Using Flannelboards to Teach Basic Skills

Use flannelboards to teach the alphabeth, colors, and shapes, numbers, patterning, measurament, classifying, one-to-one correspondence, and other basic skills. When young children interact with a flannelboard, their learning comes alive! These simple ideas will help you create cutouts and flannelboards.
Fabric cutouts
Make cutouts from felt, flannel, or other fabric using cardboard shapes. Choose the color of fabric for each patter. Secure the pattern on top of the fabric piece by pinning or taping the pattern to the fabric. Cut around the outer edge of the solid outline to create the shape. Or trace around the pattern using a black felt-tip marker to create a bold outline, and then cut out the shape. You can buy fabric that has a holiday oriented pattern and make cutouts out of the fabric pictures.
Paper Cutouts
Trace stencils to make cutouts of letters, numbers, and shapes to use with a flannelboard. Use colorful calendar cutouts or cut out illustrations from coloring books and old workbooks! Just glue a piece of felt, sandpaper, or the "hooks" portion of self-sticking Velcro to the back of each cutout. Before cutting the patterns apart, laminate the pages, cover them in clear contact paper.
Making Flannelboards
You can purchase a manufactured flannelboard or try one of these ideas to create your own!
Flat Carpet Flanneboard
Cut out a large circle or rectangle of felt or flannel. When you're doing a flannelboard activity, lay the fabric on your classroom carpet and have the children sit around.
Flat Box Flannelboard
Open and lay out a flat large cardboard box. Spray adhesive on the front. Place a large piece of felt or flannel on the front and smooth out the fabric from the center to the edges. (Attaching a thing layer of foam under the flannel works even better).