The Best Back To School Bulletin Board Ideas And Crafts (2024)

When the new school year starts, your classroom should look fresh and exciting.

You want your students to be enthusiastic about returning to their studies. What better way to refresh your classroom than with the perfect bulletin board.

If you are looking for inspiration for your back to school bulletin board then you have come to the right place. We have put together this list of the best ideas for your back to school bulletin board.

Keep reading to find the best option for your classroom.

Photograph Bulletin Boards

Using photographs can be a fun way of personalizing the bulletin board and making it more relevant for the students.

Make sure you check the school policy on getting permission to take photographs of the students, and make sure that all of the students are happy to have their photographs taken.

First Day

This first day board is really easy to make. You need some black paper for the background, and some brightly colored paper for the squares.

Print off a logo for your students favorite social media app and use white paper for the ‘#First day’ heading. You can add a colorful border and some extra decoration if you want to.

Leave the squares blank, and take some photographs of the students on their first day. Make sure you include every student. Get them printed as soon as possible then add them to the board.

Summer Vacation

This is a fun idea to get the students involved in the process of decorating the bulletin board. Get each student to choose their favorite photograph from their summer vacation, then create a collage board.

You can use a social media theme, a beach theme, or whatever theme you want to add some decoration to the board. Place each photograph over a square of colored paper to make a fun frame and add some more color to the board.

Meet The Cast

When students start a new school year it can be difficult to remember all the names of their classmates. You can create a fun bulletin board with photographs of the students alongside their names.

This design is based on a cast list for a vintage style movie, and you can decorate the board with popcorn, movie theater tickets, and yellow stars. You could even add a red carpet. Don’t forget to include the teacher too!

Memory Board

Older students may have been in a class together for several years. You can put together a fun memory board by creating a collage of images from their previous years together to welcome the students back to school for the new term.

This gets them thickening about positive memories they have made at school together, and shows that there are plenty more memories to be made in this school year.

Informational Bulletin Boards

If you have important information to relay to the students then you can add this to a bulletin board. Informational bulletin boards don’t have to be boring – you can still create a fun and eye-catching display.

Check out these ideas for some inspiration.

Classroom Jobs

This is a really helpful board that helps to make the students more responsible. It shows the students what jobs they can help out with in the classroom, like tidying up and keeping the equipment neat and tidy.

You could even use velcro tags to put people’s names next to the jobs as part of a rota so that everyone chips in to help.

Birthday Board

If you make a birthday board at the start of the new school year then you know that nobody’s birthday will get forgotten. It is nice to celebrate birthdays and let everyone have a chance to feel special.

Making the student’s birthday a positive day in school will also improve attendance. You can use whatever theme you want to – this board uses cake with a different cupcake for each month.

Monthly Calendar

You could turn your bulletin board into a monthly calendar for the class. This helps the students to visualize the term ahead of them and keep on top of any deadlines.

You can add the dates of tests, exciting school events, and dates of historical interest. This type of board can also help students learn days of the week and numbers.

Pick a bright color scheme, use it for the border and some fun decorations to make the board more interesting to look at.

Inspirational Bulletin Boards

You can use your bulletin board to create an inspiring display for your students. This can help to get them into a positive frame of mind for their studies, giving them more confidence and helping them to succeed.

There are lots of great ideas for inspirational bulletin boards that you can try.

Today Is A Good Day

If you want to motivate your students and encourage them to be productive then this is the ideal design for your bulletin board.

It tells students to seize the day by not giving up, being a good friend to their classmates, trying hard with their work, asking for help if they need it, and any of the other things that happen on a day at school.

Use a black background and then lots of colored squares to make this display as vibrant as possible.

You Are

This board is an easy way to motivate your students and help them to feel more confident in themselves. All you need to do is put the words ‘you are’ in the center with large, clear lettering.

Write positive words on different shapes of colored paper – brave, smart, kind, special etc – and stick them on the board. Add a decorative border and you have a colorful and motivational bulletin board.

Be The Reason

This bulletin board encourages students to be kind today with the phrase ‘ be the reason someone smiles today’. This is an important message, especially at the start of the school year, and it can help to reduce bullying within the class.

You can pair this slogan with some bright imagery like daisies. Make sure you include a happy color like yellow or orange with whatever design you choose.

Fresh Start

There are many skills that you want your students to learn in your classroom. This board encourages the students to be resilient and determined and to maintain a positive, can do attitude.

