Creative classroom displays are educational and encouraging for students

One way teachers can excite and inspire their students is through creative classroom displays. Seeing these imaginative walls and boards can encourage kids to use their own minds in order to perfect their grades and enjoy their studies.

Fortunately, these creations are often easy to make, as well as fun.

Showcasing Student Work

There’s almost nothing more satisfying to students than seeing their work showcased for others to admire. Not only does this encourage them to keep up the good work, but it lets them know their teacher is proud of their efforts, as well.

One fun way you can exhibit the work is by hanging it on a magnetic bulletin board or other magnetic surface with eye-catching magnets. The magnets allow you to hang their work up high and quickly re-organize or add new papers so that they are easy to see.

Choose magnets that display the student’s or their school’s names. Using magnets that are personalized makes children feel special.

Discussing with students why their work was picked can help them understand the process. Encourage the class to offer ideas on what criteria should be used to select the pieces. When they know what you are looking for, they may be able to better achieve the results you expect.

Seasonal Ideas

Teach your students about the different seasons by creating an interesting and education arrangement. Decorate the outside of the board or background you use with a border that matches the season. For instance, use snowflakes for winter, flowers for spring and leaves for fall. The border makes the exhibition more pleasing to the eye and draws their attention.

Pick a theme for each month or use the holidays to give you ideas. For instance, January can feature a New Year’s theme and February a Valentine’s motif. Or you could choose rain for April and sun for July.

Get your students involved in the layout and help them pay attention to the weather by having them take turns writing a description of the weather for each day. Doing so makes the board interactive and teaches them about the type of weather each season and month brings.

Another way to include the students in the arrangement is to have them bring in objects that are found in the season. For example, they can collect flowers for spring, leaves for fall and pine cones for the winter. Allow the children to hang the items on the board.

Assign a student to take pictures of the board at the end of the month. Such a task teaches how to use a camera and gets the children involved.

Encouraging Selfless Acts and Good Behavior

Students are often caught exhibiting a variety of behaviors. Unfortunately, these behaviors aren’t always positive. Encourage the children to have good manners and to help others by creating a layout that features them in these admirable acts.

The acts don’t have to be ground-breaking. Simply assisting another child when cleaning up a mess or helping her understand an assignment can be rewarded. This lets the children know it is easy and rewarding to help others, and may encourage them to continue to do so.

Take a picture of the student in the midst of his good deed and have him write a synopsis of what he did. If he helped another child, allow him or her to take the picture or write the composition.
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Allow the child to hang the picture and report on the board and give him or her a small reward, such as a pencil. Pencils that feature encouraging messages or other inspirational ideas may entice them to keep up the good work. Letting them get involved with the process may also cause others to follow in their classmates’ steps.

Creative classroom displays not only tap into the artistic side of you and your students’ brains, but they allow you to feature motivational and inspiring pieces that encourage all of you to be better in both academics and in life.

Resources:

Responsive Classrooms: Displaying Student Work

About.com: Elementary Classroom Bulletin Ideas