Celebrate Back to School Season with over 90 fun and unique classroom crafts and bulletin board decorations!
Is it back-to-back school time already?! Let us examine some of the most welcoming bulletin boards and exciting craft activities we can find. Let’s begin with bulletin board decoration ideas; we love that they provide practical information and warmly welcome students to help them get enthusiastic about a new year of learning.
We have made a fun list of our favorites that we are sure will help you quickly make your classroom welcoming for all. Also, if you are looking for premade bulletin board sets, we have made a list of the most popular this last year. (hint… Star Wars, Pete the Cat, Mickey, and Boho were on the top and the Cricut Basic Tool Set was a priceless time saver for DIY teachers.) Finally, we hope these decorating ideas and crafts will help you create the best possible experience for back to school!
Note: TeachersParadise may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through Amazon Affiliate links. We only suggest items our team loves!
Back to School Bulletin Board Ideas
1. Welcome To First Grade
We love the clarity and how it can be used for any grade level!
2. Welcome Back – The Books Missed You
Black trimmers, wood paper, and colorful construction paper let your imagination go wild.
3. Check Out Our New Pack
Perfect for a preschool or kindergarten back-to-school design, the students’ names haven’t been added to the crayons yet.
4. Welcome To Kindergarten You’ll Fit Right In
Welcome to kindergarten – puzzle pieces never fail!
5. Racing Into Kindergarten
This racetrack bulletin board design is great for a large board or wall space.
6. We All Fit Together In Our Class Jigsaw Design
Using your students’ names and pictures with jigsaw puzzle pieces will be sure to make this bulletin board as unique as you are!
7. Welcome Back Our World Just Got A Whole Lot Brighter
Rainbow board decorations and dots with big letters – what a great look!
8. Welcome Back Your School Missed You
Let them know the school has missed them. We are sure they’ve missed you too.
9. If You Give A Kindergartener A Pencil
Love the colossal pencil design. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom activity that then becomes a bulletin board.
10. QR Code Interactive Back To School Board
An interactive board with a QR code that lets your students know about you! This one definitely takes some planning.
11. Guess Who Interactive Bulletin Board
An excellent manner for students to learn about the others in their classroom. This interactive “Guess Who” bulletin board is fun and engaging so students can get to know each other!
12. Welcome Back Bulletin Board Without Student Names
It’s always helpful to see how other teachers make bulletin boards in steps, and here we can seed a partially completed design before student names are added. Student names can be added with construction paper or premade bulletin board accents.
13. First Day Of Kindergarten
Black and white and perfect for the first day of class pictures!
14. I’m So Happy You’re Here
Positive reinforcement is always great for kids. This one is an excellent back to school door decoration. We have another article dedicated to more classroom door ideas.
16. Learning A Latte In 4th Grade
For the coffee lover in every educator. This layout works for the school office as well!
17. Clean Simple Welcome To Kindergarten
A colorful and quick design that is easy to set up.
18. Picture Yourself In Second Grade
Here is another board that uses student pictures. Pictures are a fun way to decorate and are always helpful to students to learn each other’s names!
19. You Can’t Spell Awesome Without “Me”!
One of the perfect ways to balance a back-to-school activity and reuse that activity on a board before parent’s night!
20. We Can’t “Mask” How Excited We Are To See You Back
21. Holy Guacamole You Are In 4th Grade
Avocados and student names!
22. This Year Is A Rainbow Of Possibilities
The distressed faux wood paper helps any background!
23. Anything’s “Popsicle” In Second Grade
For the ice cream lover in us with each student’s name.
24. Swim Into Second Grade
Another partially completed board with most of the student names on the fish, the sparkle blue trimmer looks terrific, and the hanging sign makes this one easy to reuse after the first few weeks of school.
25. Cue The Confetti Were Second Grade Ready
Big bright letters are always helpful in large areas!
26. Back To School Bulletin Board for the New Year
27. Buzz Into Kindergarten
Bee classroom boards are not only for the springtime!
28. World Changers Coming Soon
A “board design” without a board; use your walls!
29. Every Piece Has A Place In 5th Grade
For elementary school teachers, puzzle pieces never fail to work.
