Coming back to school after the winter holidays can be tough for students and teachers alike. One way to freshen up the classroom and restore some excitement for being back in school is with some clever and creative bulletin boards. While you may not have time (or want to!) make them before the holiday break begins, these can be easily prepped and ready to go when you return to the classroom in January. Start planning now and your January bulletin boards are sure to be a hit!
January Bulletin Board Ideas for 2015
Ready, Set, Goal!
Start the year with some introspection and ask students to think about what they want to accomplish in 2015. Use goal pennants and ask them to draw or write down their top goal for the new year. Cover the bulletin board with newspaper from January 1st and hang a solid border along the edge. Hang students’ completed pennants on it for a quick and easy kid-centered bulletin board.
What’s Your Dream?
Introduce a unit study on Martin Luther King Jr. by talking about his famous “I Have a Dream” speech from August 1963. After playing the speech for them, ask students to write down their dreams for the world on colorful cut-outs and hang them on a plain background that is edged with a coordinating colorful border. This is a great introduction to Black History Month and discussions about current events, slavery, and the American Civil Rights Movement.
Blaze a Book Trail with Pete the Cat
Kids love the crazy antics and cool, laid-back attitude of Pete the Cat. The best part of that enthusiasm for cool Pete is that it gets them excited about reading. On the front of a Groovy Shoe, have students write the name of a book they recommend to their classmates. On the back of the shoe, they can write a short 1-2 sentence description about the book they think would be perfect for their friends. Punch a hole at the heel of each shoe and hang them from shoelaces on a bulletin board that coordinates with the Pete the Cat theme.
What are some of your favorite January bulletin board ideas?