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You are here: Home / Daycare Operations / Educators – How to Stop the Winter Blues NOW: Bring Life in Your Classroom

Educators – How to Stop the Winter Blues NOW: Bring Life in Your Classroom

January 18, 2025 By Suzette Salmon

Educators, let’s face it—winter can feel long and gloomy, but your classroom doesn’t have to! It’s time to say goodbye to those winter blues and create a warm, lively, and inviting space for you and the children. Here are some simple, impactful ways to refresh your environment:

flowers at a grocery store

Add Flowers for a Pop of Joy:

Winter might lack blooms outside, but your classroom can still flourish! Add fresh flowers to your space (even a small bouquet can brighten the room). If fresh flowers aren’t an option, opt for high-quality fake ones to remind you of the warmer days ahead.

Plants Need Friends Too:

Your classroom plants do a great job adding green to your space, but flowers can complement them with vibrant colors. For a lively room, pair your plants with flowers.

flowers added to home childcare environment

Let the Light In:

Natural light is a mood booster. Open the blinds, and let as much daylight in as possible. For spaces in the basement or rooms with limited light, try adding warm lamp lighting to create a cozy glow that mimics the sun. Trust me, it makes a difference!

Add Some Uplifting Tunes:

I am sure you love music, and oftentimes the children’s songs are not what you want to hear all day, so do yourself a favor and transform your space with some music. Create a playlist of soft, happy tunes or calming nature sounds to set a positive, relaxing atmosphere that uplifts everyone in the room.

Get Outside:

Take the children outdoors for winter sensory exploration. A quick run in the yard, a stroll through your garden, or just playing in the snow, nature can refresh the spirit—even in winter. Don’t forget to grab your coffee or tea and enjoy a moment for yourself, too!

home childcare backyard and children playing in alot of snow

Think More Art Activities:

Engage the children in creating colorful art projects. Think process over product! Let the children paint, color, and create freely, making colorful messes that brighten your classroom (and their spirits). It’s a wonderful way to keep the boredom away.

children art with colorful wooden blocks

Sprinkle in Some Color:

Dress in bright, cheerful colors—you’d be surprised how much it lifts your mood! Rotate in colorful toys like a flower garden fine motor toy, or add colorful blocks to your light table. My motto is small steps to beautiful transformation – it doesn’t take a lot to make your space feel more energetic and fun.

Don’t let the cold, ice, and dark days take over this winter. With a few simple tweaks, you can transform your childcare space into a cozy, cheerful environment that supports you and the children you care for.

colorful sensory play at the light table - home childcare

Here’s a quick download to help you transform your home daycare.

Five Steps to Transform Your Home Childcare

Remember you are in control of your feelings

Until next time, I’m Miss Sue—right in the trenches with you. xoxo Miss Sue 

Filed Under: Daycare Operations, Creative Learning

Previous Post: « Walking in the Woods A Healing Gift
Next Post: A Day With A Play-Based Home Educator With Mixed Ages »

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Your environment invites children to explore, create, problem-solve, add new knowledge to old, and gain mastery.

Your backyard is enough to create spaces for young children to explore, discover, and simply be children.

It’s the language of childhood.

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Proud Mama Moment 💛

My daughter graduated from high school earlier this summer and received a full Trustee Scholarship to college, where she will be studying American Sign Language (ASL).

It’s such a full-circle moment—she is the reason I started my home childcare 17 years ago. She grew up watching me use sign language with the babies in my care, giving them a way to communicate before they had the words to speak.

I’ve always seen her use the signs and knew she was interested in ASL, but I never realized how seriously she was considering it as a career path. She has told others, “My mom spoke to nonverbal kids, and I want to do the same.”

To my fellow home educators: your children are watching you. I want you to know the value of the work you do for others—and to love and value the career you have chosen.

The little girl who watched her mama sign with babies is now heading to college to study ASL herself.

We are so incredibly proud of you, our little Sunny 🌞. Congratulations, my Trustee Scholar. Go make your mark. ❤️

#proudparents 
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Proud Mama Moment 💛

My daughter graduated from high school earlier this summer and received a full Trustee Scholarship to college, where she will be studying American Sign Language (ASL).

It’s such a full-circle moment—she is the reason I started my home childcare 17 years ago. She grew up watching me use sign language with the babies in my care, giving them a way to communicate before they had the words to speak.

I’ve always seen her use the signs and knew she was interested in ASL, but I never realized how seriously she was considering it as a career path. She has told others, “My mom spoke to nonverbal kids, and I want to do the same.”

To my fellow home educators: your children are watching you. I want you to know the value of the work you do for others—and to love and value the career you have chosen.

The little girl who watched her mama sign with babies is now heading to college to study ASL herself.

We are so incredibly proud of you, our little Sunny 🌞. Congratulations, my Trustee Scholar. Go make your mark. ❤️

#proudparents
#trusteescholarship
#smartkids
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#proudmama
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