• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Crafty Journal

Imaginative Craft Ideas and Tips

Don't miss...

...my new tips and projects:


  • About
  • Holidays
    • Wreaths
      • Halloween Wreaths
    • Christmas
      • Advent Calendars
      • Christmas Crafts
        • Nativity
        • Candy Canes
        • Santa
          • Santa Treats
        • Snowman Crafts
        • Toddler Christmas
        • Preschool Christmas
        • Kids Christmas
        • More Christmas Crafts
        • Recycled Christmas Cards
      • Christmas Ornaments
    • Easter
      • Easter Baskets
      • Easter Bunnies
      • Easter Chicks
      • Easter Crafts
      • Easter Eggs
      • Kids Easter
      • Preschool Easter
      • Easter Printables
      • Toddlers Easter
      • Easter Treats
    • Fathers Day
    • 4th of July
      • 4th of July Clipart
      • 4th of July Games
      • Flag Crafts
      • History of the 4th of July
      • Patriotic Coloring Pages
      • Patriotic Kids Crafts
      • Patriotic Crafts
    • May Day
    • Mother’s Day
      • Mother’s Day Links
    • Graduation
    • Fall Crafts
    • Halloween
      • Creepy Halloween
      • Halloween Crafts
      • Kids Halloween
      • Preschool Halloween
      • Toddler Halloween
      • Halloween Jewelry
      • Halloween Treats
      • Pumpkin Crafts
      • Pumpkin Topiary
      • Skeletons
    • Thanksgiving
      • Kids Thanksgiving Crafts
      • Thanksgiving Countdown
      • Thanksgiving Craft Links
      • Thankfulness Crafts
      • Turkey Crafts
    • Valentines Day
      • Valentine Gifts
      • Valentine Crafts
      • Kids Valentines
      • Preschool Valentines
      • Valentine Printables
      • Toddler Valentines
    • St Patricks Day
      • St Patricks Day Crafts
      • St Patricks Printables
      • Kids St. Patricks Day Crafts
  • Tutorials
    • Angels
    • Book Crafts
    • Craft Foam
    • Duct Tape Projects
    • Envelope Crafts
    • Kids Crafts
    • Mod Podge Projects
    • Preschool Crafts
    • Origami Crafts
    • Recycled Christmas Cards
    • Tile Crafts
    • Toddler Crafts
  • Recipes
    • Cooking Tips
  • Gifts
    • Gift Cards
    • Money Gifts
    • Anyone Gifts
    • Baby Gifts
    • Christmas Gifts
    • Gifts Kids Can Make
    • Graduation
    • Kids Gifts
      • All Kids
      • Boys
      • Girls
      • Preschool
      • Toddlers
    • Fathers Day
    • Men
    • Mother’s Day
    • Women
    • Photo Gift Ideas
    • Teachers
    • Teens
    • Travel Gifts
    • Unusual
  • Gift Wrap
    • Bags
      • Envelope Gift Bags
    • Boxes
      • Greeting Card Boxes
      • Other Gift Boxes
    • Camo Gift Wraps
    • Kids Can Do
    • Money Gift Wraps
    • Package Toppers
    • Tags
    • Gift Wrapping Ideas
    • Recycled Gift Wrap
  • Tips
    • Cheap Painting Tips
    • Fix It
    • Frugal Ideas
    • General Craft Tips
    • Household Tips
    • How To
    • Kids Craft Tips
  • Recycled
    • Christmas/Greeting Cards
    • Milk Jug
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Tips / Frugal Ideas / Placemats Are a Great Teaching Tool

Placemats Are a Great Teaching Tool

By Noreen 17 Comments




By Noreen Doll.

We’ve discovered that placemats are a great teaching tool.

Kids love to use the colorful mats at mealtime, and they can’t help seeing and learning what’s on the mats.

Placemats Are Great Teaching Tools - Crafty Journal
Our kids are voracious learners, and they’ve learned so much from place mats.

