You don’t have to wait until High School or Transition to begin working on essential life skills and vocational skills! For your students in Life Skills, it is all about blending structure, accessibility, and real-world relevance. Here is my advice for your Middle School Life Skills setup!
Map Out Your Spaces Like a Pro
The first thing I do is think about the areas that I want to include in my classroom. I like to have an explicit area for:
- Academics in a large group
- Academics in small groups
- Calm down or free choice area
- Communication area
- Daily living area
Think of your classroom setup like a floor plan for a tiny home—each area should have a purpose (ideally more than one!), and the flow between spaces should feel intentional.
Middle School is not too early to begin working on vocational skills; therefore, the Daily Living Area is essential in a life skills setup! If you already have a kitchen or appliances like a washer and dryer, those areas are likely fixed. But if not, you can still create one! I’ve built a simple classroom kitchen using a table, shelves, a mini fridge, and a tabletop dishwasher to define the space.
Flex Your Furniture – Make It Work for You
Once you have your areas defined, think about the furniture. The furniture and fixtures are important because they serve more than one purpose. Not only are they to be used for their intended purposes- like sitting, storing, or working- but they also help shape the overall layout and flow of your classroom.
Furniture also creates visual boundaries, signaling to students where one activity ends and another begins. For example, a bookshelf placed sideways can separate your work area from a relaxation area.
- Could this shelf double as a divider?
- Could I create a sensory space within this classroom?
- Could I use this table to create a visual boundary?
Be intentional, but don’t be afraid to experiment! The best life skills setups often come from trying something new and seeing how your students respond.
Decorate with Purpose (and a Little Personality)
A lot of teachers like to include cute themes, which is great! In my life skills classroom, I use decorations, but my suggestion is: don’t go overboard. There are a few reasons for this: it’s a lot of money for you, and it has the potential to be ripped, spilled on, ruined, etc.
Use decoration that is functional and serves a purpose, like a life skills word wall!
Also, stock your room with those functional tools that your students may see in real life: debit cards, fake money, price tags, cleaning tools (broom, dustpan, vacuum, disinfectant wipes), job application forms, sample resumes, uniforms, or aprons for job practice, menus, bus/train maps, grocery ads… the sky is the limit!
Centers: Not Just for the Little Kids
In my middle school life skills class, we still utilize centers to rotate through subjects. You can use centers to rotate through different life skills and activities of daily living, too!
Include hands-on learning stations in your life skills setup to benefit from simulating real-world situations. Read about some topics you could include in centers here (even in middle school!)
Schedules = Smoother Sailing
Plan out your schedule and post it in multiple formats!
- Post student schedules with visuals
- Post a zoning plan for you and your paraprofessionals
- Post a whole class schedule
- Prep a digital option to display on a SmartBoard
I can’t promise it will be completely smooth sailing all the time, but having a set schedule will be beneficial for everyone in your classroom. Remember, it is okay to start with a schedule and then adjust for what works best with your students.
Make it Student Centered
Great classrooms reflect the students in them, so let their interests help shape the space and the learning. When you design lessons around things they already love—like cooking a favorite snack or role-playing a dream job—you boost engagement and make skills feel more meaningful.
Offering choices, even small ones, helps foster independence and confidence in a structured, supportive way.
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