As teachers, bulletin boards offer a fun and creative way to inspire and engage students while brightening up the classroom environment. If you’re looking for some fresh ideas, we’ve got you covered! Below are five bulletin board themes that are perfect for starting off the school year, celebrating students and their success, and adding personality to your classroom. Each one is designed to be interactive, visually appealing, and to foster a sense of community. Best of all, instructions on how to create each of these bulletin boards is available to download for free on our website.
1. Our Class, Starring
This Hollywood-inspired bulletin board idea will make your students feel like stars the moment they walk in! Create a red carpet look with a backdrop of stars and red fabric to simulate a premiere. Use our Star Bright Stars 6" Designer Cut-Outs for quick, colorful installation and frame the board with our Star Bright EZ Border.
On each star, write a student’s name and attach their picture. For an added touch, let students decorate their own star with things that represent their unique personalities or hobbies. As an ongoing project, you can update this board throughout the year with student achievements, whether academic, social, or extracurricular.
Pro Tip: Add a small "Director’s Chair" or a mock movie poster with each student's "favorites" (favorite book, favorite subject, etc.) to personalize the space even more!
2. Be a Busy Bee!
If you're looking to encourage responsibility and highlight hard work, the "Be a Busy Bee" bulletin board is an excellent choice. Use a honeycomb or beehive theme with cheerful bees labeled with each student's name. Items from our Busy Bees collection, like our Bees EZ Border, Honeycomb EZ Border, and Bees 6" Designer Cut-Outs are perfect for this bulletin board. The board is the perfect place to remind students about best behaviors, which can easily be displayed with our Busy Bees Bee Positive Mini Bulletin Board. You can also use this theme to assign classroom jobs or display student work!
Pro Tip: Add flowers or other nature elements from our Bright Blooms and Positively Plants collections for extra fun.
3. MooVelous Job!
Celebrate student accomplishments with the playful “MooVelous Job!” theme. The board is designed to resemble a farm, featuring fun cow print! Every time a student does something noteworthy—like acing a test, helping a classmate, or showing good citizenship—you can highlight their success by placing a special sticker, ribbon, or encouraging message under their name.
This bulletin board fosters a culture of positive reinforcement, helping students feel appreciated for their efforts. It’s also a fun way to track progress over time, as the board fills up with encouraging notes. Our Farm Friends collection is the perfect place to find items to help you build this bulletin board. We recommend our Cow Print EZ Border, Jumbo Farm Friends Bulletin Board, and our Farm Friends Rewards Stickers.
Pro Tip: Consider using different farm animals to represent different types of achievements: cows for academic success, chickens for kindness, etc.
4. Welcome to the Jungle
Turn your classroom into an exciting safari with the "Welcome to the Jungle" bulletin board. Use vibrant green vines, animal cutouts, and jungle-themed decor from our Jungle Friends collection to create a lively and adventurous feel. Each student can be represented by a different jungle animal. This theme is perfect for the start of the school year as a fun way to introduce the students to one another. You can even invite them to create their own animal avatars, incorporating aspects of their personalities.
As a bonus, this bulletin board can serve as an introduction to a science or geography lesson about ecosystems and biodiversity!
Pro Tip: Use 3D elements like faux leaves or textured faux fur fabric to make the board really pop and engage students visually.
5. Happy Birthday, Cupcake!
Make birthdays extra special with the “Happy Birthday, Cupcake!” bulletin board. Each month, feature a large cupcake with the names and birth dates of students celebrating their birthday in that month. Our Cupcakes 10" Jumbo Designer Cut-Outs are perfect for this. As birthdays come up, add a candle to an individualized cupcake for each student to celebrate their special day. Our Chalk It Up! Happy Birthday Mini Bulletin Board is perfect for executing this idea.
This board adds a colorful, festive touch to your classroom and helps you keep track of birthdays all year long.
Pro Tip: Include a small birthday box at the bottom of the bulletin board, where students can pick out a birthday treat, like stickers or a bookmark, or use our Happy Birthday Reward cards to write out a personalized note for each student on their birthday.
Download the instructions for free here.
These five bulletin board ideas will add creativity, fun, and personal touch to your classroom. Not only do they enhance the visual appeal, but they also build a sense of community and promote student engagement. Give them a try, and watch your classroom come to life!
