Reading makes us MERRY and BRIGHT! Stories often leave us happy and we learn something each time we read a book. Use this catchy phrase as the starting point for a fun and colorful Christmas bulletin board idea for your classroom!
Materials
- thick black yarn
- hot glue gun
- construction paper
- scissors
- stick glue
- crayons or markers
- pencil
- light bulb templates
Directions
- Cut out letters to spell “Reading Makes Us Merry and Bright!” and hang them in place.
- Next, use thick black yarn to create the lights’ string. I used a hot glue gun to secure it to the paper.
- Print light bulb templates on different color paper. I used red, yellow, green, blue and white.
- Have students write about books they’re reading on the bulb and then cut it out.
- Attach the light bulbs to the bulletin board along the yarn.
Writing Ideas
Have students write the book’s title and author on the light bulb, as well as a little about the book. Here are some sentence starter ideas that students might use:
- I like this book because…
- My favorite part of the book is…
- Something in the book that makes me MERRY (happy) is…
- This book makes me BRIGHT because I learned…
- I give it _____ lights because… (rate the book 1-4 “lights”, like stars)
- This book reminds me of…
- Book summary (beginning, middle and end)
- Book summary (characters, setting, problem and solution)
Young students or pre-writers might just draw a picture from the story on a blank light bulb template.
Reading Challenge and Recording Sheets
You might use this bulletin board as a reading challenge for your students. Instead of each student creating a light bulb, set a classroom goal for how many light bulbs you want to have on your string. Students then complete a light bulb for each book they read and hang it up. Celebrate together when your students met their goal!
Another idea is to have students complete an individual reading challenge. Have students color in a light bulb for each book they read during the month of December.
Students who complete the individual reading challenge might be encouraged to pick one book they read and tell how that book makes them merry and bright.
Bulletin Board Kit
If you’re interested in making the exact bulletin board like the one I made pictured above, you’ll find everything you need in my Christmas bulletin board kit. It includes the letters to spell “Reading Makes Us Merry and Bright!”, as well as ten different light bulb writing templates and the reading challenge sheets.