New Year's Bulletin Board Ideas for Teachers

Get ready to kick off the New Year in your upper elementary classroom with simple and engaging New Year bulletin board ideas that help students reflect, reset, and feel excited about what’s ahead in the second half of the school year! 

I love to reset our classroom after a long winter break by revisiting the classroom rules and expectations, reviewing procedures, and building community! One way to build community after a long time off from school is by creating a New Year's bulletin board to encourage our classroom community to start the new year with positivity.

A thoughtfully planned New Year bulletin board is a simple way to welcome students back after a long winter break while setting a positive tone for the months ahead. When students are involved in creating the bulletin board, it builds a sense of ownership and helps ease them back into a focused, ready-to-learn mindset.

Creating a New Year bulletin board display can help your classroom feel fresh, especially during the long winter months. Whether your focus is kindness, goal setting, celebrating a fresh start, or comparing the New Year to the Lunar New Year, a meaningful display gives students a visual reminder that a new year brings new opportunities to grow, learn, and support one another.

A motivational New Year bulletin board does more than decorate your wall! It helps build classroom community, sparks conversations about goals and positive choices, and encourages students to start the year with a positive mindset. 

You will love these different New Year bulletin board ideas that are easy to use and make a big impact on your students. 

1. Bring Kindness in the New Year

I love bringing kindness into the classroom every chance I get! This easy-to-assemble bulletin board has motivational quotes to encourage kids to focus on kindness in the new year. The student templates offer students a chance to be included in the creation of the bulletin board. My kids love to decorate the New Year-themed templates to add to our motivational display.

Grab the free New Year-themed mini posters to spread kindness this New Year!

2. Make Your Mark on the New Year

The kids LOVE the characters on these posters that motivate them to "make their mark" on the new year! The kids love to share what they want to accomplish in the new year. Once the posters are up, pick one poster each day to discuss. We chat about one poster during the morning meeting. The kids share how they can put the suggestion on the poster into action. Student templates are included to help the kids share their hopes and dreams for the new year.

3. SEL - Build Yourself Up in the New Year

If you are trying to get SEL, social emotional learning, into your classroom this New Year bulletin board set is just what you need to kick off the new calendar year! This poster set includes headers for the New Year and winter, making it perfect to use all season long. The posters promote self-love and positivity. Try using these to kick off morning discussions. Go one step further and have each poster serve as a writing prompt that students reflect on. 

4. Get Crafty and Set Resolutions

The kids love to color and create hands-on crafts! This New Year craft twist on vision boards is a great way to have students put their fine motor skills to work as they color, cut, and create a New Year craft. The kids love to reflect as they welcome the New Year by writing three goals they have, two new things that they want to try, and one word to represent the New Year. These New Year's cityscapes make an eye-catching bulletin board for the New Year.

5. Keep it Simple and Student Focused

Short on time? Keep it simple! On the first day back from break, have the students complete a poster with all of their New Year's hopes and dreams. When student work is completed, display their posters with a simple New Year bulletin board banner. This is perfect to display all January long!

6. Goal Setting Poetry

Looking for a twist on the traditional SMART goal-setting activity? You will love this goal-setting diamante poetry activity. Students set goals and write diamante poems that can be displayed right away, making the first days after winter break engaging.

Everything is included to teach this New Year poetry lesson: an anchor chart, modeled example, rubric, fast finisher challenge, and easy-cut bulletin board letters. Writing diamante goal-setting poems is an easy way to combine goal setting, writing, and a New Year bulletin board display piece that your students will be proud to share.

A more structured lesson on SMART goals is also a great way to teach students how to plan and track the measurable goals they set.

7. Tie in the Lunar New Year

I love connecting the New Year to the Lunar New Year by comparing and contrasting the two holidays. After we read and learn about these two holidays, I have the kids complete shape poems about each of the two New Year celebrations. This is a great way to have them show what they learned in a visual way. The completed shape poems make a great display that can be left up all winter long.

Creating a New Year bulletin board is a simple yet meaningful way to inspire your students as soon as they return from winter break! Your bulletin board will serve as a daily reminder that a new year brings new opportunities to grow and do our best. It also adds an uplifting and purposeful touch to your classroom as students settle back in after winter break. 