We’ve had some really interesting ones, including a U.S.A. map with states and capitals, the solar system, the constellation, the Presidents with facts about them on the reverse side, and dinosaurs.

Placemats Are a Great Teaching Tool - Crafty Journal

Not only can you find placemats with all kinds of information, you can make your own according to what you want your kids to learn.

You can make them so kids can learn their alphabet or numbers. Use a 12×15 piece of cardboard to write the alphabet on, and then cover both sides with clear contact paper.

Kids can trace the letters with erasable markers and use them over and over.

Make a fun placemat with photos of family members and kids can learn to identify them. This is especially nice if you use photos of members the kids don’t see often.

We made this fun placemat with fall leaves we collected.

Crafty Journal - Fall Leaf Placemat
Fall Leaf Placemat

By making placemats yourself, you can change them as your kids interests or needs change.

And covering them with clear Contact paper will help them last for as long as you need them.

Noreen Doll

Crafty Journal

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Share

Filed Under: Frugal Ideas, Kids Craft Tips, Tips Tagged With: kids, preschool, tips, toddler

Links

Crafty Journal Featured

Link Parties

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patricia says

    May 14, 2014 at 11:51 am

    What a wonderful idea. I have grandchildren that need tutoring from time to time and this will make a wonderful fun tool to help them and they won’t even know it is tutoring. Ha Ha

  2. Marie @ The Interior Frugalista says

    May 15, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    Great idea Noreen – wish I’d thought of that when my kids were young. I must keep this in mind for future grandchildren!

  3. Kristina & Millie says

    May 20, 2014 at 12:51 am

    love this idea! I am already thinking of some for the grandkids. Maybe the grandparents too lol.

  4. Debi and Charly @ Adorned From Above says

    May 21, 2014 at 12:50 am

    Great craft for kids. Thanks so much for sharing with Adorned From Above’s Link Party.
    Debi and Charly

  5. Margo says

    May 21, 2014 at 2:31 pm

    You have such good information, I’ve already pinned three things from one link up party that are yours! 🙂

  6. Theresa (Capri + 3) says

    May 21, 2014 at 3:50 pm

    I love this idea. This will be great for our 4th of July round-up on Artsy Play Wednesday. It is such a wonderful idea to have the background of their meal be a learning tool.

  7. Trish says

    May 22, 2014 at 4:14 am

    Awesome idea! Off to surf your blog! (Glad I came across it on All Things With Purpose.)

  8. Amanda@MultiTestingMom says

    May 23, 2014 at 10:03 am

    So many learning opportunities can come at meal time. What a great idea!

    Thanks for linking up on #ArtsyPlay this week! We hope to see you again next week, our RoundUp is Rainbow Fun!

  9. sarah says

    May 25, 2014 at 4:31 pm

    I remember having placemats like this as a kid, I loved them. The alphabet idea would be fun, great idea to use a dry erase marker with them. Thanks for sharing.

  10. femmefrugality says

    May 25, 2014 at 5:35 pm

    I totally learned all the presidents and states/capitols as a
    kid via placemats. Love the idea
    of making your own!

  11. Catherine Ami says

    May 26, 2014 at 12:00 am

    I spent a good portion of my childhood breakfast time reading cereal boxes because nothing else was on the table… this is a way better idea! I just discovered your blog through Create with Joy. I love ideas!

  12. creativejewishmom/sara says

    May 27, 2014 at 7:48 am

    Totally on the same page with you Noreen, or at least my mother was and now I am. We have some map placemats that are so wonderful, and funny enough whenever we’re talking about world geography, it’s that placemat map that is handy and so manageable to pull out! Thanks for sharing on craft schooling Sunday!

  13. Dee says

    May 27, 2014 at 5:39 pm

    We used to have one with presidents and the US map, and they were fun for the kids to use. This is also a great idea for a summer craft–thanks for linking up at Snickerdoodle Sunday! 🙂

  14. danielle says

    May 28, 2014 at 7:26 pm

    We have a collection of placemats with maps, addition, etc. Thanks so much for linking this up to the Friday Frenzy.

