5 Back to School Watercolor Bulletin Board Ideas

If you are looking for back to school watercolor bulletin board ideas, then you are in the right spot! I love watercolor classroom decor, so I try to implement watercolor elements into as many of my bulletin boards as I can!

Here are 5 of my favorite back to school watercolor bulletin board ideas!

1. Back to School Llama Bulletin Board: “Let’s have a LLAMA fun this year!”

One of my all-time favorite movies is Emperor’s New Groove. So, when llamas became a thing, I thought, “It’s about time!” (I also thought, “Llama face!!!” because that’s what I think every time I see a llama). If you’re a llama-face lover yourself, then a watercolor llama bulletin board is the perfect way to welcome your new students! You can use the phrase “Let’s have a LLAMA fun” and then add an adorable watercolor llama, along with some watercolor cacti, a banner, and boom! Llama face!

Let's have a LLAMA fun bulletin board with cacti and llama — Click for ready-to-print llama bulletin board pieces

To welcome your new students even more, you can type their names onto little llamas. Or, you can wait until the first day of school and have them fill in a llama. You know what they say, “The more llamas, the better.” Okay, maybe I just say that.

Back to school bulletin board with student names on llamas

Me holding a cut-out llama that has the name, "Leah" written on the top of it. A sentence starter on it states, "I'm excited for this year because..." and then the student finished the sentence with: "We get to learn about rocks" There are colored pencils in the background as well as another llama with directions.

2. Back to school Cactus Bulletin Board: “We’re One Sharp Bunch!”

An easy watercolor bulletin board that you could do for back to school is add the phrase “We’re one sharp bunch” and then put each students’ name on a watercolor cactus. Add a watercolor banner for even more color and then you’ll be left with a really cute cactus bulletin board!

Want ready-to-edit cacti and llamas – for free?

Download this free PowerPoint file with watercolor cacti and llamas. Once you’ve downloaded it, just click the text boxes in the PowerPoint to type students’ names or anything else you want!

3. We are one fan-CACTUS class

Here is another back to school cactus bulletin board idea you can do: “We are one fan-cactus class.” You can use a mixture of script letters and print letters like I did in the bulletin board below:

Back to school cactus bulletin board: "We are one fan-cactus" class with students names on cacti

4. Let’s Grow Bulletin Board

No matter what you teach (preschool, math, english, Spanish, etc.) you can type it up and and add it to your board. Then, simply add the words: “Let’s grow in” above it. To make it a watercolor bulletin board, add watercolor flowers, cacti, trees, or anything else that grows! Give students a writing prompt about growing this upcoming year and add those to your board too!

Let's grow in 4th grade watercolor cactus bulletin board

Print this cactus graphic organizer for students. Students finish the following sentence in a B&W cactus: "My goal for growth this year is:" Then they can color it. Two per page with instructions.

5. Under the Sea Watercolor Bulletin Board

Last, but not least, is an ocean-themed back to school bulletin board. Print watercolor coral reef pieces and add them to your bulletin board.

Bulletin Board with watercolor coral reef. No words are on it.

There are so many phrases you can use with this theme!

Diving into (insert grade)
Diving into school
Diving into learning
O-fish-ally excited for school (or insert grade)
O-fish-ally excited to learn
O-fish-ally ready for a new year (or insert grade)
Our class is FINTASTIC
Life is fun under the sea
In this class we swim together

Bulletin board with watercolor coral reef with the words, "Diving into 1st grade"

After adding an ocean-themed phrase, type your students’ names onto watercolor sea animals and attach them to your bulletin board.

Back to school ocean theme bulletin board: "Diving into first grade" with student names on watercolor sea animals.

Or, on the first day of school, give students a writing activity. My favorite writing activity involves using pictures of student faces! (Perfect for the younger grades! But the older grades would get a kick out of it too!)

Diving into 1st grade graphic organizer. Directions: Finish the following sentences about this year: This year, I want to learn about..., I want to get better at..., I'm excited to..., I hope our class... Directions: Now write one (or more) of your answers in the thought bubble. Then cut out your diver, snorkel, and thought bubble.

Bulletin board that says, "Diving into 1st grade." There are pictures of kids as divers spread throughout the bulletin board. Students glue their face to a diver and then write in a think bubble about the upcoming school year. These little divers with speech bubbles are spread throughout the bulletin board.

Well there you have it! Five watercolor bulletin board ideas that you can use this upcoming year! Which one was your favorite? If I had to choose a favorite, I would choose the llama one!

A picture of me (Leah) with a llama in the background looking at the camera. I am smiling.

Good luck with your upcoming school year! It’s going to be a LLAMA work, but hopefully it will be so rewarding and fulfilling! YOU ARE AMAZING! YOU’VE GOT THIS!!