Making a vision board is meant to be fun and exciting, but before you can leap headfirst into vision board ideas, it’s important to understand what a vision board is.

Often started at the beginning of the year, vision boards can be a great way to organize your New Year's resolution ideas, but you can use this tool to manifest a fresh start anytime you’d like. 

If you’ve never built one before, you might be wondering, “What should a vision board include?” or “What is the breakdown of a vision board?” Above all, vision boards are a very personal creative tool, but there are some guidelines for building a board that might help you envision your goals.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to make a vision board plus some awesome vision board ideas for this year. 

Jump to Section

• What is a Vision Board?
• How to Make a Vision Board
• Vision Board Templates
• Best Vision Board Party Ideas
• Digital Vision Board Ideas
• Goal-Setting Vision Board Ideas for Manifestation
• Fun Vision Board Ideas for Kids & Students

What is a Vision Board?

A vision board is a visual tool, usually a collage of words, quotes and pictures intended to inspire or motivate you. Sometimes a vision board may also be called an action board, mood board, dream board, goal board or manifestation board.

Vision boards can be about anything, but they often center around a specific personal goal, such as physical fitness, financial success or a lifestyle aesthetic. 

Vision boards are a very personal tool, so there’s not one particular way to construct a vision board. Some boards may list more specific goals, such as “10 books I want to read” or “5 places I want to visit,” while other boards may just use images or words to conjure up a general idea of your dream lifestyle.  

The Benefits of Making a Vision Board

Whenever life feels overwhelming or you lose track of your goals, a vision board serves as a positive reminder of all you hope to accomplish. Some people may also incorporate their vision boards into manifestation practices.

The idea goes, if you keep seeing it and believing it, it will come to you, so surrounding your vision board with images of success may draw more success into your life! Building a vision board is also one of the most effective mindfulness activities to focus on the present moment.

But do vision boards actually work? While there hasn’t been a lot of research on the subject, some sources suggest that frequent exposure to images and ideas can prime your brain to recognize paths to success, according to CNBC.

For example, making a vision board about studying and making good grades could help you recognize when you have spare time to study – like during the bus ride to class or with post-it notes on your shower curtain. 

How to Make a Vision Board

There are no strict rules for how to make a vision board, as long as it feels meaningful to you. Vision boards can be made digitally or on a physical board, like a poster.

Physical Vision Boards

If you prefer to create a physical, tangible board, signing up for creative art classes in San Diego, art classes in Chicago, art classes in Boston or art classes near you can help you bring that creative vision to life and help you explore your artistic side.

A physical board has some advantages over a digital vision board because it takes more time and intention to collect your vision board ideas.

Digital Vision Boards

Some people may prefer to create a digital vision board or use vision board templates because they’ll have a wider database of quotes and images at their fingertips.

A digital board also gives you the ability to remove certain vision board ideas later if you find they’re no longer relevant to your goals. Tools like Pinterest, Canva and even Google Docs can help you organize your vision board ideas together in one cohesive space.

Step 1: Consider Your Goals

To make a vision board, you’ll first need to clear your mind and focus on the goals you’d like to achieve in life. Setting the mood with your favorite music and candles can be a good way to open your mind.

Step 2: Choose a Theme

Decide on the overall theme for your board; do you want to travel more this year? Reach a certain fitness goal? Find your soulmate? Live a more luxurious lifestyle? You can also build a board that encompasses all of these vision board ideas!   

Step 3: Gather Materials

Once you’ve decided on your board theme, collect vision board pictures from magazines, books, printed articles, polaroids and more and paste them on your board.

Supplement your images with words and quotes to inspire your journey, such as “Explore,” “Indulge,” “Connect,” or “Focus.” You can also cut and paste quotes from your favorite author or motivational speaker. 

Step 4: Create & Display

Play around with your images, quotes and other materials until you find the perfect arrangement for your vision board. When your vision board feels complete, display it in a frequently used area, such as your bedroom, bathroom, home gym or by your work desk. This way, your vision board ideas will help you stay motivated every day. 

Vision Board Templates

1. Canva Vision Board

Canva is undoubtedly one of the best places to gather your vision board ideas. Browse through dozens of eye-catching vision board templates until you find the perfect Canva format for your needs, then swap out images and text until you have a final product that’s unique to you.

