It’s that time of year where we all start thinking about decorating our classrooms. First, if you have multiple bulletin boards, consider making one of them a year-round bulletin board. The stress level drastically lowers as you only have to think once about what to put on it. Today, I have a few ideas for you.
BIRTHDAYS
There are countless ways to decorate a birthday display. Here are just a few I have chosen over the years:
- balloons placed into a bundle with each student’s name and birthdate
- a month header with each student’s name and birth date listed under whose birthday falls in that month
- a laminated card for each month with students’ names whose birthdays are in that month
- Finally… MY FAVORITE! An icon (cactus, airplane, shape cutout — whatever matches your theme) with the student’s name and birthdate that can be displayed and then removed on their actual birthday. I remove it from the display and give it to the student as a homework pass gift. This one is my favorite because I never forget birthdays! They are displayed in order of occurrence on my board.
PRO TIP: Don’t forget summer birthdays! I celebrate them as a half-birthday.
CLASSROOM JOBS
My absolute favorite way to display classroom jobs has been decorative library pockets (CLICK HERE to see the many options) with popsicle sticks. I have done these two ways — students’ names on the pockets and the popsicle sticks with the jobs and vice versa. The decision would depend on your classroom size and board space.
CHARTS/UNIT THEMES
Consider making a bulletin board to display the current unit or concepts covered regularly. Some ideas might be parts of speech, geography maps, or a science word wall. Once you have the background, border, and heading/banner in place, you can switch out the main materials as needed.
These are also a great element for classroom visitors. Parents can easily see what you’re learning — administrators love it too!
CLASS POINTS
Motivate your students to reach the goals you have set for them by displaying their progress for all to see.
Then, consider adding an editable element such as a dry-erase compatible page or board to update points regularly.
If you’re looking for a way to display individual student goals, check out THESE goal calendars.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Recognition and praise go a long way in the classroom. If you’re like me, sometimes you forget to notice even the little things your students do on a regular basis. Consider a display that highlights skills you want to cultivate.
“Caught being kind”, “Neat homework”, “Superb Social Skills” are just a few suggestions. You could display a picture of the student under each accolade.
Maintaining this display would be as simple as moving the pictures around as often as you choose.
COMING UP/HOMEWORK
Students (especially if you teach middle schoolers) are notorious for forgetting important information. Enter your always-there display! This will help you remember to remind them and delete their excuses for not knowing the test is TODAY.
CALENDAR
Every classroom needs a calendar. There are so many out there. This past year, I switched over to this stationary chalk calendar. I placed it over the spot where students turn in their assignments and sharpen pencils. Keeping it “in their space” helped them be more aware of events and assignments.
WORD WALL
This was my first year teaching 8th grade science. I learned there were A LOT of terms. Placing these terms in a location for the students to see helped them recall more easily.
Something else happened — I noticed the students talking about the terms during their free times before class started. They noticed when I added words and would try to guess how those words played into our current chapter.
I did take the words down on test day — that part wasn’t their favorite.
A year-round bulletin board is the perfect solution for pulling the theme of your classroom into a succinct display. Choose elements that are easily interchangeable by season, chapter, or event.
If you are looking for general tips and tricks for back-to-school bulletin boards, head on over here to read my best tips and tricks.
Do you have a favorite year-round bulletin board element that I didn’t mention? Let me know in the comments below. Happy creating, teachers!
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