Are you getting ready for the start of the new school year? A great way to welcome new students and set the tone for a positive and productive year is with engaging and informative bulletin boards. Some boards might display important information for reference during the first few weeks of school, while others might provide a glimpse of what’s in store for the school year.
Today on the blog, I have a handful of back-to-school bulletin board ideas for teachers. We’ll explore a variety of ideas that you can tailor to your specific classroom, school, or learning space. While most of these ideas have a general application, if you’d like to take them up a notch and integrate technology, be sure to check out these blog posts with even more tech connections:
- How to Make QR Codes for Your Bulletin Board (second half of the page)
- 11 Interactive Fall Bulletin Board Ideas
- 10 Winter Classroom Bulletin Board Ideas
If you have a favorite back-to-school bulletin board idea that I’ve missed, I’d love to hear about it! Reply to one of my Monday newsletters (sign up for free here) and tell me all about it.
Back-to-School Bulletin Board Ideas
Here’s the list of nine back-to-school bulletin board ideas!
Travel Wish Map
Create a world map bulletin board, inviting students to pin their names or pictures on the map to show a place they’d like to visit or learn more about. This global welcome sign encourages students to dream big at the start of the school year. It also gives you some insights into high-interest locations that you can weave into your course content.
AI Guessing Game
This year on the blog and podcast I’ve shared lots of content related to artificial intelligence. You might remember this post with ideas for generating images using a tool like Adobe Firefly. On your bulletin board include a handful of images you generated with AI and images you found on a website like Unsplash. Encourage students to guess which ones are which.
Goal Setting Spotlight
Design a board where each student can add a goal they want to achieve this year. You might represent these goals as a collection of balloons, with each goal on a single balloon. Or, you might have students write their goals on flowers to create a class garden. If students record audio of their goals using a platform like Seesaw, have them share their Seesaw QR codes and add them to the board.
Literary Characters
Create a bulletin board filled with characters from books you will introduce to students throughout the year. You can also feature characters from favorite books in your classroom library. Over the first few weeks of school, add characters from books you’ve read together to this space.
Math Riddles
Set up a board with interactive math riddles and challenges for students. If this board is in your classroom, you might choose topics from the previous school year or something that hints at upcoming topics. If the board is in a shared space in the school, you may want to put up puzzles or riddles at a variety of grade levels. Then, you can change them weekly to keep students engaged!
Guess the Prompt
Similar to the AI Guessing Game mentioned earlier, this back-to-school bulletin board idea asks students to guess the prompt used to generate an image. Post an image generated with AI on the bulletin board and ask students to guess the prompt. Include a QR code in the corner of the board that links to a Google Form where they can also submit their guesses.
This Month in History
Create a back-to-school bulletin board that feels like a time machine. It can take a “This Day in History” spin and highlight historical figures and events related to that time of year. If you want to change it up more frequently, you can have weekly content as well.
Science Sneak Peek
Dedicate a board to the wonders of science, featuring fun facts, experiments, and scientists related to upcoming units of study. This can encourage students to ask questions about a topic you’ll delve deeper into as a class later in the school year.
Eco-Friendly Tips
As a classroom teacher, I worked in a school that became a magnet school. The theme was environmental stewardship, so talking about eco-friendly tips was part of our regular routine. Promote environmental awareness with a bulletin board that offers eco-friendly tips. It might encourage students to make positive choices—like recycling—in their school community.
Ready to get started with a back-to-school bulletin board? Try out one of the ideas from this list! Creating an engaging and educational back-to-school bulletin board is a fantastic way to welcome students and set the tone for the school year. Each of these ideas is certainly ready for you to tailor to your specific group of incoming students.
