A detective themed classroom is all about using observation and deduction for finding out answers. Students will value the importance of asking questions and reasoning. It really lends itself well to science and any discovery learning activities. The main colors in a detective classroom theme are yellow and black (like the caution tape).
Similar themes to a detective theme are classroom spy theme, FBI theme, Mission Impossible theme, and secret agent theme. Scroll down to see detective themed classroom decor printables.
I love to find awesome classroom decor ideas. As an Amazon affiliate, I may earn a commission for purchases using my links. The ideas and paid links below are based on Amazon finds that are great for making a detective themed classroom transformation.
Detective Themed Classroom Bulletin Boards
How to Make a Secret Agent Bulletin Board: A large magnetic lined paper sheet was used at the center of this Secret Agent Handbook for Success bulletin board. The teacher added the lines ‘be honest’, ‘be attentive’, ‘be seated’, and ‘be respectful’. A yellow and white lightbulb border trim matches the yellow background.
Feature a quote: A detective theme is about persuing knowlege. So this quote ‘It is okay to not know but it is not okay to not try’ is fitting for a detective themed classroom bulletin board. Large footstep stickers were added.
Science bulletin board with a detective theme: This teacher made a science bulletin board for her detective themed classroom (high school). She used yellow caution tape as the border, a secret agent spy box, a large body silhouette cut-out, and some camera crew cutouts.
Detective Themed Classroom Decor Printables
I am still working on my collection of detective themed classroom decor printables but you can see my small collection that I created so far. These printables are from my TpT collection. You get to download them instantly upon purchase and they can be used for years because you’ll have lifetime access to the files.
More Detective Themed Classroom Decor Items From Amazon
Stick footprint decals on the floors and walls: Black footprint sticker decals can be placed along corridoors and walls. You can have them placed in such a way that they lead to bulletin boards.
- Have a Sherlock Holmes poster for your classroom library: I like this detective themed reading poster for classroom reading nooks.
- Use locks for classroom activities: Students can unlock clues that you set out for them in classroom scavenger hunt activities. One teacher uses a three-digit password set of locks for her escape room-type simulations, like the “spy mystery treasure hunt”. She lets her students answer math problems to get the combinations and unlock more clues. The clues are kept in lockable zipper pouch bags. She knots carrying handles of the bags so that she can lock them to a padlock and keep the pouch closed, until her students have solved the clues and got the combinations.
I hope you have found some detective themed classroom decor ideas for your classroom through this post. If you have any questions, you can ask me anything in the comments below. For making your bulletin boards stay up on cinder block walls, I have some helpful tips in this blog post. More ideas will be added soon.