So, grab your supplies, get creative, and kick off the New Year with a bulletin board that motivates and encourages your upper elementary students from day one!

Happy teaching!

Looking for no-prep activities for
New Year's? Head HERE!

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5 Lunar New Year Lesson Ideas for Upper Elementary

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*affiliate links: “Think Grow Giggle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.” (source: Section 5)

Ugly Sweater Activities for Kids in Upper Elementary

December in the classroom is always an exciting time, making it the perfect time to mix in some fun and creative lessons. One trend I love to bring into the classroom during December is the ugly sweater trend! It is a great way to keep things festive without focusing on just one holiday - the kids are always engaged and highly motivated with this topic, too!

Not sure how to get started? I can help! These four easy and fun ways to bring ugly sweaters into your classroom will have your students engaged and learning in no time. Plus, since these activities focus on reading, writing, and math standards that you must teach anyway, they are a great way to enjoy learning! The best part? These activities are not holiday-specific, so they can be used with all your students in your classroom!

So, dive into these ideas and make it an Ugly Sweater Week in your upper elementary classroom this December! 

1. Learn the History of this Trend

I found that kids LOVE to know how and when something started, especially a trend that they know about, and ugly sweaters are no different! Read about the history of this fun trend and bring in comprehension activities. This makes the perfect whole-group or small-group reading activity during December! You'll definitely learn a thing or two, too!

2. Sell that Sweater! An Ugly Sweater Persuasive Project

Kids LOVE to color and design their own ugly sweater, so put that creativity to work! Have your students brainstorm, plan, and design a sweater that they can sell. Don't stop there! Have your students use persuasive writing techniques to craft a pitch to sell the ugly sweater they designed. I encourage students to create a sweater with a theme so that when they write their persuasive piece, they have a focus and a target audience.

3. Get Crafty

Real ugly sweaters have all the bells and whistles, literally! Offer your students some fun craft supplies and bows to add to their ugly sweaters. Not only does this give students more opportunities to be creative and create unique sweaters, but it also gives them more to write about in their persuasive pieces! Keep it simple by using whatever supplies you have in one of your many teacher closets!

Grab some free ugly sweater templates below.

4. Bring in Some Math

Get your kids up and moving with a quick game of scoot using ugly sweater-themed word problem task cards. "Scoot" is a fun and active learning game that’s great for reviewing skills or practicing new concepts. 

To play Scoot, place task cards with questions or problems on each student’s desk or around the room. Give each student an answer sheet with numbered spaces that match the cards. Students start at one station, read the task card, and write their answer in the correct spot. After enough time has been given for students to solve each problem, call out “Scoot!” and everyone moves to the next station to repeat the process. 

Keep going until all the stations have been visited. At the end, review the answers as a class or collect the sheets to check their work. To make it smoother, practice how students will move between stations before starting, and use a timer or music to keep everyone on track. 

These ugly sweater-themed task cards are differentiated. If you are using the different level task cards in your classroom, you might try using them within centers so that each student is completing the level that is just right for them!

Rather get creative during math? Bring in art with this design a sweater project. It is easy to use! After students complete each math word problem, they match their solution to a direction for decorating their sweater. Once all problems are solved, students will have a completed ugly sweater!

Bonus Idea: Have an Ugly Sweater Day!

Yes, wear an ugly sweater during the week of ugly sweater learning! Encourage your students to wear one, too.

December is such a magical time to be in the classroom, and adding an ugly sweater theme is a fun way to keep students engaged while still meeting learning goals. These activities bring creativity, critical thinking, and standards-based skills together in a way that’s festive but inclusive for everyone. From reading about the history of ugly sweaters to designing, crafting, and solving math problems, there are so many ways to incorporate this trend into your lessons. Your students will love the chance to be creative, active, and collaborative during these projects. So, grab some supplies, plan your activities, and maybe even wear your own ugly sweater for a little extra classroom cheer!

Happy Holidays!

                 You will love these related posts:

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              Check out my favorite Holiday activities HERE.

Like these Dear Santa Persuasive Letters.

Tap the picture below for more Ugly Sweater Fun!

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*affiliate links: “Think Grow Giggle is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.” (source: Section 5)