For many kids, preschool is their first independent schooling experience. Use a bulletin board to make each child feel special and loved in this new environment. A "Welcome" bulletin board should be colorful, organized and have each student's name included as part of the design.
Staple the words "Welcome to Our Pad" in green letters across the top of a bulletin board lined in yellow paper. Staple a large, smiling frog cut from green construction paper to the center of the board. Surround the frog with green ovals, representing lily pads. Write each student's name on a lily pad.
Alternatively, line the bulletin board with blue paper and staple the words "The Seeds of Learning Begin Here" across the top. Make a half-circle slice of watermelon with red and green construction paper. Staple the watermelon slice to the center of the board. Cut black, oval seeds to staple around the watermelon and write each child's name on a watermelon seed with a white crayon.
Motivate and inspire kids with an uplifting bulletin board theme. On a bulletin board lined in blue paper, staple the words "Big Things Happen in Preschool." Cut a large elephant that's stomping its feet and smiling from gray construction paper and staple it in the center of the board. From green construction paper, cut a strip that looks like grass and staple it at the elephant's feet. Staple pictures of classroom learning areas around the elephant.
Line a bulletin board in yellow paper. Staple the words "High 5 for Doing Your Best!" across the top. On the first day of school, invite the children to place their open hand in a paper plate covered in acrylic paint then make their handprint on the bulletin board. Write the name of each student under his handprint. At the end of the school year, compare each handprint with each child's actual hand size, as a tangible way to track growth over the year.
In order for the brain to reach its academic potential, the learning environment must feel safe for kids. Keep the preschool setting safe and orderly by posting classroom expectations for the year on a bulletin board.
Line a bulletin board with colored paper. Staple large green, yellow and red circles in the arrangement of a traffic signal along the left side of the board. Across the top of the board, staple the words "Let's Follow the Rules" in black letters. In large, simple sentences, write out three or four classroom expectations. Next to each, include a picture of children performing the desired behavior. Periodically reflect on these rules with the students.
Part of creating an inviting learning environment is developing a theme in the classroom. Preschool students enjoy categorizing and sorting things that belong to a set or theme.
Build a classroom around the theme of trains. On a bulletin board lined in white paper, staple the words "We're Riding the Learning Express" in black letters. Staple large rectangles of various colors in the formation of a train. Glue a picture of each child's face on one of the train cars.
Alternatively, use dolphins as the theme. In addition to displaying stuffed animal dolphins, books and posters depicting dolphins, line a bulletin board in light blue paper. Staple the words "Make a Splash at Preschool" across the top of the board in dark blue letters. Cover the bottom half of the board in dark blue, wavy paper, to represent water. Cut a dolphin out of gray construction paper and staple it in place to look like it's diving into the water. Staple ovals cut from white paper near the dolphin to represent water droplets from the splashing dolphin. Write the name of each child on an oval.