DIY chalkboard for preschool

This is a little chalk board that I made at home for the kids to use at preschool…

I am not a natural crafter or woodworking kind of gal so there are probably better ways to make this but this worked very well for me and the kids love it…

I found this little wooden frame set in the Walmart woodworking craft section. It is supposed to be used as a picture frame to hang on the wall but as soon as I saw it I could only visualize it as a chalkboard :)…

Each of the square wood pieces comes out and I painted the front and back of each wooden square with black chalkboard paint. This was my first experience using chalkboard paint but just let me say that once you get some you start to think everything should be painted with chalkboard paint…

I also painted the inside of the large frame with chalkboard paint and the outside with a pretty red acrylic paint…

I let it all dry overnight and then took it to preschool to share with the kids to see what they would do with it…

The chalk worked terrific on the painted boards and I gave each child a damp sponge that they could use to wash off their chalk. I found a dry eraser or sponge didn’t wash the chalk off as well as a damp sponge and each child really wanted their own “eraser” …

The children liked having their own chalk board to write on. One little boy who is usually over in blocks or sand play spent the entire time writing on his chalk board instead…

One child asked the teacher how to make a B so the teacher used the big chalk board to show her…

Oh, and by the way – I made two sets of these – a blue one and a red one. I have one more that I plan to make as well only I am going to put magnetic paint under the chalk board paint…

Some of the children liked putting the square pieces back together inside the bigger frame. I think with more time at play with this, there are many other potential activities like memory or making our own chalkboard puzzles that we can try but first we just explore…

The only thing I need to probably do is sand the edges of the little boards a little better. The children didn’t have any problem with it but to me they felt a little rough…

So for a very non-woodworking craft person, I was very happy with my first DIY chalkboard for the classroom…

 

I would really appreciate your Vote for Teach Preschool over at Babbles Top 50!

Here are some other DIY classroom tools you can check out…

DIY Make Your Own Easter Grass by Teach Preschool

DIY Play dough People by Teach Preschool

Make your own mini clipboards by Let’s Explore

Home made dot stampers by Counting Coconuts

Bottle lid stamps by A Little Learning for Two

DIY Stamps by Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning

Construction Activity Board by Counting Coconuts

DIY light box by No Time for Flashcards

DIY Felt Board for Babies from Made by Joel

Make your own Flannel Board by Oopsey Daisy

Travel felt board by Mama Smiles

Simply Made Felt Board by Totally Tots

Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

DIY bunny game

A fun and interactive way to engage your students! One of our students brought in 3 of her 6 week old bunnies to the classroom

Read More »

Subscribe to My Newsletter

Latest Blog Posts

P is for Pizza!

While learning about the letter “P” we decided to explore with pizza! Pizza is an all-time favorite food for many preschoolers, and activities involving pizza

Read More »