With Canva’s vision board templates, you can skip the mess of arranging items on a poster and focus more intently on your goals. 

2. Polaroid Goals on PicMonkey

This simple Polaroid-style template from PicMonkey breaks your vision board ideas down into six main areas: wealth, health, career, learning, family and spirituality.

This is a great template for vision board beginners because it focuses more on concrete ideas and less on visual aesthetics. Plus, there’s room to elaborate below each vision board idea.  

3. Our Family Vision Board on PicMonkey

If you want to get the whole family involved in some vision board ideas for the future, look no further than this “Our Family” vision board from PicMonkey.

Once per year, once per month or as often as you’d like, sit the family down together to brainstorm about your family mission, dreams, inspiration and what you can be grateful for. Print this template and hang it on the fridge to remind everyone of your vision board ideas. 

4. Printable Vision Board Template 

If you’d prefer an old fashioned pen-and-paper project, a printable template from Develop Good Habits may be just the thing to help you get started.

Organize your vision board ideas, photos, and words into six easy categories: health, career, finances, relationships, family and personal goals. You can even carry this printed version with you for extra manifesting power!

5. Business Vision Board on Template.net

For entrepreneurs, trying to envision how your business will grow can be a challenge, but this vision board template from Template.net makes it easy to dream big.

Add vision board ideas to represent your first physical store, delivery goals, brand aesthetic, graphic art ideas and more. Plus, Template is free to use with no sign-up required. 

Best Vision Board Party Ideas

6. Luxury Lifestyle Board Party

For this vision board party, everyone should dress to the nines and come prepared to dream about a life with ample funds.

Scour through luxury lifestyle magazines for vision board ideas to add to your dream board, asking yourself, what would I want my life to look like if money were no object? What would my job, car, house, city, closet or family look like? 

7. Career Vision Board Party

A career-themed party is one of the best vision board ideas for work and soon-to-be graduates. The goal of a career vision board party is to help you and your friends or coworkers to imagine a bright future in their careers.

For these vision board ideas, you might ask questions like, “What will your position be and what will your office look like?”

8. Travel Vision Board Party

For these vision board ideas, this year’s dream destination should be on everyone’s mind. Where are you determined to go, and what will you need to do to get there?

Have everyone add photos and words that inspire them to save money and plan their travel journey, and be sure to include fun activities you plan to do once you arrive, like swimming in Sicily or shopping in Tokyo. 

9. Silly Vision Board Party

When it comes to things to do with friends, vision board parties are usually a serious, focused affair, but how do you make a vision board party fun?

To embrace your silly side, dream up vision board ideas around a funny scenario, such as winning a national pie-eating contest or becoming famous for your secret talent. What would your life look like if this silly scenario actually happened?  

10. Romantic Vision Board Party

A romantic vision board party is one of the best girls night ideas or Galentine's Day ideas and can be as sweet, serious or silly as you’d like!

For example, have everyone choose their celebrity crush and generate vision board ideas about what their life could look like if they were in a relationship. How will you meet your celebrity crush, how will they propose and where will you live together? 

11. Affirmations Vision Board Party

For parties that are serious about self-reflection, affirmation vision boards can provide an awesome experience. Affirmations usually start with “I” statements, like “I spend plenty of time with my family” or “I earn enough money to buy the things I like.”

These mantras are meant to be repeated until they work, so set up a peaceful space and have everyone repeat your mantras back to you as you share your vision board ideas. 

12. Fashion Vision Board Party

What colors are best for a vision board? Whatever colors make you feel confident, strong, and fabulous, of course – but it doesn’t hurt if they’re one of this season’s top 10 fashion trends.

Cut out outfits, colors and your favorite trends from popular fashion magazines to add to your vision board ideas. A fashion vision board party is a great way to hone in on your personal style and gain inspiration from those around you. 

Digital Vision Board Ideas

13. Start a Pinterest Board

One of the easiest ways to create an online vision board is by scrolling through Pinterest! Create a board for each specific area of your life or create an all-in-one personal board, then pin images, quotes, books, recipes and more that will help you attain your goals.

After pinning all your vision board ideas, share the board online or with friends to keep yourself motivated. 

