Most toddlers are beginning to recognize basic shapes, colors and numbers. Reinforce these concepts and have some fun with your decor by playing up these learning essentials in your classroom. Create a border of basic shapes in different colors, and put it about eye level on the wall all the way around your class. Dedicate a corner of your room to wooden building blocks of different shapes and colors. Toddlers are also learning how to build towers, so this activity would also help to reinforce their motor skills. Note colors, shapes and quantities in your decor and play activities to reinforce concepts.
Another developmental milestone is for toddlers to begin to show a greater sense of self and to recognize people in photos. You can create a personalized display in your classroom using photos of your students. Either take these photos yourself or ask parents to bring in a photo to use. Hang the photos on a bulletin board with information about each child, such as their age or their favorite toys. Since toddlers can't read, use simple numbers and photos to share this information.
Learning to identify feelings is a developmental milestone for toddlers. You can incorporate lessons about feelings into your decor. For example, you can create a Ferris wheel display with different colored baskets. In each basket, a face representing a certain emotion can be inside, and the colors used on the face can correspond to the color of the basket. Not only will the display help toddlers learn to recognize feelings, but it will also reinforce color learning and play into a toddler's desire to explore and find "hidden" things.
Toddlers love to play pretend and explore their imaginations. Use this in your classroom decor. You can set up activity stations throughout your classroom. For example, one corner of the room can contain bins with dress-up items like costumes and hats. Another corner can include several easels with washable markers or paints. Another corner could include dolls or building materials. Each display can be interactive as well as decorative. Include appropriate wall art or hangings around each display. For example, you can create a castle out of construction paper over the area with costumes, and tots can dress up like knights and kings.