As the school year draws to a close, it’s time to celebrate the achievements, growth, and memories made along the way. Creative end-of-year bulletin boards are a great way to showcase these accomplishments and inspire reflection. Although these might feel a little old school, you can make them feel a bit more digital by adding QR codes, too!
In this blog post, we’ll explore seven end-of-year bulletin board ideas that will spark conversations, encourage reminiscing, and leave a lasting impression on your students. I’ll also share a few quick steps and resources to help you create QR codes to add to these analog spaces.
7 End-of-Year Bulletin Board Ideas
Ready to create bulletin boards to celebrate the end of the year? Let’s dive into these few favorite ideas to make your classroom a vibrant and memorable space during the final days of the school year.
Memory Lane
Create a bulletin board filled with photos, drawings, and student quotes highlighting their favorite memories from the school year. Encourage students to contribute their own mementos to the board through pictures and illustrations. For a digital spin, add a QR code that links out to a video created by Flip or Adobe Express.
Summer Wish List
Design a bulletin board where students can add their summer wish list items. This could include places they’d like to visit or their goals for the summer. If students are familiar with a tool like Seesaw, you might ask them to draw pictures and record their voice sharing their summer wish list item. Then you can use the QR code option built into Seesaw to share their videos.
Virtual Field Trip Ideas
In addition to showcasing student work, you can use an end-of-year bulletin board to share summer resources. Use this list of favorite summer virtual field trips for inspiration. Choose a few and connect your favorite links to a QR code. You might also print out photos or screenshots to accompany each suggestion.
Future Predictions
This year we’ve seen so many changes in the EdTech space, including lots of excitement about ChatGPT. Encourage students to make predictions about what they think their classmates will be doing in 5, 10, or 20 years. You might have them make connections to emerging technologies like Generative AI. Create a bulletin board showcasing these predictions, sparking conversations and reflections on students’ potential.
Download my free ebook with ChatGPT prompts here >>
Classroom Garden
Design a bulletin board with a garden theme. It can feature student-created paper flowers, plants, or trees. Each item can represent a specific accomplishment, skill, or memory from the school year. To add a digital layer, have students record their voices on a Padlet page sharing their memory or accomplishments. Then turn that Padlet page into a QR code and add it to the corner of your bulletin board.
Our Favorite Books
Encourage students to share their favorite books from the school year. Create a bulletin board display resembling a bookshelf, with each book cover showcasing a student’s recommendation and a short review. You might also have students display their own book cover designs. They can use a tool like Adobe Express to create graphics with alternative book covers for a favorite book.
Gratitude Wall
Construct a bulletin board where students can express their gratitude to teachers, classmates, and school staff. This could include thank you notes, drawings, or short messages of appreciation. If your students would rather share their gratitude on video, create a shared folder in a space like Google Drive full of their videos. Then link this to a QR code attached to the bulletin board.
How to Make QR Codes for Your Bulletin Board
Wondering how to make a QR code? It might be easier than you think. Here are a few quick steps so you can add digital spaces to an end-of-year bulletin board by connecting the link to a QR code.
1. Choose a QR code generator
Browse the internet for a reliable and user-friendly QR code generator. Popular options include QRCode Monkey or QRStuff. You can also make a QR code straight from Canva to share a creation.
2. Determine the content type
Select the type of content you want to link to the QR code, such as a website URL, email address, contact information, or text. This will depend on the purpose of your QR code, and most likely, you’ll choose a website URL or link.
3. Input the content
Enter the required information in the appropriate fields of the QR code generator. For example, if you’re linking to a website like a class Padlet page, paste the website’s URL into the designated field.
4. Customize the design
Some QR code generators allow you to customize the appearance of your QR code. For example, you can choose different colors, add a logo, or modify the shape of the QR code elements to create a unique design that aligns with your brand or personal style. This is entirely optional and sometimes a paid feature.
5. Generate and download the QR code
Click the “Generate” or “Create QR Code” button on the QR code generator website. Once the QR code has been created, download the image file (usually in PNG or JPG format) to your computer or device. You can now use the QR code in your print or digital materials to easily scan and access your linked content.
End-of-Year Bulletin Boards
End-of-year bulletin boards are a fantastic way to celebrate your students’ accomplishments, foster reflection, and bring a touch of creativity to your classroom. By incorporating these seven ideas, you can create displays your students are proud of. As you experiment with these themes and designs, remember to personalize them to suit your students’ interests and achievements, making each bulletin board truly unique.
A reminder – don’t forget to snap a picture of your bulletin board! I wish I had taken more pictures of special displays like this as a classroom teacher for my own professional portfolio. And if you’d like to share your bulletin board creations, tag me on social media @ClassTechTips on both Instagram and Twitter.
