5 Fun Ideas To Brighten Up Classroom Bulletin Boards

Bridging the gap between learning and social activity can be tough on school children as well as the teacher. For younger children who are used to being social in day care, pre-school, or at least not tied down to a chair for 6 hours a day, typical school classrooms can seem very boring.  Introducing ways to unleash creative freedom onto the regular routine may be just what new students need to get the blood flowing again to produce results. One solution is with a classroom bulletin board. Of course, classroom bulletin boards seem boring at first glance, however, if you allow the students time each month to decorate your bulletin board, it may be prove to be a very successful element to their learning and overall behavior throughout the school year. Below are five fun ways to get your students involved in the curriculum as well liven up the class and enhance the room’s decor.

A. This task should be completed monthly.
Before we detail the 5 great ideas, let’s not forget the major component – monthly maintenance. The main idea is to set aside ample time each month for the students to update the bulletin board or boards. Monthly maintenance keeps boards new, clean, and exciting by taking down the old and posting on the new! You may choose to have students pick their names out of a hat to create small groups and then let each group decide on a different month to decorate. By doing this, children that do not normally associate with one another can get a chance to work on something together, which minimizes the possibility of having classroom cliques, and can also help shy students come out of their shells at the same time. By changing the bulletin board monthly, students are given a chance to celebrate the seasons, get excited for upcoming events or holidays, and ultimately look forward to each new day. By adding a different look and feel to every month that passes, classroom boards will go from dull and dreary to something the kids will actually stop to look at.

Selecting a different team to decorate monthly, based on whatever criteria you choose, encourages teamwork and promotes the flow of creativity. Allowing students the opportunity to show off their creative sides is as healthy for them in the present, as it will be over time. Finding creative ways to teach and learn helps students prosper in the classroom, and also in their future jobs where knowing how to think up new and exciting ideas will generate successful business strategies.

1. Celebrate The Birthdays Of Each Month
Every month, set aside a section of the board to list the names and dates of the students whose birthdays land in that particular month. Most children love their birthdays and having them posted on the bulletin board will make each person feel celebrated on their special day.

2. Recognize Good Deeds Of The Previous Month
Recognizing altruistic behavior encourages students to “pay it forward” monthly, and teaches them that helping others not only feels good, but is often rewarded. Having a shout out on the bulletin board can be the reward in and of itself, but you may also want to add an extra incentive like a gift card or a couple of movie tickets, depending on the age group of the class.

3. Spotlight The Environment, For Example Create A Section Called “Going Green”.
Each month, let students think of a different way to help the environment. This may require research, and in the end be something they can take home to incorporate into their daily lives.

4. Post An Endangered Animal, Or Species Of The Month.
Every month, students will be able to research a different endangered animal. This will inadvertently help them learn about unique animals as well as different cultures, at the same time.

5. Create A Place For Classroom Polaroid Pictures!
Invest in a Polaroid camera and let students be the photographers that day. They will enjoy taking pictures of each other and then watching them “appear”. Nowadays, kids have become accustomed to the instant gratification that the digital camera provides, it will be fun for them to see what it’s like to have a candid picture. One that can’t be deleted or fixed, to commemorate different times of the school year. They can then post them on the board to be remembered and enjoyed throughout the months.

The above list may prove to be far too much information for one bulletin board, so feel free to use two or three in your classroom to promote and encourage the same or similar themes. Another solution is to use a combination bulletin board, featuring a cork board on one side, and a white board on the other. This allows students to draw happy birthday messages with colorful markers on the whiteboard, while posting up pictures, holiday decorations, and upcoming event information on the cork side. Combination message boards come in several sizes with some being as large as 72″ x 48″.

This list is meant to be used as a guide to promote creativity in the classroom, as well as find good use for that boring bulletin board. It is not necessary to use just the five ideas mentioned above. Depending on your class you may have different things in mind to go along with your particular themes and interests. By decorating a classroom with your students, you will enable them to be creative, work as a team and practice altruistic behavior. Most importantly, this will help students cognitively associate learning with fun.

About the Author

Brooke works with POP displays in Internet Marketing and Web Design capacities. For an excellent bulletin board resource, visit BulletinBoards.us.com. This site specializes in message boards of every shape, style and size. Here, classroom bulletin boards are in stock by the 1000s.

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