What do you think of when encouraged to display children's initiated work?  Most often we encounter programs that have displayed children's artwork.  This leaves us wondering, what about all the other types of work the children do throughout the day?

When we communicate with parents about developmentally appropriate learning and what it looks like in an early childhood classroom, we emphasize that worksheets and craft projects are NOT appropriate and that children learn through their play.  So the challenge becomes what and how to display this learning for the parents and children to admire.

In high quality programming, all types of children's initiated work is displayed.  This will include writing samples, art easel paintings, woodworking creations, playdough and clay structures, free art expressions with a variety of materials, and photographs of block buildings or work being done in other areas of the classroom.

There are several reasons why it is important to display children's work.  It is documentation of activities that have occurred during the day to reduce the amount of parents asking "what did the children do all day....play?"  When you take the time to recognize the efforts of the children in their work and display for others to see, it gives value to the children and the work that they completed. The classroom belongs to the children and much like we hang pictures of our families or items we admire around our home, it is important to allow the children to do the same in their environment.

It is also highly recommended that the displays are at the children's eye level and not our own. By having the items where the children can view and admire them, it again gives them ownership within their classrooms.  This is most easily accomplished by allowing the children to assist in displaying the creations.  If hanging on a shelf, door, or wall, provide the appropriate media for hanging and allow the children to go hang where they want it to be.  For creations that must sit flat to be displayed, allow the children to either place or designate where they would like it to be.

Short personal story......when I was a preschool teacher I would always try to scatter the children's creations throughout the classroom so that wherever they were working they could look and see something they had created nearby.  I quickly learned from one of the children in my class that this was not desired by him and yet that is was my own thoughts of what was best.  When provided the opportunity to display his own projects, he always placed them near his coat hook and cubby.  He showed me that he wanted his items near his personal space and not throughout the entire classroom.  Lesson learned!

When displaying writing samples, take the opportunity to display what works in each area of the classroom.  Children may be found drawing a plan for how the block structure will be created and this can be hung in the block area.  Children might create a menu for their pretend restaurant that can be displayed in the house area. Possibly children have created a book that can be stapled together and placed in the book area.  Use the children's writings as labels in the classroom to increase the amount of children's initiated work in a very useful manner.

Art easel paintings and free art expressions can be displayed throughout the environment and not simply in the art area.  A couple of art easel paintings can be laminated and used as placemats in the house area.  A collection of art easel paintings can be used as a background for the parent board display.  

The three dimensional creations can be displayed throughout the classroom.  Place these items on top of shelves instead of cluttered with papers.  At one program I saw the smaller creations displayed in the house area on the cupboard shelves and the reading area tables as knick knacks making it seem more like home.

Take photos and display them throughout the environment.  They can be hung anywhere!  How fun to use a photo of a created marble tower as the label for where to put it away.  How about a child completing a puzzle to label the puzzle shelf.  Instead of taking the time to photograph all the items for the shelves and "setting up the display" so it looks nice, have the children play with the item and photograph it in use.

This is often a dilemma experienced by programs when trying to have a variety of children's initiated work displayed and meet fire codes.  Nobody has ever said you had to display things on the walls!! Programs can utilize the ends of the storage shelving, classroom doors, cupboard and closet doors, and windows.  You can also create books for the reading area by combining items together in a class book.  If allowable, hang items from the ceiling or attach directly to the ceiling tiles.  One classroom was being creative and hung creations under the tables where the children would often crawl under and use as a secure quiet space.  Use your imagination and be creative!