Classroom Bulletin Boards
A Great Motivational Tool.
Here's the How and Why!!

Classroom bulletin boards in addition to enhancing your classroom's appearance and providing information will also help to build your students' self-esteem.

Displaying their work for others to see motivates them to learn, work and produce good quality results.

Decorating Bulletin Boards

I always changed my bulletin boards. The only thing I never changed were my cursive alphabet cards. They remained on the bulletin boards at the front of the classroom since I always had printing and hand writing lessons right up to Grade 6 (you have to print forever - whether you're labeling or filling out an application).

Do you have a fascinating classroom bulletin board idea? How do you decorate your bulletin boards?

* With the help of a couple of high school students, we used sponges to dab the bulletin boards with three different colours of paint (e.g. red, green, and blue). It was bright, the boards absorbed the paint (no tearing like wallpaper or paper).

* If you cover the bulletin boards first, don't use construction paper because it fades terribly. My suggestions are to use fadeless paper or wallpaper (you can get the roll ends from decorating stores for nothing if you tell them you're a teacher - that's what I did.)

* Go to stores such as Scholar's Choice and choose different kinds of borders; for example, positive sayings perhaps with colored pictures on them. The students put up the borders which beautifully framed the bulletin boards.

* By the way, I hated going up on a ladder but the students loved it. Just be sure to check with your principal first to get his okay and be sure to supervise them.

My classroom looked great and ready for school. Now what do you put on your bulletin boards?

Classroom Bulletin Board Ideas

You should always divide up your bulletin boards in the classroom to display different subjects in your curriculum - whether its your information or the students' work about a specific topic.

Want some suggestions of what to display on your bulletin boards:

* Students' art (I had art each week, so the displays changed weekly).

* Creative stories that have been written by the students.

* Science diagrams

* Hand-drawn scenes with a written explanation

* Pictures and information on a unit, for example, rocks and minerals, pioneers,etc.

* Make sure the bulletin boards have a title.

Students love to help putting up their work. Definitely let them!!