5 Cost Effective Bulletin Board Tips for Teachers

Your bulletin boards not only set the theme for your classroom, but they are also valuable teaching tools, and kids love to see them change with the seasons. Costs can add up quickly, though, so reusing items you already own (and storing them safely until next year) lets you stretch your bulletin board budget and make the most of the components you already have.

5 Cost-Effective Bulletin Board Tips for Teachers

1. Storage

Use specialty storage for long border strips and oversized components. Instead of folding, rolling, or stacking these long, slim strips and hoping for the best, store them in see-through, hanging chart bags. You can mount the bag on a hook and see the strips you have on hand in an instant. Use an oversized square storage bag for large, oddly shaped cutouts and seasonal pieces so you can see what you have (and avoid damaging these expensive pieces).

2. Share

Share materials with other teachers. At the start of the year, look to see what bulletin board changes you might want to make and swap with other teachers for the materials you need. They may have used that snowflake set two years in a row and be ready for something new – trade them your penguins or other winter decorations, and you’ll both have something fresh without spending a dime.

3. Glue Dots

Use removable Glue Dots to prolong the life of your components.  These are safer for classroom use and make adding and removing items a snap, and you don’t have to use pushpins in your classroom. A fallen pin poses a safety risk to all, and young students could even remove the pins and become injured; adhesive only sticks where you want it to, and does not pose a safety risk.

4. Save

Use sturdy, recyclable, and dedicated pieces to store your bulletin board pieces when you take them down. Store fonts together and make folders for specific seasons, and you’ll easily be able to find what you need next year. Since many pre-made bulletin board cutout sets come with more pieces than you need, store the extras as you create your newest board; you’ll have a ready supply of options for the following year.

5. Laminate

Preserve your reusable pieces: Make the most of your bulletin board investment and save time by laminating letters and other items you’ll use again and again. Once you build a library of laminated bulletin board letters, cutouts and accents, you’ll be able to reuse them and save money, year after year. From holiday pieces to basic letters, numbers or shapes, when you laminate your components, they’ll simply hold up longer.

Need even more bulletin board ideas? Read our post about Classroom Bulletin Board Tips & Tricks for inspiring tips and tricks to make the most of your time, space and resources.