14. Create a Powerpoint

Another easy way to create a digital vision board is to use Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides – even if you only make the presentation for yourself!

Create a slide for each aspect you want to focus on, such as family, fitness or spirituality. If you need vision board ideas for work, making a PowerPoint is an easy way to get the whole team involved!

15. Start a Vision Blog

A blog can easily serve as an ongoing online vision board. Choose a personal domain or create a new social media account to share vision board ideas, images, art journal ideas and more, then post regular updates about your goal-setting journey! You might be surprised by how many people decide to follow along. 

16. Compile a Google Doc

If you’re more into privacy than publicity, a simple Google Document can be an easy digital solution for organizing your vision board ideas.

With this straightforward format, you can sort your visions into chapters or challenge yourself to fit in all in one page, prioritizing the goals that are most important to you. Plus, a Google Docs vision board will also allow you to include inspirational links. 

17. Start a TikTok Profile

Similar to starting a blog, starting a profile on TikTok can inspire you to stay on track and connect with others who are committed to manifesting their dreams just like you.

Create compilations of your dream life, share your vision board ideas and document your journey as you explore each aspect of the vision board! 

18. Create a Wishlist

If you think about it, a wish list is almost like a vision board in and of itself! Start a Google document with links or create an Amazon wishlist full of aspirational items you’d love to own and use someday.

These wishlist items could be as small as a fitness jump rope or as big as a brand new sports car, as long as they remind you of your personal goals. 

19. Make Your Own Lockscreen

Download a photo collage app to create a mini mood board of images you love. These can be your own images you’ve taken or those you’ve gathered from around the cyber-sphere.

Build your collage with vision board ideas, then set the image as your phone lock screen to remind yourself of your goals every time you check your phone. 

20. Create Your Own -Core

This vision board idea doesn’t have to be digital, but it is inspired by the internet-viral “-core” trends! Like cottagecore or fairycore, what would a board that’s totally “you-core” look like?

Build a collage with images of your fashion style, your taste in music, your favorite foods, books you love and anything else that feels like a celebration of the authentic, unique person you are. 

Goal-Setting Vision Board Ideas for Manifestation

21. Outdoor Adventures

Everyone ought to spend more time outdoors, so outdoor adventure vision board ideas are a great way to manifest new adventures — plus, they may bring you some exciting date jar ideas.

Add images of state and national parks you’d like to visit, wild animals you’d like to see or tourist sites you’d like to experience. In another part of your board, make a progress chart to help you record your adventures and save for any major travel plans. 

22. Focus on Friendship

The goal of a friendship vision board is to help you make new friends, keep old friends and deepen your connections with those around you.

As you’re adding these vision board ideas, manifestation questions could include, “What do I want to go do with my friends? Where will I meet new friends, and what will their interests be?”

Save photos of people having fun together and commit to being positive and more outgoing. 

23. Spend More Time With Family

Want to remember to call your parents more often or spend more time playing with kids? Build a mood board filled with vision board ideas like days at the park, family dinners or a big family vacation.

Be sure to include pictures and quotes from your own family members to remind yourself to foster those relationships. 

24. Healthier Habits

One of the most popular vision board ideas for adults is that of building healthier habits like exercising more, eating cleaner, prioritizing sleep or finding productive things to do when you're bored, like reading.

For this goal setting vision board, think about some realistic goals you’d like to achieve in the next six months to a year and add images and quotes that inspire you to stick to your routine.

Words like, “Energized,” “Strong,” and “Balanced,” may be great places to start!

25. Dream House

Thinking about renovating your home or switching up the interior vibe after moving to a new place? Redesigning your home is a perfect time to look at arts and crafts for adults, including vision board ideas for manifestation.

For this vision board, choose inspiring words for how you want your home to feel and build a collage with paint samples, fabric swatches, cut-out furniture pieces and more. 

26. Seeking Soulmate

It can be hard to find the right fish when you’re searching in a big sea, but soulmate vision board ideas for adults can help you manifest your dream partner!

In a perfect world, what will they look like, where will you meet them, what qualities will they have and how will they encourage you throughout your life?

A soulmate vision board is a smart way to hone in on what you really want and make sure you match with someone who supports your goals. 

