Shortcuts to Bulletin Boards in the Classroom

Bulletin boards are an important part of every room. Using shortcuts to save time on building them is not a skill most teachers have. You should only do your bulletin board backing once. Back all boards with a neutral color such as black, beige, white or brown. Then you should put a border around it. This does something nice that is in contrast to the background. Then you can use this basic canvas all year round. If you do want to cover your bulletin board, you should use butcher paper, wallpaper, or wrapping paper to ensure that whatever you use will last for the entire year. You don't want to have to spend time replacing the background of your bulletin board each time a month turns around or a new concept is taught.

It is important that you choose the right colors for your bulletin board. Some colors can cause distraction even if they are used on the background. Neon colors or bright colors can make the board look like it is the centerpiece of your room, but that's not the function of your bulletin board. Cutting out letters for captions is a ridiculous use of a teacher's time. You can print labels on tag board or use a computer banner to get your message across. If you are a person who likes to put seasonal cutouts or other holiday themes on your bulletin board, you are wasting your valuable time. There are more ways to teach the children the passage of time then putting up a calendar showing that there are four seasons of the year.

If inexpensive boards are important to you, then have the children put things relating to the theme on the board. One example of this would be when you're studying the solar system. You can have the children make or cut out the planets. This way they can build the board and you won't waste viable teaching time by doing the work yourself.