming environment that supports learning and sparks curiosity.
Preschool Classroom Themes Pinterest
If you love Pinterest like I do I set up this post so it’s easy for you to save your favorite ideas to your Pinterest boards. Just click on the picture, then the P and select your board!
I hope that you found a ton of new preschool classroom themes and at least one that you want to use in your classroom this year. If you like this post, please share it!
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The Best Classroom Themes for a Fun School Year