Winter is the perfect time for preschoolers to learn about weather, seasons, and other fun facts. This is a great time to create a winter themed bulletin board for your classroom.
Bulletin boards are perfect for displaying pictures or artwork. They also provide a place for children to write their thoughts, draw, color, and practice fine motor skills.
A winter theme can be incorporated into your bulletin board by using colorful pictures of winter scenes or animals in addition to seasonal words like “winter” and “ice.”
You could even use an old-fashioned calendar as a backdrop for your winter bulletin board.
These bulletin board ideas will help you decorate your classroom with fun and educational bulletin board themes.
1. ‘Like Snowflakes, We are All Unique’ Snowflake Bulletin Board
This winter bulletin board idea focuses on reminding your students that they are all special in their own unique ways.
Use a large piece of construction paper to make a background for your winter bulletin board and then cut out different shapes from colored construction paper to create snowflakes.
You could add photographs of each child inside the snowflakes, or ask them to draw and color a self-portrait of themselves.
Or, you could ask each child to write a couple of lines about what makes them special, including special talents they have, or hobbies they enjoy.
This idea is a great way to encourage individuality between students, and show that while no two people are the same, it is good to be different!
2. ‘Snow Day Fun Facts’ Snow Day Bulletin Board
Winter is known for its snowy days. Use a bulletin board to display some fun facts about snow!
Ask your students to write down interesting things they know about snow. Then, glue these facts onto the back of a picture frame.
You can add some fun facts about snow too. For example, add a picture of a snowflake, and write that every snowflake has a unique design – no two snowflakes look the same.
Another fun fact about snow is that it is a form of precipitation, just like rain, sleet, and hail. These are all forms of water that fall from clouds: snow is a form of precipitation that has partially frozen before falling.
Ask your students to write down more fun facts about snow on another piece of construction paper, and then paste those facts onto the back of the picture frames.
You can include information such as how much snow falls during a typical winter storm, or how many inches of snow there was at Mount Everest last year.
This winter bulletin board will keep kids entertained throughout the school day.
3. ‘Build Your Own Snowman’ Bulletin Board
This is a cute idea that will encourage your students to get in touch with their creative sides. Ask them to create their own snowman using art and crafts supplies.
Encourage the children to get creative with their artwork! Cotton balls can be used to make the snowy body, buttons can be used for eyes, and pipe cleaners can be used to make arms and legs.
Once they’re finished creating their snowmen, ask them to paint the faces of their creations. This will give them a chance to practice fine motor skills.
Pin all the snowmen on the board, and let them go wild! They might even want to take their snowmen home to play with them later.
4. ‘Letters To Santa’ Bulletin Board
The build up to Christmas is always exciting for young children. Let them help you decorate this winter bulletin board by writing letters to Santa Claus.
Start by gluing construction paper to a piece of cardboard so that it looks like a mailbox. Cut out a window where you would normally see a slot.
Glue a piece of construction paper over the hole, leaving an opening for the mail to come through.
Ask all the children to write letters to Santa, asking what they would like to receive for Christmas.
Then, they can hand in their letters, and you can either pin them to the board or give them to their parents at the end of the day.
When they’ve written all their letters, have them draw pictures of their presents on construction paper.
Add details such as wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows. Once everything’s complete, cut out each present, and attach it to the board.
Decorate the board with bows and scraps of wrapping paper. If you’d like, you can also use glitter glue to make the presents sparkle.
5. ‘A Cup Of Cheer’ Bulletin Board
When the temperature starts to drop, there is nothing more comforting than a hot cup of cocoa. Encourage your preschoolers to express themselves creatively by making a winter-themed bulletin board filled with personalized cups of hot chocolate.
Print off templates of empty mugs – click here for a good example – and hand out the sheets to the children.
Then, ask them to use different materials, such as colored pens, pencils, markers, crayons, or stickers, to personalize the mugs.
Ask them to design the cup of cocoa as they would like to drink it: for example, adding whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, and toasted marshmallows.
