10 Classroom Bulletin Board Ideas for Teachers
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Whether you’re prepping for back-to-school or just looking to zhuzh up the classroom, refreshing your bulletin board with creative ideas can make all the difference. You can go whimsical, fun, punny, educational, or even just inspiring. After all, it is the backdrop to the room your students will be learning in all year! And all it takes are some well-curated decorations and themes to turn your classroom into a fun and motivating space for young learners. It may seem small, but the impact that a welcoming classroom has on a child or teen is immeasurable! We all want to see our kids succeed, and providing them with a comfortable place to learn and develop new skills can help motivate their studies even more.
Whether your students are in elementary school, high school, or anywhere in-between, our classroom bulletin board ideas feature themes that will make your space welcoming, colorful, and fun. All of these ideas also fit the bill on budget, featuring print-out illustrations and affordable classroom decor that doesn’t skimp on design. From outer space-themed bulletin boards to underwater ocean ideas, world travel themes, and even seasonal winter and fall-themed bulletin boards, each one has a style all its own. (Bonus points if you decorate the whole room with the same theme.) School bulletin boards don’t need much to become something incredible. So take one of these back to school bulletin board ideas and run with it!
Smart Cookie Crew
There are so many cute bulletin board ideas for winter, but some of our favorites play on holiday cookies and wintertime treats! After the jolliest season of all, it’d be nice for students to come back from winter break to a cozy classroom. On the first day, you can even host a cookie party, where each student brings their favorite holiday cookies!
Changing Our Mindset
It’s so important to teach young learners about positive self-talk. How we think determines how we perceive ourselves and the world around us! Positive thinking also encourages understanding, motivation, and curiosity. This bulletin board is the perfect reminder that changing your mindset can change everything. You could also pass out positive affirmations at the beginning of class each week, or have each student come up with their own to write down throughout the year.
Be-leaf In Yourself
When fall kicks in, your bulletin board might be in need of some cozy updates! Encourage your students to be-leaf in themselves this year with a friendly seasonal bulletin board that reminds them to keep up the good work. Add in some autumn-themed pushpins, and go the extra mile by handing out fall leaves that have personalized uplifting notes to each student at the beginning of the season.
Happy to Sea You
For science teachers or just teachers who want their students to dive into learning this year, an underwater-themed bulletin board is perfect. DIY a cute octopus like the one seen here with eight pink paper chains and a big smiley face in a matching color, and hang it on the wall or the classroom door.
Plant Kindness and Everybody Grows
Our young learners aren’t just growing taller—they’re also planting new seeds in education! There are plenty of milestone moments from childhood to teenage years that should be celebrated. Decorate a bulletin board with a garden theme like this one, and add a leaf to the trellis every time your class passes a certain unit this year. By the end of the school year, your garden will be overflowing with their new learning experiences that your students can look back on and be proud of.
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Learning Is a Journey
Encourage young readers and jetsetters by turning a bulletin board into a travel-themed center for learning. Make use of a small map and cutout pictures of the book covers you’ll be reading throughout the school year. When the time comes for your students to start a new book, take a cutout paper plane and stick it onto the book. It’s a fun and interesting way to combine reading with travel and history.
Get In the Groove
Ready to break out your old pair of bell-bottom jeans and daisy flower sunglasses? Don’t worry, you don’t have to go that far—unless you want to, of course! A colorful and cute retro ’80s themed bulletin board can brighten up your classroom and bring some much-needed energy into the space. (Not to mention, add something a little bit fun and unexpected to your learning zone!) Come correct with groovy bubble letters, Volkswagen van stickers, and retro vinyl name tags.
All Are Welcome Here
Every teacher wants all of their students to feel welcome and celebrated in their classroom. A simple way to do that? By making the room reflect those values. Hanging up posters and decorations that incorporate ASL signs, kids of all different ethnicities, and kind words is a small but powerful way to make your students feel safe and welcome. School can be scary for some little ones, so greeting them with an inviting space can truly make all the difference. Plus, leading with kindness will teach children to do the same.
An Out-Of-This-World School Year
Blast off into an out-of-this-world school year! A space-themed bulletin board will surely be a hit among your future astronauts and astronomers. Alien friends, constellation bulletin board paper, and plenty of planets and rocket ships will set the perfect backdrop to a year filled with solar system learning or planetary science. You can even hang some paper stars from the ceiling for added effect.
Get Wild About Learning
Get your students feeling wild about learning with a jungle-themed bulletin board, complete with safari animals, lush forest plants, and plenty of leopard print. It’s a unique theme that can translate well into any classroom—and you can even incorporate some real plants into the room, too. Add faux grass or paper tropical leaves around the board and you’ve got yourself the coolest class in school. (This theme works especially well if your school mascot is the Lions, Wildcats, or Tigers!)