27. Ode to Self

Vision board ideas can be about self-acceptance just as much as self-improvement. For an “ode to self” vision board, write little mantras to yourself, remind yourself of your worth and include some of your favorite photos or self portrait ideas.

With this vision board, you can commit to regular self-care and being kind to yourself every day.  

28. Say What You Mean

If you want to manifest more self-advocacy in your life, a vision board can help you find your voice. Build a board filled with vision board ideas, words and phrases that will help you express your emotions, be direct with communication and broaden your vocabulary.

Any time you discover a new word you like, add it to the vision board! 

29. Musical Manifestation

This vision board idea is a must-have for music lovers. Cut and paste song lyrics, album covers, artist’s faces and other musical elements that you love.

Be sure to include a list of bands you’d like to see in concert this year, or if you’re in a band yourself, include a list of dream venues you’d like to play or bands you’d be thrilled to open for!

30. Spiritual Growth

Your goal setting vision board doesn’t always have to focus on material things; Vision board ideas can also help you grow within your religion, deepen your faith or create a stronger connection with life and the world around you.

Your spiritual growth board can include iconography of your beliefs, important religious figures, scriptural quotes, sigils or aesthetic items that make you feel calm and connected. With this board, you can commit to praying, volunteering or meditating more often. 

Fun Vision Board Ideas for Kids & Students

31. Ace Those Grades

One of the best vision board ideas for students is to create an academic vision board to keep in your bedroom, dorm room or locker.

Use your vision board to make studying seem fun, remind yourself of your goals, get excited for tournaments and balance your academic pursuits with your social life and hobbies.

Older students might enjoy envisioning their college life, setting goals like making the Dean’s list or dreaming about possible apprenticeships or internships. 

32. Dream Job Board

Doctor? Librarian? Veterinarian? Hotel Manager? A dream job theme is one of the best vision board ideas for kids of any age, from kindergarten to college and beyond.

Cut and paste words and tools of your dream trade and think about what you’d need to do to achieve the role. While a dream job board can be as fun and silly as you’d like, it can also be a great manifestation tool to plan for the future. 

33. Awesome Artist Board

If you have a little artist in your midst, awesome artist vision boards are great art ideas for teens and kids to help them realize their talents.

For these vision board ideas, include some original artworks and favorite colors and have them dream big about where their artwork will take them someday — a large mural downtown? An exhibit at The Met? The creative possibilities are endless. 

34. Olympic-Bound Board

For kids who love playing sports, a sporty mood board can help them dream big about their biggest passion! Encourage kids to collect vision board ideas that pertain to their favorite sport and learn about the grown-ups who have won Olympic medals, NFL titles or other awards that they could also achieve someday.

For an extra fun touch, help them cut and paste their picture into a professional sporty background.

35. New Kid at School Board

Starting at a new school (or even a new grade) can be scary for kids, but a “new kid” vision board can help them avoid nervousness and see all the positive possibilities.

For these vision board ideas for students, ask them to picture making new friends, joining new clubs or exploring some of the local hot spots in their new town.

Be sure to incorporate encouraging quotes to help them come out of their shell and embrace the exciting new journey. 

36. Dream Pet Vision Board

One of the easiest vision board ideas for little ones, ask them to picture life with their dream pet, which can be anything from a cat to a goat or even a crocodile!

Fill the vision board with ideas about their pet’s personality, where they’ll go together and what they’ll need to take care of their pet. While it may not be a realistic board for manifestation, this pet board is a great activity to practice goal-setting and mood board making. 

37. Learn New Foods Board

A yummy food board is an easy way to introduce vision board ideas for kids. Ask the kids to imagine what they’d like to learn to cook over the next month, then cut and paste recipes and images from food magazines onto their very own “menu” mood board.

Next time there’s a lull in your weekend activities, turn to the vision board for some fun at-home cooking inspiration. 

While a vision board should be very unique and personal to you, it never hurts to have a few vision board ideas on hand to help you get started.

From envisioning your career path to making new friends or adopting healthier habits, a vision board can be a great first step toward achieving the life of your dreams.

These vision board ideas have hopefully inspired you to think deeply about your own goals, plans and desires for the future! 

For even more fun art ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!