Once the school year is in full swing, who has time to plan bulletin boards?
Get a jump start on the year and learn how to prep bulletin boards.
Why Prepping Bulletin Boards Saves Time
If you have bulletin boards in your room, you have to cover them. Leaving them blank is not an option.
You can change them throughout the year as inspiration strikes, but who has time for that?
You can save yourself time and mental space by prepping your bulletin boards before the start of the year.
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How to Prep Bulletin Boards in 4 Simple Steps
When deciding your bulletin boards for the school year, you want to be creative, timely, and efficient.
1. Determine How Much Real Estate You Need to Cover
If you already know your room assignment for the year, you can scope out the number of bulletin boards in your classroom.
If you don’t know the bulletin board situation, look at some of the classrooms in the building.
Typically, a classroom has at least one bulletin board.
The standard size is 7 x 4 feet.
If you have one bulletin board, plan for one monthly rotating bulletin board.
If you have two bulletin boards, plan for a rotating board and some static boards.
Static boards are applicable all year; they include class schedules, calendars, or class birthday boards).
If you have three boards (lucky you!), you can add one to showcase student work.
2. Plan Your Rotating Boards
It is certainly easiest to design one bulletin board and leave it up all year.
But bulletin boards are an opportunity to inspire your students and energize your classroom atmosphere.
It’s ideal to change your bulletin board every month.
Although that may seem like a lot, it is not as you plan ahead.
You can find suggestions for bulletin boards for every month right here! Here are some to get you started:
- 35 Fall Board Ideas: Awesome Bulletin Board Ideas for Back to School and Fall
- SEL Bulletin Board Ideas
- Bulletin Board Ideas for December
- January Bulletin Board Ideas
Before you select a board, ask yourself, “What is my level of craftiness?” It’s important to know yourself!
Some people get a kick out of three-dimensional boards with all the frills.
Others need a simple print-and-go approach.
Or you can decide on a blended approach. Plan some fancy, time-intensive boards and others that are cut, staple, and go.
Whatever your style, pick your boards for all the school months.
Consider holidays, lesson themes, and seasonal displays of student work.
3. Plan Your Static Boards
If you have additional bulletin boards in your room, you can have some bulletin boards that don’t change.
These could include a graphic list of student birthdays.
You could also have a board where you keep the calendar for the year.
If you display your classroom rules and expectations (and you should!), you can devote a bulletin board to that.
4. Prep Your Bulletin Boards
Now that you have your bulletin boards planned, you can prep the bulletin board materials.
If you use printables, print onto sturdy cardstock, so your materials will hold up over time.
Even better, you can laminate your materials.
You can reuse your bulletin board materials for future years.
You’ll never have the same class twice, so there is no harm in repeating boards!
Instead of using paper as a background for your bulletin boards, use cloth cut to size. It’s much easier to store and lasts longer.
For more information on storing bulletin boards, check out this article.
Prepping Bulletin Boards for the School Year
How do you prep bulletin boards for the school year? It takes only 4 steps.
With inspiration and planning, you can have lively and fun bulletin boards all year.
The best part of planning and prepping bulletin boards during the summer is that it is a huge relief during the school year.