By Anja Filan
“What’s an attenda-sauras-rex?” a fifth grade student at Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot K-8 School asked as he passed a new City Year bulletin board. Hearing students’ conversations about bulletin boards is a reminder of just how engaging these carefully designed displays can be.
Designing an effective bulletin board that keeps students interested can be quite the challenge, however. Here are five ways you can design a bulletin board that will keep your students engaged:
Location, Location, Location
Where you hang your bulletin board is just as important as what you put on it. Location can make or break a bulletin board’s effectiveness. An engaging bulletin board must be located somewhere with high foot traffic. Always make sure that students can easily see and access the bulletin board if necessary.
Colors
Visual interest is the key to keeping children engaged. An engaging bulletin board should be colorful and captivating. A colorful bulletin board will be sure to turn the heads of students passing by. If your aim is to catch eyes and grab students’ attention then use bright colors, which will be just as captivating as your text. If your board is informative, keep colors simple to draw eyes directly to the text. If your board is carefully themed make sure that your colors correspond to your theme.
Theme
Themed bulletin boards are fun to read and can sometimes help carry academic lessons into hallway displays. But be sure to think outside of the box and look for themes beyond seasons, holidays and lesson plans. At Young Achievers, for example, our “Attenda-saurus-rex” themed board encourages students to save knowledge from extinction by attending school.
Display Student Work
An engaging bulletin board should contain some student word. Students can be motivated by public recognition. Knowing that their hard work is on display for the whole school to see makes bulletin boards more exciting and interactive within the school community.
Thought Provoking
Bulletin boards that leave students thinking by asking questions or offer open-ended responses are engaging and interactive. Students will make their way back to the board to reread questions, consider possible answers, and will continue thinking about the board even after they walk away. On one of our English language arts boards, we challenged students to use their detective skills to solve a mystery. After reading through information on the board, students may gather clues and submit written predictions to a small bag attached to the board.
For Bulletin Board inspiration, check out:
- The Sea of Thankfulness
- Bulletin Board Inspiration on Pinterest
- Bulletin Board Ideas: Everything You Need (Scholastic)
- Library Bulletin Boards & Displays on Pinterest
- Back to School Bulletin Board & Classroom Ideas
About the author:
Anja Filan is a 2013-2014 corps member serving on the Bank of America team at Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot K-8 School in Mattapan.