Not every day will go their way, and they might make mistakes, but each day offers a chance for a new start. Keep encouraging your students to try again, never give up with this simple but inspiring bulletin board.

Stand Tall And Stand Out

Some children find it harder than others to fit in, and it can be sad to see them hide parts of their personality in order to avoid standing out.

This design encourages students to be themselves and be proud of who they are, even if it is different to everyone else. The flamingo is the perfect animal for this, as they are very unique in their appearance.

It also introduces bright pink colors into the bulletin board.

Awesome To The Core

Apples are often associated with the start of a new school term, as it used to be the tradition to present your teacher with a fresh apple.

Apples are in season in late Summer and the start of Fall, which is when the new school year begins.

This design uses the apple imagery to create an inspiring bulletin board for students, welcoming them into their new classroom. Use a mixture of green and red apples for more color.

Butterfly Wings

This sweet board is very impressive but is actually very easy to make. All you need is black paper for the background, white paper for the words and silhouettes, and colored paper for the butterflies. Each butterfly has the name of a student.

You can use a stencil to make sure that each butterfly is the same, or you can get the students to make their own butterflies. This gives them a craft project to work on together and gets them involved in the process.

Lesson Themed Bulletin Boards

You might want to design a bulletin board around a particular lesson so that it can be an educational tool as well as a display.

Here are some ways that you can do this in your own classroom.

Writing

This board reminds students how to approach a piece of writing work. The colorful pencils show the different stages, and there is a fun border to make the board stand out.

The black background is neutral and also looks like a blackboard to fit in with the classroom theme. You can use this idea for various different types of work.

Reading

Some students love guided, group or independent reading and other students hate it. If you want to encourage your students to read more then you can create a bulletin board to inspire them.

This design is simple but shows students how exciting reading can be. It allows them to escape into another world, and is also a very important skill that they will use for the rest of their lives.

Math

This math bulletin board features keywords that are used in math lessons. You could also include definitions or the symbols to correspond with the words.

Another idea for a math bulletin board is times tables to help children learn how to multiply and divide. Make sure the board is colorful and fun.

Science

There are so many great options for a science bulletin board because it is such an exciting subject. You could choose a chemistry laboratory theme, a planet and solar system theme for physics, or plants and animals for biology.

You could also create a colorful periodic table for your bulletin board. Make the board as informative yet interesting as possible and then use it as a visual aid in your lessons.

Spanish

Visual learning tools are really important when students are learning a second language.

You can use your bulletin board to create a display of Spanish words so that your students are learning all the time, even when they don’t realize it.

You should try to include the translation of the word so that the visual associations are made. You can update the board with different words based on what topics you are covering that term.

Art

When you design an art bulletin board you want to encourage the students to be as creative as possible. Art is all about letting go, expressing yourself and learning new skills.

Make sure you include lots of different colors. This amazing idea uses an old broom as a paintbrush to create a three dimensional display to inspire students to paint.

Drama

A drama bulletin board should be fun and theatrical, drawing everyone’s attention. Try to include three dimensional elements and an eye catching border.

You can do a theater theme, a movie theme, or any other theme that fits in with the class.

Drama is a great class for students to try something new and to push themselves out of their comfort zone, so you might want to include an encouraging quote on your bulletin board – possibly from a famous actor.

Fun Bulletin Boards

You might want to decorate a bulletin board with a fun and vibrant design to add some excitement to the classroom. Not all bulletin boards have to be groundbreaking or useful.

Here are some easy ideas for decorative bulletin boards that you can try out in your classroom.

Happy Place

This is a really simple board but it has a colorful and vibrant design.

The background is created with strips of black paper on white. Using rainbow colors for the letters creates a funky, tropical theme, and you can decorate the corners of the board with lots of different flowers.

This board also features an educational element because it has pineapples along the bottoms with upper and lower case letters.

Berry Best

Why not try a fun and fruity design for your bulletin board. You can layer up images of different fruits to create a funky fruit salad effect, and even make bunting out of different fruits.

Choose a neutral background so that the colors of the fruit will stand out. You could even create a play on words like this board does.

Welcome

One of the best messages you can add to a back to school bulletin board is ‘welcome’. You want the students to feel welcome in the classroom, and to build some enthusiasm for the upcoming school year.

This board has other positive messages to make the students feel excited about being back in the classroom, as well as some fun images and bright colors.

Life Is Sweet

Pineapples are brightly colored and reminiscent of fun, so they make a great choice of imagery for your bulletin board. This design uses a play on words to create a positive association with the classroom.

