The end of the school year is fast approaching, which also means the start of summer! Kids and teachers alike are counting down the days. These summer bulletin board ideas can help keep students (and you) engaged in learning until the very last day. There are bulletin boards that include beloved characters from Star Wars, Pac-Man, and even LEGO. We love a good play on words—and there is no shortage of that in these summer bulletin board ideas!
Want the cheeriest of end-of-year bulletin boards? Here are some basic supplies to get you started. Then check out our list of 45 summer and end-of-year bulletin boards below for inspiration.
Give each student a paper T-shirt cutout to decorate and fill with their favorite school-year memories. Then hang them up for all to admire on this end-of-year bulletin board.
Bucket lists are a popular end-of-year bulletin board idea, and it’s easy to see why. Have kids create colorful buckets and a list of what they want to do over the summer.
Reflecting on the year is a nice way to wrap things up. Let each student create a pocket, then fill it with slips of paper detailing their favorite memories of days past.
Kids absolutely love this end-of-year bulletin board! Put a student’s name inside each balloon, pop one each day, and then spend the day celebrating that student. You can also fill the balloons with fun activities (have class outside, hold a dance party, etc.).
What’s not to love about these paper-plate frog faces and lily pad memories? Older kids can write more details about their favorite memory inside the frog’s mouth.
Summer bulletin board ideas that also incorporate writing prompts are some of our favorites. Your students will have fun designing their kites and sharing what they loved about school this year.
Inspired by the movie Up, this colorful end-of-year bulletin board shares where each student is heading next. Use it for seniors to show their college or work plans, or for younger kids to share what they hope to learn in the next grade.
This fun book-shaped bulletin board highlights student work from the beginning of the year and the end of the year side-by-side so they can see how far they’ve come.
Help kids talk about how they’re feeling now that the end of the year is near. Emojis make this exercise fun. Have kids choose the one that suits them best, then write about their feelings on the second circle stapled beneath. See more at the link below.
Summer bulletin board ideas that showcase student artwork like these oh-so-adorable boats and whales are some of our favorites. While you assemble the different shades of blue for the ocean, you can have your students work on the watercolor and Epsom salts sailboats. Once those are done, have them get to work re-creating these adorable paper plate whales. Finally, piece it all together for a stellar summer bulletin board.
Be like Dory from Finding Nemo and just keep swimming until you make it to the end! Don’t blame us if you walk around singing that little tune all day, though.
This is such a cute way to include your students’ photos on your summer bulletin board. Be sure to add some beach-themed images like flip-flops and palm trees too!
16. Count down the days till it’s o-“fish”-ally summer
Swim toward summer with this simple but effective end-of-year bulletin board idea. Let students color in their own fish and help you change the count each day on the mini-blackboard.
If you’re crafty, this is the bulletin board for you. All of the details in this summer bulletin board are just so adorable, from the multi-colored umbrella to the different shades of waves.
Bee in the Bookends
18. Oh, But What if You Fly?
This might take a bit more space than a regular bulletin board, but it’s definitely worth the effort. Made by students, each feather features their hopes, dreams, and wishes for the future. Assemble them into a giant pair of wings so students can pose for social media–worthy photos.
It’s so easy to get distracted as the final school days arrive. This board reminds kids they still need to do their work and be prepared for class right up until the last day.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for … books! Tip: Paste two-dimensional ice cream cones (or Popsicles!) on the board and write or attach book titles on the scoops of ice cream. Another variation of this display, which we have yet to see, is to design an ice cream freezer in which each flavor is replaced by a genre or book title (Ex: strawberry = romance, cookie dough = adventure, etc.).
Summer bulletin board ideas that also include a beloved children’s toy—yes, please! Your students will definitely get a kick out of the play on the word LEGO. You can save those Amazon boxes, cover them in dollar-store tablecloths in primary colors, and then add some small plastic bowls to the top to make the bricks.
This is the perfect bulletin board to leave up during the spring and early summer months. You can hand out yellow strips of paper and have kids write their own names on the rays while you create the smiling sun.
We love how simple this board is to re-create since all you will need is some construction paper and markers. It will be fun to see what words your students come up with as they reflect back on the past year.
Summer bulletin board ideas should be relatively simple like this one, since you’re likely tired and ready for a break! Give your students the rough shapes to create their rocket ships, then let them get to work. Then piece it all together.
This is the perfect bulletin board to pull together last minute since you can just use some basic store-bought materials.
SupplyMe
36. That’s a Wrap!
This bulletin board really ties in the current school year with the next since it includes letters of advice from current students to next year’s students. We especially love the cute play on the word wrap with the wrapped candies.
While there are lots of summer bulletin board ideas for the main classroom, it is harder to find ones for specials like P.E., art, and music. This board is perfect to get kids thinking about healthy habits during the summer months.
Kids will love creating these cute little cars and will definitely get a kick out of seeing them on display. You can change the text to show any grade or simply say “cruising into summer.”
Find the coolest pair of shades you can and then photograph each of your students wearing them. While photographing them, ask them what they want to be when they grow up and include it with their printed photo. Finally, piece it all together into this adorable summer bulletin board.
Print out pictures of your graduating students and paste them to superhero bodies flying above buildings. Your students will get a kick out of seeing themselves as superheroes graduating to the next grade.
For a fun countdown to summer break, use construction paper to make a large sun with rays. Write a number on each ray, and remove one ray every day until the sun is empty!
This bulletin board is perfect for coffee lovers. Paste a giant Starbucks coffee cup on the bulletin board and let your students know you will miss them a “latte”!