Get creative with this task, using cotton balls for the cream, and creating marshmallows using puffy paint.
You can decorate the backdrop of the board to look like a cozy room with a fireplace, creating an image of a table that you can pin all the children’s cups of cocoa onto.
Use bold lettering to spell ‘A Cup of Cheer’ across the board!
Additionally, you can add words of encouragement and inspiring quotes to the board, adding the ‘cheer’.
6. ‘Don’t Have A Meltdown’ Bulletin Board
Pre-schoolers are very young, and can have trouble controlling their emotions at times.
Due to their ages, they may not be able to understand why they feel upset, but they know that when they get angry, they lose control.
It’s important to teach them how to deal with these situations.
This winter bulletin board is perfect for helping them learn about different techniques they can use when they feel that they are ‘losing their cool’.
Cut out white sheets of paper in shapes of clouds, and write these techniques inside so that the children can read them later.
For example, one technique could be to count to 10 while closing their eyes. Another option is to take deep breaths.
You can also encourage them to think about something else, such as counting down from 100 or writing down positive things about themselves.
By creating a bulletin board that will remind them to stay focused and happy during stressful moments, you will be helping them to learn how to control their emotions.
Of course, we cannot expect pre-schoolers to know how to do this perfectly, but it will certainly help to teach them these techniques at a young age.
7. ‘The North Pole’ Bulletin Board
If you ask preschoolers what the North Pole is, they may only know that it is where Santa Claus lives, or where the elves make presents for Christmas.
This is a good opportunity to teach them about the geography and history of the North Pole by showing them pictures of the area on the board.
Use images of snowflakes, sledges, reindeer, polar bears, and other items associated with the region. Add some facts about the region, such as its location and climate.
Some interesting facts about the North Pole include, ‘no one actually lives there’, and ‘there is no official time zone’.
Use the majority of the board to place photographs of the North Pole, and fill the blank spaces with fun, interesting facts about the place.
8. ‘(S)Mitten With Winter’ Bulletin Board
During the winter, we all need to wrap up nice and warm so that we do not get too cold.
To help us fight the cold, we must wear thick layers of clothing, including gloves, scarves, hats, and mittens.
For this board, print off some outlines of mittens – just like these – and ask the students to color them using crayons or markers.
Make sure that they write their names on the mittens so that you are able to distinguish between them.
You can then cut out the mittens and glue them to the board. The children will love seeing their own name written on the mittens, and will enjoy seeing which pair belongs to whom.
It is important to teach the young children why we should wear warm clothing during the winter. This is especially true if you live somewhere that has harsh winters.
By making this board, you can show your students that wearing warm clothes helps keep them safe from getting sick.
Add some information about the benefits of wearing warm clothing, such as keeping you healthy and protecting you from catching a cold.
9. ‘Christmas Decorations’ Bulletin Board
In order to celebrate the start of winter, many people decorate their homes with wreaths, lights, and decorations.
To help your students understand why we put up decorations during the winter, create a board that shows a picture of a house decorated for the holidays.
Include some facts about the holidays in the space provided.
Ask the students to decorate the house, adding any additional details that they would like to see, such as snowmen, trees, stars, and candy canes.
You could even have the children add a few extra touches, such as wrapping paper around windows and doors.
10. ‘Warm Up With A Good Book’ Bulletin Board
When the weather gets colder outside, it is important to stay warm inside.
You should encourage your students to use this time wisely, reading books instead of watching television or playing video games.
Create a bulletin board that includes numerous book covers, and a quote about how reading can be fun, immersing yourself in fictional worlds.
Ask the children to choose a book to read – or one they have already read – and to make notes about what they liked best about the story.
If you want to make the board more interactive, you might consider asking the students to choose a favorite character from the book and draw him or her. Then, ask them to write down what makes the character special.
Additionally, you could add suggestions for other good books to read, along with pictures of books that look similar to those included on the board.
