Will there ever be an end to IKEA hacks for teachers? I hope not. With so many affordable, versatile, and practical products, the possibilities are endless.
I have scanned the aisles and put on my teacher hat to bring you 8 more of the best IKEA hacks! Find out how you can cut costs, keep prices low and get creative with teaching and learning!
Read on to find out more…
Flying Dart Game
Let’s get off to a flying start and get your students up and active!
This super cool LUSTIGT Dart game can be used as the ultimate IKEA hack for teachers. The game includes a reversible dartboard so that you can use it to teach colours and numbers. Also included in the game are six cute figures that have a touch-and-close fastening on top. So they can be thrown easily and will stick to the board. 
There are limitless variations of the Flying Dart Game! For example, it’s perfect for learning number bonds to ten in the early years. For middle to upper years, it’s great for teaching place value.
To use this game to teach place value, download our 3-Digit Roll It, Make It, Expand It! – Place Value Worksheet. Encourage your students to:
- throw the figures to generate a 3 digit number.
- construct the number using base tens blocks.
- expand the number to show the value of the digits.
Health Station
Are you on a mission to keep snotty noses and dirty hand under control? If you are then this is the IKEA hack for you. This practical and portable book display IKEA hack can be used to create a health station that your students will love to use!
This neat FLISAT Book display allows your students to reach tissues, hand sanitizer and sunscreen. It’s lightweight and the perfect size to place in the reading corner. In fact, you could put it just about anywhere as a gentle reminder to up levels of personal hygiene.
There are lots of other ways that this book display can be used. For example, it can be used as a:
- maths rotation toolbox
- teacher desk organiser
- portable marking box.
For more tips on coping with germs read Emma’s blog 5 Tips to Freshen Up a Stinky Classroom.
Wall Clock Display
Do you need a hand (no pun intended) with teaching time? If you do, you’re not alone. Teaching and learning time is tricky because unlike other units of measurement, time is not concrete. So the answer is to make time as visible as possible with a wall clock display!
You can’t go wrong with this bargain $2.49 STOMMA Wall clock in white because it is an ideal size and has no disturbing ticking sound! I teamed it up with our Clock Labels – ‘Past’ and ‘To’ to make a winning classroom display!
As you can see, this handy template helps students to read the time on an analogue clock using the language of ‘past’ and ‘to’. And to support learning, each side has been colour coded. Also, you’ll find ‘past’ and ‘to’ arrows to help consolidate knowledge of the ‘clockwise’ direction.
For more clock ideas, read Bron’s blog 9 Clock Hacks to Make Your Classroom Buzz!
Number Hop
Did you know that you can find kids games at IKEA? When I stumbled upon this LUSTIGT Floor game I saw endless teaching possibilities! This active game is ideal to use as a maths warm-up, brain break or a small group activity during maths groups.
As you can see, this game can be varied infinitely! Why not challenge upper years students to create their own rules for a maths game.
For a simple game, idea why not try using our Basic Fact Cards. In a small group, students:
- Select a card from the pile of Basic Fact Cards and calculate the answer.
- Roll the dice and hop the corresponding number of places shown on the dice.
- Apply the operation shown on the floor mat to their basic fact card answer.
- Continue to play until the student lands on the ‘F’ floor mat.
Classroom Spinner
Have you seen the IKEA spinning wheel #teacherhack doing the rounds on social media? We love it so much that we’ve made Classroom Spinner Templates to fit! Take a look…
Our Classroom Spinner Templates have been created specifically for the IKEA Spinning Wheel. As you can see, they all have a similar layout with a variety of content ranging from phonics to mathematics and even active brain breaks!
For more information on how to use this phenomenal IKEA hack in your classroom, read Holly’s blog IKEA Spinning Wheel Fun in the Classroom (Printable Templates).
Stylish Storage
Are you forever losing your board pens? I have found this stylish KNALLBÅGE Hanging organiser, that is perfect to keep your teacher accessories safe.
The super handy pocket storage can be:
- hung over the armrest of a staffroom chair
- attached to the back of your desk chair
- hooked on the classroom wall or behind a door
- secured onto your whiteboard.
What will you store in yours? For more nifty storage ideas, read Holly’s blog 15 Classroom Storage Ideas for the Busy Teacher.
Sit Spots
Sit spots are brilliant classroom management and teaching tools for early years teachers! They can be used to clearly and colourfully mark where you expect students to sit or stand. Also, sit spots can be used as floor games.
The only problem is that they can be expensive. So I’ve found the perfect IKEA hack to create cheap and cheerful sit spots in a budget. I love these $1.99 PANNÅ Place Mats, in black, red and grey. They are an ideal size (37cm) and have a non-slip grip on most floors.
I love to help students increase word fluency by adding sight word circles to the sit spots. Use your sight word circles on sit spots to play floor games! For example hopscotch or bean bag toss games.
It’s easy to make the sight word circles with our editable Geometric Boho – Star Student Badges (enlarged). Simply, attach them with sticky tac so that you can mix them up and move them around!
Dice Mats
Are you tired of the sound of rolling dice? If you are then this IKEA hack could be the answer. These cheap and cheerful PANNÅ Place Mats are ideal to use as dice mats.
At the bargain price of $1.99 you may be able to purchase enough for a small group of students or even a whole class. Oh, and don’t forget to take a look at this popular Multiply It or Divide It! Board Game suitable or upper years students. It’s perfect for maths rotations.
Ha, I just thought – you could even use these placemats to teach fractions or angles!
Want more ideas? If you love IKEA hacks as much as I do, read my preliminary blog 8 IKEA Hacks for the Classroom. Here, you’ll find even more inspirational ideas to make your classroom buzz.
All that’s left to do is to get down to your nearest IKEA store!
Share your IKEA hacks on Instagram #teachstarter.
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