My classroom is the home away from home for my students and me, so I try to make it as welcoming, inviting, and inspiring as possible. A few years ago, I decided to change things up and try DIY bulletin board ideas to get my classroom ready for my newest group of students.
After a trip to Target and seeing all the cute $1 borders and classroom decor, I was inspired to create some fresh bulletin board designs for the school year. Fonts are an important detail for me, so I didn't want to pay for the premade letter sets that also require me to punch out, sort, and organize. Those letters never look as good anyway after you have already stapled them the first time.
Since I typically leave my three bulletin boards up year-round, I decided to use PowerPoint to create my letters. Technically, you can follow the same steps below in Google Slides, but you can't install custom fonts. This is what makes PowerPoint my preferred choice for customizing fonts.
See the steps below and discover how easy it is to create your own bulletin board letters! If you are looking for more wall ideas for your learning space, I share how I set up my classroom here.
Step #1: SET YOUR SLIDE DESIGN SIZE
- Open PowerPoint
- Click on DESIGN
- Set the width to 11 in.
- Set the height to 8.5 in.
- You can download these printable PDF letters from the example above. They are ready to go, and you can print them at home, through Canva, or send to Staples!
Step #2: CHOOSE YOUR FONT & SIZE
- Determine the font you want to use. My current favorite is AG Fonts Sorry Not Sorry
- Size the font so that it takes up as much of the page as possible (my letters were size 605)
Step #3: TYPE YOUR LETTERS, ONE PER SLIDE
- Make a NEW SLIDE for each letter
- Type out all of the letters in your display
Step #4: SAVE FILE AS A PDF FOR EASY PRINTING
- I convert my slideshow into a PDF because I send my bulletin board letters to Staples for printing. The ink and paper provided by their copy service center are perfect.
- Click SAVE AS
- Click on MORE OPTIONS
- Click on PDF
- Click SAVE
- By creating a PDF document, your font will stay in place no matter where you print your letters.
Step #5: PRINT YOUR LETTERS OR SEND TO STAPLES
- Print your letters. Here is a PDF printing guide if you run into any issues.
- As mentioned above, I upload mine to the Staples site and pick them up when they are ready. Black-and-white copies are around 10 cents each. In addition, the quality is far better than my own printer. Since I am using the display for the year, it is well worth the money.
- Save ink with the “no fill” trick! If your letters are going to be anything but black, you can save ink by using colored paper and printing only the letter outlines to cut out. A black outline will show up enough on some black colored paper, but it is obviously tough to see.
- 110 lb cardstock is the best paper for the highest quality, but standard printer paper works fine for one-time use or for sending to Staples.
Step #6: CUT OUT LETTERS AND DISPLAY!
With my letters cut out, on-sale fabric for the background, and $1 borders from Target to add pizzazz, I am ready to get my bulletin boards up and ready for class!
Need more ideas for your classroom wall space?
Check out my ELA Classroom Bundle, which includes my best purposeful wall ideas for only $12!