For preschoolers, we suggest books written by Roald Dahl, Dr. Seuss, and Beatrix Potter. These authors are famous for writing stories that are full of imagination and humor, and are easy for young children to read.
They also include characters who are very different from each other, allowing the children to learn about diversity.
11. ‘Winter Weather Safety Tips’ Bulletin Board
The winter months bring with them a number of dangers, including the risk of slipping on patches of ice, or catching illnesses due to not wearing warm clothes.
You can help prevent accidents by creating a bulletin board that encourages students to take care when walking through snowy areas.
Encourage your students to wear warm clothing by suggesting that they wear long pants, boots, gloves, scarves, hats, and coats.
Remind them that it is never safe to walk over frozen lakes, ponds, or rivers, and that they should always watch where they step: frozen water can easily break if too much weight is put on it.
If they do slip, remind them to get back onto dry land quickly, and never try to stand on an icy surface.
Add these tips to the board in a child-friendly way, using jokes and rhymes to teach the kids safety rules.
12. ‘Disney’s Frozen’ Themed Bulletin Board
It has been almost a whole decade since Disney’s Frozen was released, yet it still remains popular among preschoolers.
This movie teaches many valuable lessons, such as kindness, bravery, friendship, and loyalty.
To help your students remember these values, create a bulletin board inspired by the film.
You can find images online, or you can even create your own images of characters from the movie using different materials like paper, paint, glitter, stickers, etc.
The most popular characters from Frozen include Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, and Olaf the snowman. Use the board to display these characters, and different quotes from the movie.
13. ‘It’s Cool To Be Kind’ Bulletin Board
One of the main messages of ‘It’s Cool To Be Kind’ is that everyone deserves respect.
Help your students understand this message by making a bulletin board that features quotes about being kind, encouraging them to share their positive thoughts with others.
For the background of the board, use bright shades of blue and white to convey a winter scene, and add plenty of snowflakes and snowmen. Use bold fonts to emphasize the words, and scatter quotes all across the board.
Some quotes you may use include “Be kind because everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle,” and “We’re all connected.”
14. ‘Hibernating For The Winter’ Bulletin Board
Do your students know that animals hibernate during cold weather?
Create a bulletin board that helps your students understand how animals survive during winter. Use images of animals that hibernate during the colder months, such as polar bears and squirrels, to make the point.
Use large, colorful posters to give the board some depth, and place the poster at eye level so that children have to look up to see it.
Add a few facts about each animal, and encourage your students to write down any questions they might have about the topic so you can answer them through the board.
You could also create a separate section for information about the animals, including what they eat, where they live, and other interesting facts.
15. ‘Our Class Is Cool!’ Bulletin Board
Lastly, here is an idea for an interactive bulletin board that all your students can get involved in making.
The aim for this board is to show the children how special they are, displaying pictures of them on the board.
Ask them to draw pictures of themselves, using colored pens and pencils. Then ask them to hand in their drawings so you can pin them to the board.
Or, an even more fun idea is to ask the children to draw themselves as snowmen! Ask them to design a snowman that looks like them, using different materials to design them.
For example, those with blonde hair could attach yellow colored strands of wool to their snowman’s head.
Pin these drawings to the board, and then let the children decorate the rest of the board using markers, paints, glitter, stickers, or whatever else inspires them.
Final Thoughts
Bulletin boards are great tools for teaching kids important lessons, but if you don’t plan ahead, you’ll end up spending hours trying to figure out how to put everything together.
Hi, my name is Helena Waters and I was a teacher for 40 years before retiring last year.
During my time as a teacher I dedicated the majority of it to making classrooms as fun as possible, with educational parties, fun activities, and low cost entertainment that made the children excited about learning.
I taught children of all ages, from preschoolers to high school students. Now, with the pandemic having uprooted everything that children once knew about school and learning, I think that the need for my ideas is bigger than ever.
That is why I created School Sparks, a place in which I can write down and share all of my ideas on how to get students excited about going to school again. I hope that you’ll find some useful within a school setting, even at home too!
