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Bulletin Board Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Back to School, Classroom Setup

Written by: Krys Warstillo

If you're a new teacher and you're staring at those blank bulletin boards thinking, “What in the world do I put on these??” Don't stress. Bulletin boards are all about what is helpful for you and your students. They can serve as academic anchors to be used for student reference. They can be cute and festive displays that set the mood of your class. Or they can be used to showcase student work. Read on for some tips, tricks, and ideas to help you with bulletin board set up!

What Makes A Good Bulletin Board?

There are a million bulletin board ideas out there but here's a quick list of basic things your board will need.

  • Big, easy-to-read letters
  • One skill/activity/topic at a time – keeps it from looking too cluttered and overwhelming
  • Functional – decorative is a function!
  • Current – snowflake-covered displays in April aren't very engaging

For a detailed look at some of these assembly basics jump into the All About Bulletin Boards post.

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we are better together bulletin board display
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Make Your Bulletin Board More Attractive

Once you've got an idea, it's time to start thinking, “how can I make this bulletin board more attractive?” Because the fact is, you WANT people to look at it. Maybe it's your students, maybe it's other staff, maybe it's parents – but making it attractive is going to grab attention. Here are some super simple (and cost-effective) ways to make it more attractive.

1. Clean & Easy To Read Fonts/Graphics

Our little learners are all over the reading spectrum. You're sure to have fluent readers in your class but for those who are still building those skills, it's really important to keep things simple for them. Cool fonts are great but using simple & easy to read fonts and graphics makes your bulletin boards more student-friendly.

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2. Pick A Color

In the photos below you'll see lots of colors but that's just because our team loves color. You can print the pieces you want from the Classroom Setup Pack on white paper and keep it super simple. The point is, just pick some color(s) and stick with them. It helps keep things looking cohesive.

classroom jobs bulletin board idea
classroom schedule bulletin board
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Think Outside The Bulletin Board

If you're low on bulletin boards then it's time to start thinking outside of those boards! Any surface can become a display. You can feature your Sound Wall on a blank wall in your room or set a positive tone with a door display for your students to walk through every day!

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Tips & Tricks

Before you go on your way to bulletin board greatness here are a few last tips and tricks from members of the Lucky Little Learners community!

1. Dealing With Concrete Walls

If your walls are made of brick, concrete, or cinder blocks you can't just staple or pin things to the walls, unfortunately. Try one of these options:

  • If you haven't tried Mavalus tape, it's time to give it a go. People RAVE about it in our Facebook group. It's supposed to be really great for painted cinderblock walls, in particular.
Purchase on Amazon
  • Good ol' hot glue is always a good option. Try putting down a layer of painter's tape then applying hot glue on top of it and stick down whatever you're trying to stick while the glue is still hot. Do your best to avoid the inevitable fingertip burns!
hot glue on painters tape hack
  • Find a fabric that you like and roll liquid starch over the top of it. It's like DIY wallpaper and easy to remove!

Here's a handy tutorial on how to use starched fabric as a wall treatment!

2. No More Butcher Paper

Those big giant rolls of bulletin board paper are great and usually available… but if you're like me, changing out the background of bulletin boards is a chore you try to avoid. Normal butcher paper fades and tears when you're replacing content.

One alternative is Better Than Paper. It can be sprayed with disinfectant, is strong against staples, and doesn't fade. It can be pricier but it's very long-lasting.

Purchase on Amazon

Call Your Bulletin Boards Done!

Grab everything you need to get your bulletin boards up and running with one click!

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DIY & Purposeful Bulletin Boards

Not enough or zero classroom bulletin board space? No worries! Join Katie from Team Lucky Little Learners as she walks you through creating your own bulletin boards and making them purposeful teaching tools.

Need More Bulletin Board Ideas?

Still looking for more bulletin board ideas? Click through the posts below to jump into some specifics!

1 Comment

  1. Brenda Mueller

    Any ideas on securing bopper to magnetic bb…right now using packaging tape and it works but it is very time consuming you can’t staple anything to these boards

    Reply

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