At the start of every new year, conversations often turn to one thing: goal-setting. If you’re looking for a fun, creative way to help your students set clear intentions, why not try a vision board? Vision boards are a powerful tool to help students visualize their academic and personal goals. The visuals on the board are meant to serve as a reminder of what the future can look and feel like, if your students take the necessary steps to achieve their goals.
Ready to get started? Learn how to make a vision board in class, and discover some vision board ideas for students below.
How to Make a Vision Board for Students
Before students can begin creating their vision boards, they’ll need to first define their goals and areas of growth. After all, if they don’t know where they want to go, they won’t be able to visualize the path to get there. When setting goals, have students use the SMART formula to ensure that any goals they set for themselves are specific and measurable. This’ll make it much easier for students to take the steps they need to take to make their visions a reality.
Once goals are set, students can start jotting down words and quotes, or looking for images that represent their goals and illustrate how they’ll feel when they’ve met them. By using photos, text, and other artifacts, students can create a physical or digital vision board and share it with their classmates. For physical boards, students can hang them up in a place they see often (like a locker or their fridge) to have a constant reminder of what they want to accomplish that year.
4 Vision Board Ideas for Students
Check out one of these vision board templates to get your students started right away! Or find alternatives on TPT.
New Year Vision Boards 2023 by The Think Tank
Grades: 3rd – 7th | For All Subject Areas
Help students, teachers, and staff clarify and concentrate on their life goals with these vision boards. Included in this resource are 6 student-centric boards and 2 teacher/staff boards to choose from.
Vision Board Student Workbook by Danielle Knight
Grades: 4th – 12th | English Language Arts
This vision board project teaches students about goals, growth mindset, and more. Plus, they can turn it into a poster at the end to present to their classmates.
Digital Vision Board Template for Students by Jan’s File Cabinet
Grades: 6th – 8th | English Language Arts
With this digital vision board template, your middle schoolers can create vision boards that reflect their dreams, goals, and priorities.
Semester Vision Board by The Accidental Librarian
Grades: 6th – 12th | For All Subject Areas
Guide students in creating vision boards to help clarify their goals and center their thinking. This is a great activity for either the beginning or end of the semester, and it works well for building students’ social-emotional skills.
Need more ideas for creating vision boards with your students? Check out more vision board activities on TPT. Or find more ways to thrive as a teacher in 2023 with our new year resource guide.
