How Fun Helps Students Learn
When students laugh, smile, or feel excited about what they’re doing, their brains release chemicals that help them focus and remember things. Fun makes learning easier! It also helps students feel more relaxed, so they don’t get stuck worrying about mistakes.
For example, if a student’s pot collapses and the class laughs it off together, that mistake becomes part of the fun. Instead of feeling bad about it, the student feels encouraged to try again. Over time, they’ll build confidence—not just in pottery but in how they handle challenges.
Stress and Learning Don’t Mix
When someone is stressed, their brain doesn’t work the same way. Stress makes harmless things seem like big problems, and it’s harder to stay focused. Imagine a student at the wheel for the first time. If they’re feeling stressed, the moment their pot wobbles might feel like a disaster instead of just part of learning.
Scientists have discovered that stress scrambles the way our brain organizes memories, making it harder to learn and grow. But here’s the good news: when students are having fun, their brains work better.
How Pottery Teachers Can Create a Fun Studio
If you want your students to feel excited about pottery, learn quickly and be less stressed, here are some tips to make your studio a fun and supportive space:
- Make It Welcoming
When students are arriving, the fun music is already playing - When class starts,it’s a great time to do a fun process or two that sets the tone. Put clay in everyone’s had as soon as possible. The act of feeling clay in their hands automagically begins to shift their brains.
- Encourage Play
Let students have fun! Get the moving. I teach newcomers slam wedging as their first project. Get them playing with each other. - Turn Mistakes into Moments
Remind students that mistakes are normal and even good! As a beginner they need to learn the limits of the clay by testing those limits. Show them how a wobbly pot can teach them something new or how they can reuse collapsed clay to try again - Build Community
Encourage students to do things together. One fun thing I do is to team up students as left hand and right hands. Then they go to the wheel and have a blast. Give the other teamwork exercises using only one hand each. - Celebrate Progress
Help students focus on how they’re learning, not just the final result. Small improvements are worth celebrating, and they’ll help build confidence over time.
Why It Matters
A fun, supportive pottery studio does more than teach techniques. It gives students a chance to escape from stress, enjoy themselves, and learn in a positive environment. When students feel happy and safe, they’re more likely to keep practicing, even when things get tough and as you know, mastery comes from years of practice.
As a teacher, you can make your studio a place where students want to be, a place where they laugh, learn, and grow. You don’t have to be perfect, and neither do they. All it takes is creating an atmosphere where mistakes are part of the process, and every success (big or small) feels like a celebration.
The Takeaway
Learning pottery is about more than shaping clay—it’s about shaping confidence and joy. When you make your studio a fun place to learn, you’re helping your students do more than create pots. You’re helping them enjoy the journey, one spin of the wheel at a time.
So, remember: laughter, play, and encouragement can turn your studio into a space where students thrive. And when they feel supported and excited, they’ll take those lessons with them into their pottery—and their lives.