Get the Look: Hanging Lanterns in the Classroom

Add a punch of color to your classroom with hanging lanterns. Here is how I hung paper lanterns in my kindergarten classroom to make a fun visual statement.

Let me preface that I prefer function over pretty.

If it’s something I have to redo each year, then it’s not smart enough for me to use in my classroom. That’s why I like decorating a classroom in simple ways that are easy to change if needed.

Instead of choosing a theme for my classroom – I choose a color scheme. That way I can decorate smart. Let me show you my top examples:

Duct tape is my quick decorative finish
An everything board with colored masking tape keeps function the priority
I put my chosen colors into accent pieces and details that are easy to change

So, I rely on using neutrals everywhere that I can and then add pops of color. Just like these hanging paper lanterns! It was pretty simple to add them and they looked great.

And just in case you couldn’t tell from the pictures – they didn’t provide a source of light – just a pop of color.

How to Hang Paper Lanterns

Get the materials

I purchased the lanterns one summer at a Christmas Tree shops, but the materials to hang them were things I already had on hand.

paper lanterns (variety of sizes)
fishing line
pushpins
scissors

I picked colors that went with my color scheme. This makes them add to your classroom rather than make it look too busy or like too much.

Decide where you want your lanterns to hang

Plan about how low you want your lanterns to hang from the ceiling. If you hang them lower, ensure that they are still out of students’ reach and won’t be an obstacle for adults walking by.

I hung mine above a lowered round table. This table was lowered since we used alternative seating options in our room.

String the hanging lanterns

Put your lanterns together without the lights (if yours came with them). Tie a knot onto the lantern from one hanging point. I strung it through the wire frame to make a triangle, but yours may be a little different.

Then measure or guess about how long you want the fishing line to be so that they hang at your desired height.

Secure with pushpins

Since I made a triangle of fishing line (two points on the wire frame of the lantern and one to hang from the ceiling) I wrapped the top wrap around the tip of the push pin before pushing it into our ceiling tiles.

You could probably also use tape if you have a drywall ceiling. But we had a drop ceiling, so pushpins are the most secure option and they are already hole-ridden so my holes simply blended right in.

Play around with the arrangement a little to get them hanging at different heights but still in a cluster. You might need to shorten one or move them to get the look you want – but it turns out great.

Hanging lanterns was definitely an easy way to decorate my kindergarten classroom. It was much less involved than making my giant palm tree, but still fun nonetheless.

I hope that if you’re looking for simple ways to decorate your classroom, that this idea can be one to file away or helpful to use.

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Check out my matching everything board that made taking attendance easier.