When I became a classroom teacher, I knew exactly what theme I was going to do! What could be cooler than video games for kids?

I searched on all the popular teacher sites for video game themed classroom décor but came up short. There isn’t much out there as far as nerdy educational themes. (Reallygoodstuff, carsondellosa ) These companies are missing out on sales because the kids LOVE it! My crafty mom and I got to work to make my own decorations that would be inviting for the upcoming 2nd graders.

Instead of choosing one video game, I decided to go with them all, as “Level up in 2nd grade” was my theme. The bright colors helped to bring it all in. For some large characters (like my door Pikachu) and large words, (such as “level up” in the hallway), I taped archor chart paper onto my white board and projected what I wanted to copy. Then, I traced with black marker and laminated. (Pikachu was done in yellow paper and traced with black marker.)

Target is a really great place to get letters and classroom supply kits for things like helpers, calendar, and daily schedule. In the fall, just look in the dollar bins when you first walk in!

If you can not find large characters to decorate your room with, I found the cheapest and easiest way to decorate the room. Purchase a few cheap birthday backdrops and glue some poster board to the back of the character you want to use. (This will make it more stable.) Then cut it out and tape it to your wall or door. I bought 2 big birthday backdrops, one super Mario and one Pokemon. I was able to get a lot of characters out of these for cheap!

Signs for turn-in baskets, stations, and more were made by just Googling different characters. I printed them with a cute saying and laminated for long use. The Wish APP is a great place to get cheap video game plushies and pillow cases for reading time or incentives for positive behavior. My hanging controller sign was made with just some cut-out poster board. Perler beads shaped into game characters with magnets on the back decorated various places throughout the room.

My back reading “mushroom” table was a big hit! The mushroom stickers were made with my Cricket machine as spot holders for kids during guided reading. My amazing mom helped make those adorable mushroom chairs. They were made with Home Depot paint buckets, foam, and plastic that can be bought off the roll at Wal-Mart.

I hope you enjoyed touring my video game themed classroom and that it gave you some ideas for decorating your own classroom or child’s room. I loved being in this room just as much as the kids did. Now that I am at home, I miss it greatly but finally have more time for family and crafts!