Classroom Bulletin Board Backgrounds

It’s almost that time!  Many teachers are either already back in school or prepping for the new school year to begin!  I have found there is a love/hate relationship with bulletin boards:  either you love to be creative and put them together or you consider them a necessary evil.  Just the decision of what to use as a background can be enough to push you over the edge – lol!

Here is a roundup of some (maybe) new-to-you suggestions for how to cover the bulletin board before creating your back to school masterpiece!

I love this board from Fourth Grade Florida Fun, which uses decorative fadeless paper instead of the standard butcher or roll paper your school most likely has on hand to use.  It can really jazz up a bulletin board.

Basic fabric can be found in every color and pattern you could possibly want.  Hit up the fabric store instead of the teacher supply store for this option.  And it is usually pretty inexpensive too!  Or use bed sheets!

Bulletin Board Decorations

Burlap is perfect for a western or rustic classroom theme – and you won’t be able to notice the pin or staple holes either!  Love this one from Smitten with First!

Have some extra wrapping paper laying around?  Fern Smith shows you how to jazz up a bulletin board and even better if you get it on clearance after the holidays!

Something more nontraditional:  how about aluminum foil?  Depending on your board topic, it might be perfect!  I am thinking rainbow fish, a cookie sheet, or something else shiny.

Smilin’ in Second created her own “new” bulletin board by placing a plastic tablecloth over an old whiteboard – pretty snazzy!

Something as simple as adding white contact paper to a plain background can also completely change the look and feel, which is what Rowdy in First Grade did!   {You could also use any other type of decorative tape  on your choice of paper too!}

How about newspaper for a classroom news bulletin board?

Or wax paper?   I can see this being super cute for a bulletin board where you have a winter scene.

I know a ton of teachers who simply just painted the background of their bulletin boards each year so they never had to think about covering them.  No seams, wrinkles, or fading to contend with all year long.

Mrs. Teachnology just grabbed her favorite scrapbook paper patterns and created her own unique block style background.

Classroom Bulletin Board Borders

A shower curtain is also an easy way to find a pattern you love!

Need a quick idea?  How about a color block of simple tissue paper?  I think this idea from Cross Curricular Corner is gorgeous!

So this one is not really a background, but I was thinking about how you could use maps as a background and this came up on my search list from Lessons Learned.  I thought it was amazing!

I know this is going to BLOW YOUR MIND, but my favorite bulletin board background?  None at all.  In fact, I rarely ever cover the background.  I preferred the natural look of the cork.  Once I tossed a cute border up around the edges and added my board content, the background wasn’t really even noticeable anyway.

Do you use something different on your bulletin boards?  We would love to have even more suggestions in the comments below and thanks for sharing!