Bulletin boards have always been a staple of preschool classrooms, but recently, teachers have begun creating interactive bulletin boards perfect for hands-on learning and creativity. When deciding on a preschool classroom theme many teachers may wonder “what is an interactive bulletin board?” or “how is it different from a regular bulletin board?”
An interactive bulletin board encourages direct, hands-on involvement from your preschoolers whether it be in picking a theme or helping decorate the board as part of an ongoing activity. Interactive bulletin boards are for more than just displaying student work or classroom decorations, they’re a way to involve your little learners in the important process of making the classroom fun and comfortable for everyone!
The GIANT Encyclopedia of Kindergarten Activities has activities for all ages and wonderful interactive bulletin board ideas for preschoolers. Here are some interactive bulletin board ideas you can try in your classroom today!
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom These Are the Letters I’ve Learned in My Room
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
- Poster board
- Bulletin board paper
- Ticky Tac or tape
- Pointer or yardstick
What to do:
- Read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom at the beginning of the year.
- Cut two large palm trees swaying into each other from poster board. Also cut out 26 coconuts for the alphabet plus a few others for decoration.
- Label each of the 26 coconuts with a letter of the alphabet (upper- and lowercase.)
- Glue or tape the tress to a large piece of bulletin board paper. Attach it to the bulletin board or a wall in the classroom. Write the title “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom These Are the Letters I’ve Learned in My Room” above the palm trees.
- As the children learn the letters of the alphabet, let them attach the coconut to the tree or near the tree. At the end of the year, the tree will be full.
- Every time you add a letter to the tree, review the letters already on the tree. Choose a child to stand by the tree with a pointer (to point to the letter). As you call out a letter, the whole group says the phonetic sounds for that letter.
Animal Habitats Interactive Bulletin Board
- Classroom bulletin board
- Clip art or cut-out magazine pictures of zoo, rainforest, arctic, and jungle animals
- Small tub
- Construction paper
What to do:
- Divide the bulletin board into four section using tape. Place a picture of a different animal habitat (zoo, rainforest, arctic, and jungle) in each section.
- Stick several pieces of Velcro on the bulletin board in each category.
- Laminate a variety of animal clip or magazine pictures and put small pieces of Velcro on the back of each one.
- Put all the pictures into one tub and mix them up.
- The children take turns pulling an animal picture out of the tub and putting it in the correct habitat.
- This is a great way to encourage discussion, because some animals belong in several groups.