Flannelboards

Using a flannelboard brings stories to life. This technique will allow the children to visually experience stories, songs, rhymes. Children love to see the shapes, colors, and textures of the materials. It’s fascinating to watch children, who may have been distracted during the reading of book during a storytime program, refocus their attention when it is flannelboard time. A collection of these materials takes a while to develop, but is well worth the effort in storytime programs.

These sites offer ideas on using flannelboards:

Childfun.com: Activity Themes — Free Crafts for Kids , Preschool Themes, Songs, Poems, Fingerplays, Flannelboard Activities, Art Activities
Within many themes are various suggestions for flannelboard activities. The best approach to finding them is to browse the themes of interest. An alternative is to use the search option available.

Flannelboard Basics
Cathy Ivins presents the basics of flannelboards in this online handbook. She includes information on creating your flannelboard, creating your pieces, and suggested flannelboard uses.

Hummingbird’s Lotsa Lesson Plans Page
Though this is not a major source of ideas for the flannelboard, there are a few interspersed with other theme-based activities, rhymes and book suggestions. As with other theme-based sites, the flannelboards are listed within all the other activities, and therefore it requires a bit of scrolling through the page to find them. Frequent updates make this an extremely useful resource.

Nuttin’ But Kids Main Page
This site was designed for childcare providers to develop lesson plans. It is included because the thematic lessons include a few flannelboard ideas along with books, rhymes and songs, some crafts and other activities. The lessons are extensive resources applicable to the storytime as well as the daycare.

Storytelling With the Flannel Board
A set of flannelboard guidelines are outlined. Directions on how to make the flannelboard itself along with the materials are given. A list of picture books and traditional stories that work well with the flannelboard is suggested.

Pathfinder prepared June 23, 2000 by Terry Rabideau

Please send suggestions and comments to rabideau@advinc.com