Hallway Preschool Learning Space #DamageFreeDIY

I am proud to be a 3M-sponsored blogger, and as part of my responsibilities, I get the opportunity to evaluate 3M products. Opinions are my own and additional products used in the project were selected by me.

When we moved to Washington DC from suburban North Carolina last year I knew there would be some downsizing.  Our current townhouse is a bit smaller than our previous home and it’s also set up somewhat awkwardly due to being so tall and skinny (space is a premium around here!) We’ve had to learn to use every inch of the house as functionally as possible in order to make room for not only daily life but my work here on the blog and our homeschooling.  While I have been working on making our multipurpose room work as a homeschool classroom and my office, I was lacking a dedicated area for my youngest son’s learning activities so I transformed a small hallway into his very own preschool learning space and it’s working out perfectly!

This little hallway is on the first floor of our home between the multipurpose room and stairs up to the main level.  It also has a door to the garage which we use most of the time when leaving the house so I needed to keep the walkway clear.  I started with an IKEA Expedit bookcase laid on it’s side to give him a workspace at his level (he is three.) I use a Montessori style approach to learning for the early years so the top of the bookcase has activities that I rotate out as “invitations” to play (and learn!)

Opposite the bookcase we take full advantage of what little wall space we have with a chalkboard/whiteboard learning area.  Here I installed three Command Brand Décor Damage Free Wall Tiles (available only on Amazon.com), again right at my son’s working level.  These Wall Tiles are a brand-spanking new product from Command Brand-and they are so cool!

They attach easily to the wall with a Command picture hanging strip and have a built in level to help you get them just right.  The tile fronts can be interchanged (they attach magnetically!) and they come in over 30 different designs! I put up a chalkboard tile, chevron chalkboard, and a picture frame.  I use the picture frame to rotate out flashcards with numbers or letters my little guy is working on each week and he can practice with them on the chalkboards! I also have a whiteboard Wall Tile that I can switch out if it works better for an activity we’re doing.

He loves having an area all to his own that he can write and draw, and writing vertically is a great way to strengthen his fine motor skills! I love that they were so easy to install and will be easy to remove when we move next year!

(Isn’t that chevron patterned chalkboard the cutest ever??)

By the way, I switched out all of my son’s activities right before I was taking pictures (I usually switch them every few days) and it was so hard to take the pictures because he kept coming over to play! I had to wait until snack time!