One part I love about teaching is creating bulletin boards. One part I hate about teaching is creating bulletin boards. This love/hate relationship is based on me being so busy throughout the year to take the time to do it! But I also love how it looks when I put up a new bulletin board.
I decided when I started teaching, I would try to make this as simple as I could. The bulletin boards in my classroom are very functional and do not change throughout the year. I do have one bulletin board outside of my classroom in the hallway, that I try to change every now and then.
Here are some ideas I have used for bulletin boards throughout the school year, along with some tips at the end of the article!
Back to School Bulletin Boards
For the Back to School bulletin boards, I try to stick with our school theme. Each year, my school picks a theme for the school year, like superheroes or a road trip. I also like to put my grade level somewhere on the board, along with the names of all my new students so they feel like they belong even on the very first day! I also like to theme my bulletin boards around learning for the back to school season, so students know the reason they are in school.
Student Centered Bulletin Boards
These bulletin boards are more focused on my students. These are great non-seasonal bulletin boards for any time of the year and can be left up for a longer amount of time. I usually like to do something like this towards the beginning of the year or in the fall.
I usually like to make these bulletin boards special to my students to show off my unique students. You could also make the bulletin board with crafts or art that you do in your classroom. Usually, I just lined the hallway around my bulletin board with student created art or projects.
This bulletin board I asked students how they would change the world. We talked about how we can change the world through small actions. I used this quote from Gandi to stem the conversation and I used it on the bulletin board: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” We had a short class discussion about it, then I had each student write on a piece of paper how they would change the world. I told them to do it in marker and big letters so you can see it in the picture. I then took a picture of each student holding their paper. I cut the pictures in a square and added in square pieces of colored paper, so it all fit together nicely.
I love creating bulletin boards to encourage my students and everyone else who walks down the hallway. I also like that teachers and students can stop and read what each student said. I also had this bulletin board up during Parent/Teacher conferences, and parents loved seeing their child’s picture and reading what they said!
This bulletin board is part of a lesson I do on self confidence. I read the book “The Best Part of Me” to my students. It is a book with kids’ pictures of their favorite body part and a poem or short writing about why it is their favorite body part. After reading the book, students choose their favorite body part to write about. I normally have them do a rough draft and then write the final draft with pen. I also take a picture of their favorite body part and print it on a piece of paper in black and white. This paper with the picture on it is where they write their final draft. I then put colored construction paper on the back. I put the “Best Part of Me” at the top and I was done!
Seasonal Bulletin Boards
When I make seasonal bulletin boards, I want to make sure I can leave them up for a while. I stay away from holidays since they are shortly celebrated and focus more on seasons, since they last longer. So I don’t do a Christmas bulletin, but I do a winter themed bulletin board so I can leave it up all winter.
This winter bulletin board I used this quote from Dr. Suess: “Why fit in when you were born to stand out.” I let the students make their own snowflakes and I added their picture in the middle of the snowflake. I also laminated these snowflakes so they were more durable.
This bulletin board I started in December but left it up until February for Valentine’s Day. This was a challenge I did with my students called “Catching Kindness.” Basically, I made little hearts with kind things students should be doing. If I saw a student doing something or even another student saw it, I would write their name on the heart and add it to the bulletin board. We would start the kindness challenge in December and end it in February. This bulletin board would be covered in hearts by the end and students loved to see how many hearts they could get on the board. This bulletin board was a great way to boost student kindness and make them aware of their actions.
End of the Year Bulletin Boards
I love to make this bulletin board at the end of the year every year. I usually put it up with a month or so left of school so everyone can enjoy the pictures. I always take pictures throughout the school year of different activities we do. I printed out the pictures and posted them on the board. I then used a cut out of a camera as the boarder. I let each student write their favorite memory from the school year on each camera. This is a special bulletin board for me and my students. It is a great way to look back on the school year and remember how much we learned and grew as a class.
Bulletin Board Tips
- I usually pick one background color and one boarder color and use it all year. I pick a black background with a silver boarder and I feel like it goes with all the different bulletin boards I put up. This saves me a ton of time when I change the board throughout the year.
- I keep my bulletin boards up for around three months, so I really only need to change it about 3 or 4 times.
- The only bulletin board I change quickly is the Back to School bulletin board. I usually leave it up for the first month of school, then change it. I feel like this transitions the students nicely into the routine of school.
- I always like to keep my bulletin boards focused on learning or my students. I feel like this is a great encouragement for all students and teachers who see it.
- I stick to bulletin boards for seasons, not holidays, since I can leave it up longer.
- If your school has a die cut, use it! Take a look at the different cut outs for the seasons and use it on your bulletin boards. This saves a lot of time. I always use the die cut for my letters and any certain shape I want.
I hope this helps you save time when creating bulletin boards!
Thank you for Continually Learning with us!
Kyle and Sarah
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