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!
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