It’s no secret that teachers love good deals. In fact, we’ve got a whole Facebook group dedicated to them! One of the most popular deals there is on carpet spots, a genius product that has so many uses in the classroom. Sometimes called sit spots or floor dots, one side of these clever beauties is made from the same hook-and-loop material as Velcro. Press them down onto the standard flat carpet you find in most classrooms, and they’ll stay put until you move them. How do teachers use them? Read on to find out.
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1. Sit ’em down or line ’em up.
The original purpose of carpet spots was to give kids a designated place to sit during carpet time. The teacher can control the spacing and make it faster and easier for kids to find a place to park themselves. Teachers also find them useful for lining kids up. Lauren, a member of the WeAreTeachers Deals group on Facebook, says, “I never knew I needed these floor dots until I tried them. Easiest way to keep kids in line and away from the cabinets!”
2. Divide kids into groups.
Need a new way to break students down for group work? Have everyone sit on a carpet spot. Then tell them that anyone sitting on a blue spot will be in group A, everyone on a green spot in group B, and so on.
Source: Teaching With Miss Bacolo/Instagram
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3. Give them some space.
Sometimes you need to give students some space, whether it’s a quiet spot for thinking or a place for a group to gather while they work. Spaced-out carpet spots make it a breeze.
Source: Soaring: A Teaching Blog
4. Use carpet spots for ten frame activities.
Ten frames are a terrific tool for teaching math concepts. Outline one on the floor using Velcro tape or masking tape, then use carpet spots as markers. (Find clever 10 frame activities to try here.)
Source: Mrs. Prices’s Kindergators
5. Provide a place for their stuff.
Need a place to put wet shoes after an unexpectedly rainy recess? Or a designated spot on the floor for each student to pack up their backpack at the end of the day? Carpet spots are a perfect solution.
Source: Sparkling in Second Grade/Instagram
6. Visualize math problems with carpet spots.
Math manipulatives can help kids get a better grasp of basic concepts. Turn your carpet spots into manipulatives and use sticky notes for the symbols! (See more sticky note hacks here.)
Source: Learning With Mrs. Parker
7. Learn the ABCs and their sounds.
Use a Sharpie to write letters on your carpet spots. (Don’t want to write on them permanently? Use a piece of masking tape instead!) Line them up and have kids throw a beanbag onto a spot, then say the letter and its sound.
Source: Bonnie Kathryn Teaching
8. Play musical spots with sight words.
Label your carpet spots with sight words and spread them out. Turn on some music and let kids dance, dance, dance! When the music stops, they jump onto the nearest word. The “DJ” for the day reads a word from a stack of cards, and the student who’s on it says the word, spells the word, and uses it in a sentence. Learn more and get the free word lists at the link.
Source: Fluttering Through First Grade
9. Do some beanbag math.
Beanbags + carpet spots = fun math practice! Label the spots with numbers and place them on the floor. Toss the beanbags and practice addition, subtraction, or multiplication.
Sources: Lessons With Laughter/The Teacher Bag
10. Make a life-size number line.
Number lines can be a crucial tool for helping kids understand greater than/less than, counting, addition and subtraction, and more. Label your carpet spots with numbers to create a life-size number line to use in math activities. (Looking for more ways to get kids up and moving during math time? Click here!)
Source: The Kindergarten Smorgasboard
11. Bowl them away with a fun sight word game.
Line up the pins and let kids knock them down. They must read out the words they reveal and use them in a sentence. No bowling pins? Use empty plastic bottles instead.
Source: Learning With Mrs. Parker/Instagram
12. Use carpet spots to get physical.
No doubt you’ve already imagined using your carpet spots as a giant Twister board. But there are other ways to reach, stretch, and have fun with these dots. Get creative ideas at the link below.
Source: My Mundane & Miraculous Life
13. Craft a giant Rekenrek.
If you’re not already familiar with the cool math tool known as a Rekenrek, it’s time to learn more! If you already love it, build one from Velcro tape and carpet spots to use in your classroom. (Note that this savvy teacher is also using carpet spots to practice number bonds.)
Source: Mrs. Price’s Kindergators
14. Take your carpet spots off the floor.
The same hook-and-loop magic that holds carpet spots to the floor will also work to catch a fuzzy ball or, in the case of this resourceful teacher, a hair bun donut she found at the dollar store. Just attach your spots to the wall with the Velcro side out, then have kids throw the “ball” at them. You can use this for numbers, letters, sight words, or a review game. Genius!
Source: Lights, Camera, Teach!
15. Hop into word blend practice.
It’s always great to find reading activities that get kids up out of their seats . This one has them hopping along a path of carpet spots containing consonants and consonant blends; students add the endings and say the whole word.
Source: Snippets by Sarah/Instagram
Convinced that carpet spots are just what your classroom needs? Find a great deal on them here and see more terrific bargains on the WeAreTeachers Deals Facebook group.
