What are ideas for bulletin boards that you can leave up in your classroom all year long?
Bulletin boards can really set the tone for a classroom, but no matter how grand my plans are at the beginning of the year, I tend to pitter out as far as updating bulletin boards goes by the time I hit November. That’s why I decided to assemble my favorite ideas of bulletin boards you can leave up all year long! (Some of these you can literally not touch all year and they will still be relevant and others you just have to update a piece or two!)
Photo Credit: Beach Boho Teacher
Bulletin Board Ideas for Elementary Classrooms to Leave Up All Year
Creating a bulletin board that stays relevant and engaging throughout the school year can be a fun challenge. Here are some ideas that are both educational (read: principal pleasing) AND visually appealing:
1. Classroom Mission Statement Bulletin Board
This is the bread and butter for your classroom community. Design a board that features your classroom's mission statement, rules, or motto for the year. This can include goals for learning, behavior, and community building.
2. Objectives/Standards Bulletin Board
Not only do principals drool over having your standards up, but it can also help keep you on track! These options allow you to quickly update your standards by subject or class while keeping the hard work (design part) in tact. You can print your standards out and put them up or use a dry erase sleeve. While you do have to update them as you move through units, this saves you whiteboard space and can be more visually appealing.
3. Anchor Chart Display Bulletin Board
I love using anchor charts for shared learning experiences that students can reference back to, but I don’t personally love when they cover the classroom walls. By having a devoted space, it helps me be selective with which anchor charts I display so that I make sure I’m not overwhelming students with information. (I also have blogs about anchor charts!)
Photo Credit: Move Mountains in Kindergarten
Photo Credit: Pinterest
Photo Credit: Teacher Questions
4. Reading Corner Showcase Bulletin Board
Dedicate a bulletin board to showcasing books read throughout the year. While these examples are ones you can put up and not touch (yes!!), you could also create a space where you include student book reviews, favorite quotes, or illustrations from the stories. This can be directly above your classroom library or wherever you want!
Photo Credit: Mochas and Markbooks
Photo Credit: Chaylor & Mads
Photo Credit: Miss Jacobs Little Learners
5. Decorative Bulletin Board
A decorative bulletin board is a great option to really bring together your theme. Think of it like hanging a painting in your home. It can bring in the colors and general vibe you are going for without being muddied by lots of handwriting or other colors.
Photo Credit: Stepp Into Elementary
6. Student Work Bulletin Board
Admin, students, and parents alike love to see student work displayed so why not dedicate a bulletin board to just that! You could even use clipboards or binder clips so that it is easy to change student work!
7. Seasonal Showcase Bulletin Board
Design a board that changes with the seasons and holidays. Include student artwork, seasonal poems, or educational facts related to the time of year.
Photo Credit: Alexandra Holden
8. Phonics Bulletin Board (vowel valley, sound wall, etc)
With more schools incorporating science of reading and sound walls back into the classroom, this is something that many teachers will be required to have as a part of their classroom. I love how this teacher created her own labels to match her decor.
9. Goal Setting Bulletin Board
Create a board where students can set and track their academic or personal goals. Include progress charts and space for reflections.
Photo Credit: A Touch of Class Teaching
10. Growth Mindset Bulletin Board
Whether a full bulletin board or a small section like shown below, it can be so valuable to have growth mindset ideas posted that you can refer back to all year long.
11. Classroom Calendar Bulletin Board
Create a large, interactive calendar that students can use to track important dates, events, and milestones throughout the year.
12. Student Birthday Bulletin Board
What elementary student doesn’t love a good birthday chart? (And what teacher doesn’t need them to know what birthdays are coming that month??) These ice cream cone decorations are SO cute, too!
Photo Credit: Teaching with Miss Amanda
13. Classroom Jobs Bulletin Board
Similarly to birthdays, I like to have my classroom jobs posted so that I (and my students) can have a visual reminder of who is in charge of what. So while I’m at it, why not make it cute?
Photo Credit: Schoolgirl Style
14. Teacher Space Bulletin Board
I’ve seen a lot of teachers utilize small bulletin boards or hang up their own to add some decor as well as a place to put frequently needed items (whether an office supply or important document). I love this Ikea peg board and the natural wood color and how it brings warmth to the room!
15. Calm Down Corner Bulletin Board
I love how Ms. Berg utilizes this corner in her 3rd grade classroom to provide calm, strategies, and encouragement (while also making it super cute).
16. Inspirational Quotes Bulletin Board
Design a board with a large inspirational saying or you can even rotate inspirational quotes to motivate and uplift students throughout the year.
Photo Credit: Bored Teachers
17. Skip the Bulletin Board Altogether
If you have wall space that you aren’t sure what to do with, don’t be scared to skip the bulletin board option and just decorate it to match your theme instead! Incorporate decor items that have personal meaning to you or your students. This could include things you’ve made, inspirational pieces, family photos, travel souvenirs, or student artwork, adding a personal touch to your classroom.
Photo Credit: Pinterest
Great Bulletin Board Finds for the Classroom from Amazon
Here are some of my favorite boho-inspired pieces to use in the classroom! Click on the image to see more.
Don’t Have Enough Bulletin Boards?
In my first classroom, I have SIX bulletin boards AND an entire wall that you could staple into (read: a WALL SIZED bulletin board). It was truly glorious. In my new classroom, I have TWO 4 foot by 4 foot bulletin boards…that’s it. So, I am having to rethink how I organize learning and utilize wall and bulletin board space.
Here are a couple of my ideas in case you are in the same pickle:
Create faux bulletin boards by hot glueing the paper and boarders right onto those stinking cinderblock walls. These spaces will definitely have to stay pretty much the same the whole year (unless using the I-Can dry erase technique)
Be more stingy about what I put up on the wall. Slides are becoming all the rage in classrooms and it seems that less teachers are using the wallpaper-education-material strategy so I may try to include more anchor charts on slides so they are just “up” during that subject. (I also utilize printable versions in student notebooks so they can access the information when needed).
Final Thoughts
Bulletin boards can really create a space that resonates with your students and curriculum, so it’s worth thinking through how you can create a bulletin board that serves as a focal point for learning and inspiration all year long. Being easier is just a happy byproduct :)
Happy teaching!
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Want more inspiration? Check out my Pinterest board with alllll of my favorite classroom inspiration and setups:
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