  15. Laura@Baking in Pyjamas says

    June 2, 2014 at 7:58 pm

    That’s a great idea! Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!

  16. wayne beatty says

    August 7, 2014 at 12:58 am

    I am looking for a placemat for my grandson that has autisim. I need something that has drinks all around the boarderline that he maybe be able to communicate with us. Something big enough to put a plate in the middle and be able to see the figures on the outside. Maybe even deserts also. I have searched all around and have come up with nothing. You might can help me and a lot of other people.
    Wayne Beatty

  17. Noreen says

    August 7, 2014 at 1:55 am

    Hi Wayne, I think this is a great idea!

    I have a couple of ideas for how you can make a placemat for your grandson.

    1. You will need a piece of card stock or poster board that is 12 inches x 15 inches. You can make it bigger if you think you need it to allow pictures all around it.

    2. Make a list of all the drinks and foods that you want to have on the placemat.

    3. Then look in magazines or old kids’ books to find a picture to go with each thing on the list – and cut it out.

    Or.. You can take a photo of each item you want to put on the placement, and then print it. For example, you can take a photo of a cup he uses with milk or juice or whatever he drinks.

    4. Glue the pictures around the edges of the placemat.

    5. Turn the card board over and use the other side for pictures of another group of things you want to teach your grandson.

    6. Get a roll of clear Contact Paper. I’ve seen this in the Dollar Store so it shouldn’t be too expensive.

    Use the Contact Paper to cover both sides of the placemat – leaving at least half an inch extending beyond the edge of the card stock all the way around.

    7. Use the edge of a sturdy ruler to press the contact paper firmly to the card stock.

    8. Trim any excess Contact Paper, but be sure to leave that extra half inch all the way around to seal the edge of the placemat.

    You might want to put his name in the middle of the placemat so he can see it regularly and learn it.

    I hope this works!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Be the First…

...to See Each New Project. Sign up for Email Notifications.

Follow Me on Pinterest

Paperclip Angel Ornament

Easy Paperclip Angel Ornament

Easy Paperclip Angel Ornament

Use as package trim, tree decoration, gift enclosure in a card, or a necklace.

Dollar Bill Heart

Dollar Bill Heart

Dollar Bill Heart

Money Gifts

Creative Ways to Give Money

Creative Ways to Give Money

Dollar Bill Graduation Cap

Dollar Bill Graduation Cap

Dollar Bill Crafts

Dollar Bill Wallet

Dollar Bill Wallet

Dollar Bill Wallet

Duct Tape Wallet

Duct Tape Wallet

Duct Tape Wallet

Envelope Gift Bag

Basic Bagalope

Basic Bagalope

Greeting Card Gift Boxes

Greeting Card Gift Boxes></a>

<p><a href=Greeting Card Gift Boxes

Remove Furniture Dents from Carpet

Remove Furniture Dents from Carpet

Remove Furniture Dents from Carpet

How to Remove Permanent Ink from a Project

Remove Sharpie Goof

Remove Sharpie Goof

Snowflake Angel

Snowflake Angel

Snowflake Angel

Footer

Copyright Notice

Copyright Notice All content on this website: Copyright © 2009-2023, Noreen Doll (or person linked who created it), and may NOT be reproduced without author's permission. All rights reserved.

Legal Info and Privacy Policy

Legal Info and Privacy Policy

Disclaimer

I may have received materials and / or compensation for some of the tutorials, but the opinions and ideas are my own. This blog accepts payment for advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions, or other forms of compensation.

Tags

4th of July Advent Calendars angels basket bunny cereal box cheap Christmas craft foam dollar bill easter easy envelopes fall fathers day frugal gift bags gift box gift idea gift wrap gluten free graduation greeting card boxes Halloween journal kids kids craft milk jug money gifts Mothers Day ornament paper craft paper plate Patriotic preschool pumpkins recipes recycle St Patricks Day teacher gift teens Thanksgiving tips toddler Valentines
Site Map

Copyright © 2023