Classroom Display Ideas: 8 Ways to Show Off Finished Coloring Pages

Three decisions before you hang anything

• Purpose: is it for classmates to look at each other's work, for parents to see, or to record a month of activity?
• Duration: about two weeks is a good length. Leave it much longer and the children stop looking.
• Place: choose a wall or hallway board where children can stand and look comfortably, at their eye level rather than the teacher's.

Idea 1. One page, many colors

Give every child the butterfly page, let them color it however they like, and hang them side by side on one wall. The same picture appears with blue wings, orange wings and more, and children see that one page changes with whoever colors it.

Hang a color reference in the middle with a label that says 'reference'. Children look for places that match it and places that differ, and they talk about it. You can add a small rule, such as 'color the wings only in cool colors', to make similarities and differences clearer.

Idea 2. Change one part only

With the lion Leo page, let children color only Leo's fur in any color they like and the rest in the reference colors. With one changing area it is easy to compare, and a child who finds coloring hard has less to decide. Add one line to the finished piece: 'My Leo is ___.'

Idea 3. Writing names

• Write in the blank margin at the bottom of the front. Viewers see whose work it is right away. Never write over the picture.
• For children around age 3, write the name for them and let them stick on a favorite sticker so they recognize their own piece.
• Instead of names on the page, make a small label card for under each piece: a title, a name and one sentence.
• In a hallway where parents or visitors pass, use first names only or a nickname.

Idea 4. Mount on colored paper

Glue each A4 page onto a slightly larger sheet of colored paper and it looks far tidier. Leave about 2 cm of border and put glue only at the four corners. If everyone has the same size and kind of frame, every piece is treated equally. Letting children pick the paper color builds pride in the display.

Idea 5. A gallery line with clothespins

String a cord tightly between two points on the wall and clip pieces on with clothespins. Children can swap pieces themselves. Hang the line a little above their eye level and anchor both ends firmly so it does not sag. With two lines, new pieces go on top and earlier ones below to show the passing of time.

Idea 6. A long wall from parade and festival pages

Let each child pick and color a festival scene: the animal friends birthday parade, the whale's undersea music parade, the animal friends spring flower festival or the red panda lantern festival. Join them in a long horizontal row and you have 'our class festival street'. Fill the gaps with paper flowers or lanterns. If you plan to cut and paste, print on paper of 120 gsm or more so it holds up.

Idea 7. Take time to look

After you hang the display, give five minutes to look at it. Three rules: look with your eyes only, stay 30 seconds at each piece, and find one good thing. Children can leave a sticky note without a name, or you can ask, 'Which color catches your eye in this one?' Encourage comments about what you can see, such as 'there is a lot of blue, so it looks cool', rather than just 'pretty'.

Idea 8. Take down and give back

Tell children when the display ends and send the work home on that day. Take one photo of the whole display before taking it down and you have a record of the term. If a photo shows children's faces, get parental consent first; photographing only the work is safer.

Common mistakes

• Hanging only the best-colored pieces. Hang everyone's, at the same size and in the same way, so every child is proud of their own.
• Damaging the board with tape or tacks. Use masking tape or a mounting product that leaves no marks, and tacks only out of children's reach.
• Hanging too tightly. About a hand's width between pieces lets each one be seen.
• Hanging in direct sunlight. Colored pencil can fade, so avoid direct sun.