You could paint your own pineapple, or create one out of colored paper. The spotty background adds even more interest to the design.

Rustic Welcome Board

This welcome back to school bulletin board uses neutral colors for a rustic effect. The beige and brown colors are paired with pastels and a bit of glitter to make the letters stand out.

You can introduce different textures like hessian or wood to add some more layers to the board. You could also make some bunting, or add some images to the board that are relevant to the classroom.

This bulletin board is a great way to welcome students back into the classroom after the summer break.

Interactive Bulletin Boards

Interactive bulletin boards are fun and exciting for students. They can also encourage teamwork and help the students to make new friends at the start of the new school year.

Here are some ideas for interactive bulletin boards that you can make in your own classroom.

Shout Outs

A shout out board can help to improve morale in the classroom and build bonds between the students. Students can write shoutouts for each other and stick them on the board.

It could be that someone helped them when they were stuck, or showed them kindness when they were down.

Perhaps they have noticed that one of their classmates has been working really hard or created an excellent piece of work. At the end of the week you can read out all of the shoutouts so everyone can be celebrated.

Sudoku

Sudoku is a great game for your students to play as it helps them with counting and learning numbers, and also develops their problem solving skills.

You can create your own interactive Sudoku bulletin board using colored paper and velcro. Make some time during the week for the students to play the game.

You can also get them to attempt it in pairs to encourage them to work together.

Mindful Coloring

Mindful activities are important for re-centering and for self-soothing stress and anxiety. Some students will get overwhelmed and overstimulated in the classroom. Creating a mindfulness coloring board is a great way to help them.

Use a colorful border and add a black and white pattern that needs to be filled. Leave some pens or pencils next to the board or you can even attach them to the board with an envelope.

If you see a student struggling to self-regulate then send them to the mindful coloring board so that they can relax and de-stress.

Word Games

Word games can be a really fun type of interactive bulletin board to create for your classroom. It is fun and educational, and is easy to make.

You will need colored paper and velcro strips. It’s also helpful if you have a laminator. You can create word searches, crosswords, wordle, and many more types of games.

Reading Journal

You can use your bulletin board to create a class reading journal. Each child can add the book they have just finished to the board and score it out of 5.

This will get the students talking about the books and recommending things to each other. It also helps them to develop skills of reflective thinking and analysis which will come in helpful with their studies.

Bulletin Board Borders

Adding a colorful border to your bulletin board makes it look so much more professional and eye-catching.

There are so many different types of borders that you can use to add the finishing touch to your bulletin board. If you are struggling to come up with a design then check out these ideas for inspiration.

Letters & Numbers

You can make your bulletin board border both educational and fun. This design uses upper and lowercase letters to help the students with the reading, as well as numbers down the side so they can practice their counting.

You can even use the border as a learning tool during class by pointing to different letters and numbers etc.

Make sure you choose clear fonts and large letters so that every student in the class can see them, even if they are sitting at the back.

Inspirational Border

If you don’t want to use your bulletin board for an inspirational message, you can add it to the border instead.

This will motivate the students and give them something positive to think about without taking up too much space on the rest of the board.

Make sure the words stand out against the background so they can be read easily from the back of the classroom.

Sneakers

This is a really easy border design that is actually very effective. You can use sneakers, or any other item that you want.

Print the image off in different colors and then arrange them around the edge of the board for a slightly wacky and fun border. You could even get the students involved by getting them to design their own sneakers for the bulletin board.

Lightbulbs

Intelligent children are often described as a ‘bright spark’, and having a good idea is a ‘lightbulb moment’.

This means that lightbulbs are associated with learning and education, so why don’t you incorporate them into your border design?

It is very simple to print out pictures of lightbulbs or make them yourself, and create a string of lightbulbs to go around the edge of the board. The bright yellow of the light adds a nice pop of color to the board.

Simple Rainbow

You don’t have to create complicated borders to decorate your bulletin board. You can come up with something simple like this rainbow design.

Choose a shape – squares, rectangles, circles, ovals etc – and cut it out of different colored paper.

Arrange the shapes around the edge of the board, making sure that you don’t place two shapes of the same color next to each other. This is a colorful and vibrant idea for your bulletin board.

Summary

These back to school bulletin board ideas are just what you need to refresh your classroom in time for the new school year.

Your students will love the vibrant displays and will feel even more enthusiastic about getting back to their studies, making friends, and settling into a new class.

Further reading: Awesome Show-And-Tell ideas to try with your class.