As we look for ways to go back to school, in person, safely, amid health concerns are concerns about how the new procedures will affect our sense of classroom community. Sitting 6 feet apart, behind masks, is isolating and makes many children feel alone.  Doing this all day, working by themselves, can be stressful. So finding ways that the kids can have positive experiences in a socially distant classroom is imperative.  And my series of collaborative posters can help. They make great socially distant classroom activities as students can work on “together” while keeping (6 feet) apart.

Working Together, Keeping (6′) Apart!

Each child gets one part of a multi-part poster that they work on themselves (color in, doodle on, cut out, etc.), then they all turn these in. You can assemble them (super easy) to produce a large, colorful poster or banner that is inspirational, informative, and decorative at the same time.

The poster can be hung in your classroom, hallway, library, front office, multipurpose room, or anywhere else that you can think of.

As an alternative to working alone, only for themselves, you can have them working on their own but be working on something together. This will help foster a sense of community and common experience in your classroom—and give the kids collectively something to be proud of! This way, the kids work together to create something, even while remaining in their seats appropriately socially distanced.

Here are the simple steps to making my collaborative posters using my Rosie “We Can Do It!” collaborative poster as an example. Just color, cut, assemble, and display!

See my “We Can Do It” Rosie the Riveter collaboration poster HERE.

I have a large variety of collaborative posters to cover almost any need you may have in your classroom—from a growth mindset to historical figures and from art masterpieces to door and bulletin board decorations for any occasion (e.g., COVID-19, back to school, fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.), to name just a few! All make great socially distant classroom activities.

Below are some of my more popular projects (each one links to the resource in my Teachers Pay Teachers store). I hope that you’ll be able to find something that you think will work well in your classroom from among them. But no matter which you may choose, I am sure that your kids will love it! And they will undoubtedly ask for more of these collaborative posters—perfect socially distant classroom activities that bring your students “together!”

“We Are All Connected” Tessellation Project

This project is the perfect “ALL ABOUT ME” team-building activity for your class – especially as a back-to-school activity. It connects the individual with the group using tessellations, and it has a ton of “wow factor” when complete. It’s fun for kids and easy for you as the teacher. I’ve done everything I could think of to make this a successful project – I’ve even included a teaching video and the banner in English and Spanish!

I hope that you will get to know your students a bit with this All About Me activity at the beginning of school and that students will be inspired by the message that they are important as individuals and important as a team. 

We are all connected!

The message is clear. Each student is an individual, with their own interests and talents, yet when combined with their classmates, they can create something beautiful and meaningful – we are all connected!

See my “We Are All Connected” Tessellation Project HERE.

I also have a COVID-19 specific tessellation project that you might like as well. You can view that HERE.

Collaborative Famous Faces Growth Mindset Poster

Get your students engaged and inspired from the start with my Famous Faces® Growth Mindset Collaboration Posters! This bundle includes two collaborative posters featuring portraits and inspirational/motivational quotes from famous people. Each poster features 7 different portraits. Best of all, the two individual posters can be combined to produce a large, visually engaging, 14-ft long banner to hang across the back of your classroom, in the hallway, in the library, or even your school entryway!

The collaborative nature of this poster makes such an impact without really having to say anything – every single piece of the poster matters – just as every child in the class matters. Your students will walk by and say, “I did that piece” each time they see the poster. They take great pride in being part of this art project. 

Differentiation is built into the design of this activity. Some pages have more to color than others, so some kids will easily color two pages. There are large sections behind the quotes that get left white. Other pages have a lot of details to color. You can use this to differentiate and provide the appropriate experience for each child to achieve success and be part of the group.

See my Famous Faces Growth Mindset collaboration poster HERE.

See all of my Famous Faces® collection HERE.

Words of Positive Affirmation Collaboration Poster

This collaborative poster project is so much fun because not only does it involve the participation of everyone in the classroom, but also, in the end, you will have a very large, eye-catching poster that you can display in your classroom, on a bulletin board, door, or hallway to provide inspiration and motivation to your students!

The collaborative poster reads, “We are… creative, unique, thinkers, resilient, smart, patient, confident, inclusive, kind, caring, brave and persistent.”

See my Words of Positive Affirmation posters HERE.

“Be Kind” Collaborative 3-Way Agamograph

Kindness 3D Collaboration Poster. When complete, this poster says – “IN A WORLD WHERE YOU CAN BE ANYTHING BE KIND.” The complete phrase is revealed as the viewer interacts with the agamograph poster by walking from one side to the other. This project is super easy for teachers and fun for kids. It’s the perfect activity for your class during Kindness Week, Valentine’s Day, Earth Day, Back to School, or just about any time of the year. Promote kindness among your students and let them work together to create this one-of-a-kind 3D collaboration poster! 

This project is a “3-way” agamograph (3 images spliced together) and a collaboration poster mixed into one. This project is unique because I dreamed it up myself. There is no beating the “wow” factor at the end when children walk from side to side and see the images change.

Great for ANY age and designed so that younger students can enjoy the wow factor of my agamographs. 

This 3-way agamograph may be hard to say – but I assure you it’s easy to do! I know this may look like a hard project (that’s the wow factor), but really it’s quite simple – I’ve done everything possible to make it that way. The kids do the coloring, and you put it together – that’s it – I’ve done all the rest! I’ve broken it all down step-by-step, AND I’ve made a video to show you exactly how to put it together. 

The final poster is approximately 26 inches x 28 inches when complete. 

You could use the final poster to display on your bulletin board, on a hallway wall, or just about anywhere in your school.

See my “Be Kind” collaborative 3-way agamograph HERE.

“Welcome to Our Patch” Collaborative Door Poster

Fall or Thanksgiving Door Poster: Decorating your classroom door for fall has never been easier for you and more fun for your kids! This year have some real fun decorating your door as everyone in class pitches in to create this “Welcome to Our Patch” collaboration poster. 

It’s so easy for you and so fun for your students! I’ve done everything I can to make it that way for you and your students. Print, color, cut, and assemble!! I’ve given you detailed instructions on how to do everything with helpful tips along the way!

See my “Welcome to Our Patch” collaborative door poster HERE.

Great Sphinx of Giza Collaboration Poster

Decorating your classroom bulletin board has never been easier for you and more fun for your kids! Infuse your social studies lessons with art using this collaboration poster of The Great Sphinx of Giza, Egypt. Your students will always remember what piece of the Sphinx they helped create.

See my Great Sphinx of Giza collaboration poster HERE.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Collaboration Poster

My collaboration portraits of important historical people make a huge impact on children and their communities. They are a great way to start a unit or to cap one off. They are engaging and entertaining for your students.

When students work together to create my large poster of Martin Luther King Jr., they will always remember which piece they did and how it contributed to the overall poster.

See my Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. collaborative poster HERE.

I have so many historical figures created for teachers in my popular collaboration poster format. You can browse them HERE.

Thank you for supporting my efforts and for making art with your kids. I wish you and your students all the best as we navigate these uncharted territories in education.

Jenny K.