Teachers love to decorate their classrooms! Besides needing to be attractive and kid-friendly, our classrooms are where we spend most of our waking hours. Looking to revitalize your teaching space? Bulletin boards are one area of the classroom where it’s easy to add a bit of flair and personality. Here are 35 fresh ideas to jazz up any of the bulletin boards in your classroom.
1. Hang some lights
Make your bulletin boards sparkle all school year with Christmas lights! String the lights around the board in place of a traditional border or layer them on top of your already existing borders.
2. Layer your bulletin board borders
Instead of just one bulletin board border, why not two or three? Choose a color scheme or classroom theme and then start playing around with different combinations and looks.
3. Use accents
Don’t stop with fancy bulletin board borders! Add some interesting and eye-pleasing accents to make your bulletin boards really pop. Tassels make great additions! Or hit the party supply aisle and stock up on crepe paper rolls, balloons, and other fun party decorations.
4. Use blow up letters
Another great find in the party aisle are blow-up mylar balloon letters and numbers. Spell out words or put your name in balloons on a back-to-school bulletin board with information about yourself.
5. Make it kid-made
Since your students are the most important people in your classroom, get them in on the bulletin board action! Hang up student collections focusing on something you’re studying, or ask students to contribute something they find outside of school to support a lesson you taught.
6. Feature the best student work
Create an additional learning area in your classroom by hanging up the best student work. Your other students will learn a lot from their peers as they read and examine featured projects.
7. Turn it into a showcase
Wrap up a unit by turning a bulletin board into a showcase exhibit. Add a few tables to display artwork and other 3D projects. Invite other classes and parents to come see what your students have been up to.
8. Build a timeline
Ask your students to help you create an in-depth timeline of a topic you’re studying in the classroom. Your students will be learning a great deal, and you’ll have an educational bulletin board for test prep when it’s finished.
9. Make it relevant
Provide your students with a place to learn new facts and review information you’ve taught them. Capitalize on things students love to entice them to come take a look!
10. Make it 3D
Who says you can only use flat paper and borders on your boards? Add some excitement to your bulletin boards by adding 3D elements. Not only is it attractive, but it will encourage students and parents to come look at what you have happening in your classroom.
11. Use more than one font
The days of only one type of font for bulletin boards is long past! There are so many prepacked options available to teachers or you can use a die cut machine to spell out your words in two or more fun fonts.
12. Make it interactive
Use your bulletin board to guide students through self-paced activities. Keep track of what task students are working on and give them the responsibility of keeping you up to date on what they’re doing.
13. Use clothespins
Ditch staples and plain push pins in favor of clothespins for a different look. Hang some string on your board and clip up student work or notices. Hot glue flat push pins to each clothespin and push them into your board. You’ll have a quick and attractive way to hang things up!
14. Create a theme
Instead of simply hanging up student work, incorporate some art. Have your students make something that goes with what you’re learning, and your bulletin board will really look impressive!
15. Get fancy
Brighten your classroom with a bulletin board decorated with style! Use fancy fonts and fun paper crafts to make a display that can enhance the look of your classroom for the entire school year. This would also be a great way to make a bulletin board in a common area of the school, such as the library or cafeteria.
16. Use the entire wall
Why confine yourself to the bulletin board? Use the entire wall to make a stunning display that encourages the entire school in a reading or math competition or keeps track of student successes.
17. Make it funny
Nothing makes a kid laugh more than underwear! Give students vital information in a hilarious way, and they are sure to remember it.
18. Frame it
Create colorful frames to display student work throughout the year. Easily change out work to keep an updated collection of featured student projects.
19. Give kids something to think about
Extend your classroom lessons by hanging up thought-provoking questions and ideas. When students can apply what they’re learning to their own situations, they are more likely to remember the information and apply it to their lives.
20. Skip the plain butcher paper
Instead of plain unprinted butcher paper, use printed background paper instead. Teacher stores stock a variety of prints to enhance your classroom theme. Wrapping paper is also a great way to add some print to your bulletin boards.
21. Decorate the corners
Don’t leave out the corners of your bulletin boards. These areas provide a great place to add some themed items or 3D enhancements. Theme your bulletin board corners to go with the student work being displayed or add some decorations around holidays to celebrate with your students.
22. Use nontraditional borders
Skip the prepackaged borders in favor of something new and different. Use folded paper shapes or shapes made with a die cut machine. Holiday decorations, school supplies, student-drawn pictures and printed duct tape are some other ideas that make attractive alternatives to traditional borders.
23. Use tulle as a border
Fabric is another great way to create interesting bulletin board borders. Tulle can be twisted to make a fancy and colorful addition to your board. Strips of colorful fabrics are another great way to make eye-catching borders.
24. Keep an open mind
Don’t limit yourself to educational content. Enhance the educational parts of your bulletin boards with fun or silly things relevant to your students’ lives. Being silly is a great way to engage students and help them remember what you want them to learn. It’s great for you too!
25. Add some eyes
Put up some huge googly eyes to replace the letter “o” in the word “look.” It’s a visual way to entice students and parents to come look closely at the material on your bulletin boards. It can also be used as a visual cue to let students know that the information on that board is super important.
26. Don’t stick to one background color
Why limit yourself to one bulletin board background color? Use small scraps of paper to create an eye-catching display or make a pattern, such as stripes or polka dots, using a variety of colorful paper.
27. Go outside the borders
View the area around a bulletin board as valuable real estate. Create some accents to add visual appeal to your classroom or extend the display of student work by hanging work right on the wall. No more boring, blank walls!
28. Use memes to teach rules and expectations
Instead of simply telling students about your rules and expectations, introduce them with humor using memes. Junior high and high school students especially love to communicate using memes, so this eye-catching method is perfect for them!
29. Bring in some nature
Being inside all day can wear on students, especially when the weather is nice. Bring the outside into your classroom by adding some natural elements your bulletin boards. Use fake greenery as a border or incorporate flowers, insects or even sticks and rocks somewhere on your board. Real rocks, for example, would enhance science lessons about the weathering.
30. Use the door
If you are short on bulletin board space, turn a classroom door into an extra board. Cover the door with background paper or fabric and then decorate it the way you would any other bulletin board.
31. Use a color theme
If you’re one of the many teachers who enjoy using a color scheme in your classroom décor, extend it to your bulletin boards. Use borders and decorations that go with your chosen color scheme to create a cohesive classroom look.
32. Use photographs
Photographs are a great way to give students a visual representation of what you’re teaching. You might even use photographs of your students to show parents what their kids are doing at school all day.
33. Use paint samples
Not only are paint samples usually free, but they are also a wonderful way to add a variety of colors and shades to your bulletin boards. Use them to create a border or cut shapes from them to add enhancements to your classroom boards.
34. Add some ribbon
Ribbon is another great way to add depth and color to your bulletin boards. Incorporate ribbon into your borders, use it to frame student work, or tie some bows to include some fancy decorations.
35. Be inspirational
Give your students a reason to be hopeful and happy by creating a bulletin board with something inspirational. Use quotes to accomplish that goal, or consider showcasing a famous person who embodies the characteristics you want to see in your students.
Most teachers really enjoy coming up with new and exciting ways to decorate their bulletin boards. Use these ideas in your classroom, or let them spark your creativity as you make your classroom a place your students love to be!
