Ok, guys. Sometimes I get pretty excited about the learning space. I’m not going to lie. I love to see beautiful classrooms. Flexible seating and amazing displays of work are my jam. I like creating posters and photo walls, and sometimes I put my bookshelves in rainbow order.
So I guess it’s no surprise that I bought one of those felt letter boards that are popping up everywhere you look. Yes, I succumbed to the Insta-pressure.
And yet, when it arrived from Amazon with it’s hundreds of tiny white letters that I had to individually break off from their tiny plastic stems, my enthusiasm quailed a bit. Luckily, my six-year-old got excited about getting them ready for me. #Parentingwin
Which brings me here, to this post. Perhaps you, too, have purchased a felt letter board in a moment of Instagram-fueled enthusiasm. Perhaps now you too are wondering what on earth to put on it, now that you have it.
I’ve got your back! Here, with no further ado, are seven ways to use your new letter board and a lot of fun options for what to put on it.
Inspiration for your Wall or Desk
Let’s start with the classic use. Stick that letter board up on your wall or on the corner of your desk or shelf, then load it up with a new quotation every month or two. Here are six great ones to get you started.
Reminders/Deadlines
When you’ve got a major project deadline, exam, or field trip coming up, put the info up in bold, bright letters for your students to see. Stick your letter board by the door so your students can’t miss it!
Magnetic Poetry Prompts
If you’ve created a space for magnetic poetry in your room, your felt board is a great way to offer up prompts to your students now and then. A fresh reason to write a poem will keep this a vibrant and creative space as the year continues.
Growth Mindset Words of Wisdom
If you’re interested in developing your students’ understanding of growth mindset throughout the year, you might put a new related quotation up every once in a while and offer it up as a prompt for discussion or journal writing.
Pop it into the Faculty Room / Department Office
Every once in a while, loan your felt board out to a place where you meet up with fellow teachers, with a funny quotation and a bowl of candy or a box of donuts. (Or hey, go wild and bring in something healthy.)
Draw the Eye to your Choice Reading Library
What’s better than seeing students gathered around your independent reading library, choosing new books? Changing up the display is one way to attract their attention, and a new book quotation on a shelf or adjacent wall is a great way to build that change-up into your routine.
For Emergencies
There are those times of the year when you and your students hit a wall. Use your felt board to let them know you’ve brought in coffee, tea, candy, cookies, etc. to share.
I hope you’re feeling excited to put your felt board into action! Now that you’ve bought it, it might as well be a dynamic and fun part of your classroom, right?
Do you find your inspiration in VISUALS? I love ‘em too. Let’s hang out on Instagram! Click here to get a steady stream of colorful ideas all week long.
