“Our Class Is a Family” bulletin boards build classroom community by giving every student a visible spot on a shared display. The concept ties directly to the popular children’s book of the same name and works especially well during the first weeks of school, when students are still learning names and building trust. These boards range from simple photo displays to interactive projects that students help create and update throughout the year.
Visual Themes That Work
The most popular designs center on a few core motifs, each reinforcing the idea that the classroom is a shared home.
- Houses: Students cut and glue pieces to build individual paper houses, then the houses are grouped together on the board to form a neighborhood. A schoolhouse centerpiece ties the display together.
- Class quilts: Each student decorates two quilt squares with drawings, facts about themselves, or words that describe them. The squares are arranged edge to edge to create a patchwork quilt effect across the board.
- Polaroid-style photos: Teachers take a snapshot of each student (or have students draw self-portraits), then mount them in frames designed to look like instant photos. Clothespins and string across the board give it a photo-line feel.
- Family portraits: Students draw their own families or create self-portraits, and the artwork stays up all year as a reminder that everyone belongs.
- Trees: A large tree anchored in the center of the board, with leaves or branches holding each student’s name, photo, or handprint. This works especially well as a “family tree” variation.
- Hearts and banners: Editable heart cutouts with student names serve as simple accents, while triangle pennant banners spell out the title phrase across the top.
Any of these can be mixed. A tree trunk with quilt-square leaves, or a house surrounded by polaroid portraits, adds dimension without much extra prep.
Getting Students Involved
The board has more staying power when students physically contribute to it rather than just seeing their names pinned up. At the start of the year, have each student complete a craftivity (a house, quilt square, or portrait) that becomes part of the display. This gives them ownership of the board from day one.
Beyond the initial build, interactive elements keep students returning to the board throughout the semester. Sticky notes work well here. Students can write something they are thankful for, post a shout-out to a classmate who helped them, or share a favorite memory from the week. A designated “kind words” section lets students grab an encouraging note when they need one and add their own notes for others.
Another option is a “getting to know you” flap game. Post a photo of each student under a flap labeled with their name. Classmates lift the flap to match names to faces, which is especially useful in the first few weeks when everyone is still learning who’s who. Later in the year, swap the photos for fun facts and let students guess which classmate wrote each one.
For younger students, simpler participation works best. Handprint cutouts in paint, coloring pages they complete at their desks, or a single sentence strip (“I make our class family strong by…”) are all low-prep ways to make the board feel collaborative.
Designing the Layout
Start with a background color that makes the title pop. Bright solids like teal, yellow, or coral are common choices, though some teachers prefer a neutral kraft-paper background to let student work stand out. Pin or staple the title banner across the top: “Our Class Is a Family” in large, readable letters.
Arrange student pieces symmetrically when possible. Quilt squares naturally form a grid. Houses line up along a “street” at the bottom of the board. Photo frames look balanced in rows of equal length. If you have an odd number of students, place a centerpiece element (the book cover, a heart, a schoolhouse) in the gap.
Leave a small open section for interactive additions like sticky notes or shout-out cards. This keeps the board from looking cluttered on day one but gives it room to grow as the year goes on. A small pocket or envelope pinned to the corner can hold blank cards and markers so students can contribute without needing to ask.
Keeping It Fresh All Year
A board that never changes eventually blends into the wall. Small seasonal updates keep students engaged without requiring a full redesign.
In fall, swap plain name hearts for leaf-shaped cutouts in autumn colors. Before winter break, layer in paper snowflakes or have students create snowmen with their own photos as the faces, a simple craft that doubles as a gift they can take home to their families. In spring, replace the winter accents with flowers or butterflies and ask students to write one thing they have learned since the board first went up.
A “12 Days of Kindness” overlay works well in December. Hang ornament cutouts over the existing display, each hiding a random act of kindness. Students lift one ornament per day and complete the task, reinforcing the family theme through action rather than decoration.
At the end of the year, give students a reflection prompt: write a favorite memory, a thank-you to a classmate, or a goal for next year. Pin these around the original display so students can see how the class family grew over the months.
Supplies and Prep Time
Most versions of this board require only standard classroom supplies: bulletin board paper, a border trim, construction paper, scissors, glue sticks, and markers. Printable kits available on teacher resource sites provide ready-made letters, banners, and templates for houses, quilt squares, or photo frames, which can cut setup time significantly.
Expect to spend 30 to 60 minutes assembling the background, border, and title. The student-created pieces take one class period to complete, sometimes two if you are doing a multi-step craft like building paper houses. Once the base is up, seasonal refreshes take 15 minutes or less since you are only swapping accent pieces.
If you plan to use real student photos, send a quick note home to families at the start of the year. Some teachers prefer self-portraits for this reason, since they sidestep photo permissions entirely and give students one more way to make the board their own.