My kids have always been insatiable for paper-based activities. From colouring in when they were little to learning their letters by tracing to following mazes, playing Bingo, battleships, squares and more. It’s actually pretty amazing how much fun a kid can have with a piece of paper and a pencil.
Which got me thinking … what if we made the worksheets into mini whiteboards so the kids can use them again and again? If they were able to use whiteboard markers on plastic sheets, they could wipe off their colouring, maze running or bingo strikes and start fresh next time. We’re talking kid-friendly, eco-friendly AND mum-friendly. Genius!
There are so many games that work well for this trick and an activity book filled with reuseable sheets is super-easy to put together. Here’s how you do it.
What you need
What you need to do
1. Download the cover sheet by clicking on the image below. A printed version makes the book feel very ‘official’ for your child, but if you prefer, you can ask your child to design their own cover page.
Once printed, trim to size and insert into the front sleeve of your folder. If your folder doesn’t have a front sleeve, simply glue the cover sheet onto the front of the folder and cover with contact paper for protection.
2. Insert a bunch of plastic sleeves into the folder and fill with activities and pictures.
3. Use whiteboard (dry-erase) markers to colour, fill, write and draw then use a dry cloth to wipe the activity sheets clean.
Colouring in
These cute colouring pages can be found here:
Here are some more ideas for what to include plus links to the pictures and activities I’ve used.
You can also include plain body or face outlines for doodling eye colour, hairstyles, make-up and fashion.
If you have older kids, it’s also fun to add some speech bubbles or even empty square boxes so they can make up their own cartoons.
Alphabet fun
You can print out sheets to help with learning to write the entire alphabet right here.
Funny faces
Cut out faces from magazines (large pictures of the inside and outside of houses, parks or playgrounds and the countryside are also great for drawing on). Blow up photos of the family to large A4 size and print them out in black and white for turning into funny faces.
Mazes
Mazes work so well in a dry-erase book because if your child makes a mistake, they can simply rub out the line and keep going.
There are stacks of mazes for you to print and try in three different levels of difficulty:
Other activity sheets that are fun for kids include dot-to-dots and matching games.
Worksheets
Older kids will love an activity book just as much as younger kids. There are so many games that are perfect for dry-erase play too. Try one of these:
You can also add worksheets into the activity folder, for maths, literacy or any other subject your child enjoys: