If you’re a classroom teacher, I bet you’ve already got a stash of dry erase markers that you use regularly for all sorts of activities. But are you getting the most you can out of them? As part of our sponsored series with EXPO Markers I am sharing some of my favorite teacher tested tips and activities for using dry erase markers in the classroom. From how to make your markers last the longest, to cleaning those dry erase boards, to creative dry erase activity ideas for whole group, partner work, and center ideas we’ve got you covered!
Materials for Dry Erase Activities
EXPO Markers have always been my first choice for dry erase activities at home and in the classroom. They always last the longest for me and have the most bold colors. Now with the new dry erase ink indicator I love that I can easily see at a glance whether we are running low on ink. Nobody wants to run out of ink in the middle of a lesson!
There are a ton of fabulous choices for Dry Erase Surfaces. If you can buy your own then there are a ton of ready-made options. If you’re on a tighter budget shower board from the home improvement store can be cut into terrific boards. Make large and small ones to be used for different activities. In the classroom I use small square ones for quick response activities and math, and we have larger rectangles for writing activities and things that need more space. Plexiglass, windows, and any laminated paper product also makes a great surface for using dry erase markers.
Make Your Dry Erase Markers Last!
Over the years I’ve found two key ways to keep markers from drying out.
First store them horizontally. Often we want to see all the pretty tops pointing up in a container so we store them vertically, but storing them horizontally has been proven to keep them from drying out as quickly.
Second…and definitely the most helpful…I spend time teaching my kids how to close dry erase markers all the way. We practice, and we make it part of our cleanup routine after activities. At the beginning of the year and as needed we practice holding the marker to our ear and listening for the click as we close the marker cap. We usually use some sort of rhyme to help us remember. Sometimes the kids come up with their own as we brainstorm our procedures together at the beginning of the year, but if they don’t come up with one we usually say, “Click it. Then Stick it!” This give them the reminder to listen for the “click” then to “stick it” in the basket to be returned. Every once in a while, I have little ones who don’t have the fine motor strength to close the markers all the way at the beginning of the year. If that is the case, we spend some time on some fine motor activities and make it a goal to be able to close the markers. In the meantime, I sit that child next to a buddy who can be a helper.
Oops! Tips for Cleaning Dry Erase Boards
To keep your dry erase board clean and looking fresh it can help to wash them from time to time to remove any staining or markers that accumulate. A light swipe with rubbing alcohol, peroxide, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer usually does the trick. Just test it on your dry erase surface to make sure it doesn’t remove any of the protective coating.
With little ones and the presence of regular markers and permanent markers around, there is always an “oops” from time to time. If a child (or you!) accidentally writes with a non dry erase marker on your dry erase surface, don’t fret! Simply write over the other marker with your EXPO marker. Then wipe it off! It’s a magical sanity saver!
Management Tips for Classroom Routines with Dry Erase Markers
As I mentioned before my number one tip for using dry erase markers with kids is to teach them how to close them properly.
Another helpful thing to teach kids is to put the marker cap on the top of the open marker while they are using it. Before I started teaching kids to do this we’d have marker caps floating all over the carpet. We were constantly misplacing at least one, and there were too many arguments over who stole whose marker cap {sigh}. Once we all learned to stick the cap on the back we spent a lot less time searching for marker caps, and much more time actually learning!
With these two habits in place kids usually do well during small group and center activities, so that just leaves tackling whole group activities with dry erase markers. If you don’t have a solid system in place for passing out and returning boards then a lot of learning time can be wasted as boards are distributed and collected.
For me the easiest system was to have a separate basket for each row of students on my carpet. Inside each larger basket was:
- dry erase boards for each person in the row
- a smaller basket or bin with EXPO markers and erasers (I always leave a couple of extra markers in the bin in case we need to switch out for some reason)
These baskets were stored near the edge of the carpet (but still out of reach of kids during everyday activities). The person on the end of each row was in charge of dry erase boards. When it was time for dry erase activities those kids would slide the larger basket over to the edge of the carpet by their own spot.
Once everyone was ready to begin we would all pass out boards like an assembly line. The first person would take a board and pass it to the person to the left. Everyone would continue to pass until all kids had a board. Then we would repeat the process with the marker and eraser basket, but this time the whole basket would be passed down. When it got to the end of the row the basket would stay there until clean up time.
Some years kids would need a little more support to get this done quickly. During these years we would all say “1-2-3, Pass!” As we chanted kids would pass on the word “pass”. This would keep kids focused and prevent that one child from holding up the line regularly. If kids got bored with “1-2-3, Pass!” we’d switch it up from time to time by counting in a different language. This added a little layer of fun into a routine activity.
We repeated the same steps for clean up time. In the beginning this does take some time to get running smoothly, but once kids get the system down it takes just a minute or so depending on how many kids are in your rows.
Ways to use Dry Erase Markers with Kids
There are a ton of ways to use dry erase markers with kids in the classroom. Here are just a few of my favorites.
Use them for group response activities throughout the classroom. Place EXPO markers with laminated surfaces (posters, chart paper) for kids to respond to class graphs, group surveys, tally charts, and class votes. It’s a handy way to incorporate math and literacy into various centers and classroom areas. If you have a morning sign-in board, dry erase markers are the perfect way to have kids get practice without using a lot of paper.
During whole group time, use dry erase activities to get the WHOLE class engaged. That way kids who are hesitant to raise their hands or are slower to respond still get to participate. Kids can use individual boards for spiral review activities at the beginning of a lesson. You can also ask some initial questions to preview what kids already know about a new skill that you are getting ready to introduce. During lessons, dry erase markers can be used for kids to respond to and get whole group practice with teacher supervision before transitioning to independent practice. During writing time I like to have kids use their dry erase boards for brainstorming ideas. This way everyone gets a chance to come up with their own ideas before we share. If we are writing about the topic independently after we brainstorm, they can also take their board with ideas back to their seats to get ready.
Partner practice activities games are another way we like using EXPO markers. This can be done as a whole group working in pairs, in teacher guided small groups, or as independent centers. Some no-prep ideas for partner practice include:
- Working together to make word family lists
- Partnering to write fact families
- Sight word guessing games
- Word wall guessing games
Free Resources and Other Activities to Do with Dry Erase Markers
Many other learning activities can also be adapted to use with dry erase markers. Whenever we are doing practice that doesn’t need to be kept for assessments or to be sent home, I like to use EXPO markers to save paper (and prep time!). The activities below include free printables, and they work well for dry erase activities!
Domino Number Sense Math Freebie
Roll-a-Word Onset and Rime Phonics Freebie
What other sanity saving tips have you discovered for using dry erase markers in the classroom? I’d love to hear them in the comments!
Learn more about EXPO Dry Erase Markers with Ink Indicator at EXPOmarkers.com or purchase today at Amazon.com.
Nikishah
I love the cup you have in the background. Would I be able to get a close picture of that?
Shaunna Evans
Awww! That mug is near and dear to my heart. It was given to me 17 years ago by a student in my very first full year of teaching kindergarten. Unfortunately I don’t think they make them any more.