Chalkboard Placemats

Doodle Happiness in Place

I got sick of handing out paper left and right to my kids so they could practice their spelling words. Then we stumbled upon these Imagination Starters reusable chalkboard drawing mats. All three of my kids loved them, and I saw the possibility to entertain them while reducing our need for paper.

We scored three of the tiny travel sized mats with a couple crayons. This small size works great for high chair trays, car desks, or anywhere on the go, including the trays onboard airplanes. But for everyday use, I wanted more space to doodle, draw, color, and practice, so I bought a pack of four full sized mats.

You can get these mats with multiple themes, including unicorns, transportation, and farm themes. You can buy mats individually or in packs of four. After kids finish coloring, simply erase with a wet cloth. Fair warning, you need to use chalk or dry erase crayons on these mats or the colors won’t wash off. But any chalk will do, and you don’t need to buy any special crayons unless you want.

We use ours to practice writing out spelling words each school day. The kids use less paper, and once they finish, they can use the decorated side to entertain themselves while we wait for siblings to finish up. It works equally well at meal times, so that kids who finish eating have quiet entertainment that doesn’t distract others from the task at hand.

We’ve only had ours for a short while, but I suspect they will hold up well, both in terms of durability and desirability. My kids have already asked me if I can get more. If they continue to be this popular, I may well indulge them.