30. We Are Who We Are Because They Were Who They Were
A positive message for the social studies area! Learn, inspire, and create.
31. Kick It Off To A Good Start
Football-themed back to school board! You can customize this board style with your home team’s colors.
32. This School Is Better Because You Are In It
Creating reusable bulletin boards is not difficult with the proper planning. Soft board materials like these fluffs can be used often, so keep them in the “decoration ideas bag” when you are finished. After back-to-school, removing these letters leaves this board as a blank canvas ready to be used again!
33. We R2 Excited About Jr. High
STAR WARS is always a popular choice. With so many characters and story-lines, students and teachers are definitely fans of these designs.
35. Pawsome Work
PAWsome designs are super cute and can be utilized with either cat or dog boards.
36. Growth Mindset
Positive and inspiring messages are never out of style so start the year with the right mindset!
37. We Are Ready To Grow
Colorful plants on a wooden background, add your students’ names, and you are ready to start teaching!
38. Shine Bright In 3rd Grade
Radiant and colorful designs are sure to liven any classroom!
39. Llama Theme Time! Third Grade Is No Problama
There is no “Problama” with llamas in the classroom.
40. Flamingos – Our Flock Rocks
“Our flock rocks” is super customizable! While this design idea uses flamingos, you can use almost any bird design. Teacher TIP: use one of your native birds as the silhouette for the students’ names!
41. Owl Themed Bulletin Board
Owls are always one of our favorite hoots!
42. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Welcome To Our Classroom
ChickaChicka makes any Pre-K-K classroom unforgettable!
43. Dive Into Learning
This octopus and under the sea bulletin board is one of the more complex designs, but WOW! The are numerous uses for this vast board. Make sure you have plenty of purple construction paper!
45. Its Going To “Bee” A Great Year In 3rd Grade
Another outstanding “Beeutiful” class design!
46. Lets Have A Llama Fun This Year
Llama Llamas sure make students feel at home, away from home.
47. Climb Aboard Explorers
Another excellent ocean theme board! A colossal manta ray with accent cutout fish and shimmering seagrass.
48. Planting Ideas And Growing Our Minds
Plants need time to grow, just like ideas in our minds. So we teachers “plant” them, and we are lucky to see them flourish! Using natural and live plants works perfectly in this scene!
49. Back To School Goal Setting
It’s never too early to set our goals for the school year. Let us do it from the start!
50. Back To School Classroom Door Banner
Remember to decorate your classroom door!
51. You Are O”Fish”Ally In Kindergarten
This happy huge school bus truly completes the welcome to kindergarten board!
52. Tiny Seeds Grow Mighty Trees
Each student is the apple on this tree. This is another example of an extremely customizable board that teachers can reuse after BTS!
Back to School Crafts
Back-to-school crafts and activities can complement our bulletin boards. Here we will look at some activities to get to know students and for students to learn and have fun in the process. With the proper planning, these back-to-school exercises can be used by teachers year after year with little if any additional work.
1. Our Class Is A Family Back To School Activity
Coloring activity and a student picture!
2. Little Chicka Boom Boom Craft
A terrific Chicka Chicka Boom Boom-inspired message after the first day of school!
4. First Day Count The Letters In Your Name Activity
First-day counting activity. Students count the letters in their names!
6. Back To School Name Activity
Some of the most popular back-to-school crafts involve names and pictures; remember to have the pics ready!
7. School Bus Name Practice Activity
The forever popular activity to start the new year. And this one incorporates name writing and gluing craft!
8. Mickey School Bus Popsicle Name Activity
Popsicle sticks crafts can be so much fun! Painting and gluing then on details to make each school bus different.
9. Back To School Craft Collection
Mark the occasion of the first and last day of school and recall each grade with great signs.
10. Popsicle Sticks Picture Craft
Making crafts into memories. For example, building popsicle stick school buses are an adorable way to hold that precious first day of school photo.
11. First Day Of School Name Hat Craft
Name hat crafts are a sensational way to start the first day of school. Practice writing their name, coloring, and then straight to making new friends.
12. French Bienvenue A Lecole Activity
Welcome to School coloring activity is perfect in any language.
13. Back To School Popsicle Stick Magnet Craft
Parents appreciate back-to-school craft magnets to help remember the first day of school.
14. First Day Of School Crayons Sign Craft
A Crayon box sign is a craft and photo prop. Allow for kids to help create their very own school sign to mark their first day of school.
15. My First Day And My New Friends Activity
Writing activities are the perfect way to ease any first-day jitters. Allow students to express their excitement or worries about new friends they made on their first day.
16. Back To School Activities Worksheets
Coloring worksheets for the first day of school with space to make the special first day of school.
17. Back To School Arts Crafts Activities
Keeping the first day of school busy and fun will help curb first-day fears. Activities such as making fun, easy crafts that allow students to show off their creativity and practice coloring, sorting, and tracing will help everyone to get to know each other.
18. Pete The Cat Back To School Book Activities
Reading books with students’ favorite characters help the student relate to the first day of school uncertainties.
19. Back To School Teacher Gift Cake
Treating the class to a sweet welcome back-to-school snack is always fun.
20. Positive Character Traits Activity
Starting the year with a positive attitude will last through the school year. Creating an activity where students can express a positive attribute to be part of a collective “Who We Are” as a class bulletin board is a great team-building activity.
21. Jawsome Back To School Shark Activities
Writing exercises for students to show what they are looking forward to in the new school year is a great way to learn about your students.
22. Classroom Time Capsule Activity
Creating classroom time capsules are an inventive way to seize the moment and all the memories made throughout the year, starting from day one of school.
23. Simple Back To School Crafts
Popsicle stick photo holders and apple plate mosaic crafts are fun, memorable ways to practice simple skills such as cutting, painting, and gluing.
24. Calendario Para Ninos
Dual lesson activities such as creating crafts that teach are always a plus: crayon calendar to teach the months and dates.
25. Handprints First Day Of School Tradition
The kissing hand is a sweet classic back-to-school book that makes a beautiful first day of school craft and memory.
26. Pete The Cat First Day Craft
Stories accompanied by crafts are a fun school activity. This Pete the Cat craft allows students to be creative and design a shoe of their own.
27. Kids Painting First Day Crafts
Crafts can be fun to make students feel comfortable on their first day.
28. Back To School Name Tag Challenge
Having students’ design desk decor that shows their creativity and interests is a positive way for teachers to get to know their students.
29. Painted Some Handprints Craft
Handprint crafts create perfect memories of how small students were when they began their journey in school.
30. Back To School Crayon Challenge Day
Challenge your students to a coloring contest and watch the creativity come alive!
31. Back To School Friendship Sandwich
Activities inspired by stories read to the class will help students learn basic concepts and lessons discussed in the book.
32. Back To School Puzzle Activity
Puzzles are a great activity to develop a long list of skills, from memory skills and problem-solving, but this activity also adds spelling practice.
33. A Letter To/From Your Teacher On The First Day Of School
Receiving a letter from your teacher is a delightful way to welcome students. It’s a perfect way for teachers to share something about themselves and tell students how excited they are for the new year.
34. Crayon Box Themed Letter Number Strips Activity
Make teaching the alphabet fun, for example, teaching students to recognize the letters when shown differently.
35. Welcome Back Getting To Know You Activity
Students will have fun learning about each other and how all the different pieces of the puzzle make up a wonderful you.
36. Back To School Writing Templates
Writing exercise help teachers learn about their students and allows students to express themselves.
37. Apple Alphabet Clip Activity
Letter recognition activities to ease into learning. This clothes pin alphabet activity also serves as fine motor practice.
38. Back To School Sudoku
Sudoku is so much fun! A great exercise to get students’ minds working after summer vacation.
39. Back To School Self Portraits
Student self-portraits are an expressive and colorful way to introduce the class.
40. Geometric All About Me
Getting to know students and classmates is fun with a geometric craft.
We hope this collection of activities, crafts, and awesome back-to-school decorating ideas inspire you to make this year the very best school year! And remember, unique bulletin board ideas can start with inspiration from other teachers, so once you make yours, share it!
