DIY Felt Board for Toddlers/Preschoolers

In Chloe's preschool class, the kiddos are encouraged to write books about anything that interests them.  As a way to help Chloe understand that things are drawn with different shapes, I created a felt board that she can manipulate into many different scenes using basic shapes.  (square, circle, rectangle, triangle)  As she grows, the possibilities of what she can create are endless by adding felt shapes as she wants.

Here's how to make your own.  I began with an easel we bought from Ikea last year for Christmas.  One side has a chalkboard that she loves to draw on, which is also great for her writing muscles since it's large enough that she has to reach up and pull down.  The other side is a white board that rarely gets used because of the lap-sized marker board she's always drawing on.  If you don't have an easel, a large frame would work just as well!

For an easel sized felt board, you will need 3/4 yards of fabric.  I chose black so any scenes created would "POP" out.  White or brown would have the same effect.  After cutting the felt to size, I used a clothespin to help hold it in place while I marked where I wanted to Velcro to be.  (If you are using a frame or do not care if the felt is permanent, hot glue the felt into place.  I wanted to be able to remove it should we need the marker board in the future.)

Mark where you want the Velcro to go, and sew on to secure.  I planned on using 4 pieces of Velcro - top corners and bottom corners - but once I started securing it to the frame, 6 peieces were needed to keep a taunt pull, plan accordingly. 

Once the Velcro is attached to your felt, stretch it onto the frame and mark for the companion Velcro piece. Because it was on the back of the frame and you can't see it, I hot glued the other piece of Velcro onto the wood.  

Continue as needed until you are satisfied with the tightness of the felt on the frame. 

Add whatever shapes or pieces will interest your little one! The benefit of this project is that you can customize it for you - if you don't have a lot of room, make it small, if they need help with spelling make letters that can easily be moved around, etc.  

What would you put on a felt board for your toddler or preschooler? 

XO!