Create Teaching Resources with Simple Design Elements

Hi friends! We’ve recently chatted about the myths that a lot of teachers believe when it comes to creating their own digital resources. (Check that article out here.) Many in this community have thought that they had to have great art skills and design experience to create teaching resources. Well, that myth was DEBUNKED!

This week, we are chatting about the core design elements you need to know about to create your own digital resources. Don’t worry friends, these design features are simple and can be used over and over again. Once you get the basic understanding of these elements, you are on your way to creating your own resources! 😊 I’m going to walk you through the main elements of design and show you how simple it can be.

Create Teaching Resources with Your Own Personal Style

Have you ever created a collage? Maybe it was in high school, an art class, or in a journal? Most of us have created one at some point. Think about how one is put together. If you can envision it, then you already know how to make your own teaching resources! Congrats! 🎊 Not following? Ok, let me explain…

When we create teaching resources, we start with a blank page (our digital “paper” for our collage). To create the “collage”, we take a bunch of shapes, pictures, and words and place them in a way that looks nice and appealing to our students. The traditional collage involves cutting and gluing. With digital resource creation, we get to skip those steps. Our images and shapes come “pre-cut” so they are ready to use right away!

Sounds a little too easy? Well, it is simple and easy to do. You just have to have your basic elements available, and your imagination is your only limit. By creating your own resources, you can use your favorite colors, themes, and style. It really can be addicting. And, wait until you see how little time it takes to create one.

How to Make Teaching Resources for Independent Learning

Independent learning is important for a variety of reasons, and we all strive to support this in our students. Quality digital resources have examples, clear instructions, and practice pages that guide children in their learning of a new concept or skill. With a quality digital resource, teachers are able to engage with more one-on-one learning with other students while others are able to use their digital resource on their own.

Text boxes are used in digital resources to add words and instructions to help our students understand the lesson. What about fonts? Fonts can look cute and pretty, but don’t forget that they might not be ideal for our students. Some fonts are hard to read. When instructions are hard to read, our students can become frustrated and have a hard time learning a skill or concept. Also, make sure that the text is big enough so students can read it from any device they might be working with that day. Using fonts that are clear and easy to read is key when creating digital resources for students.

Simple Shapes & Colors for Creating Teaching Resources

Simple shapes play a large role in the design process when we create teaching resources. Some of the shapes I’m talking about are rectangles, circles, and squares. We can use these shapes and combine them with appealing colors to create texture in our teaching resources. They can be used in borders, backgrounds for titles, instructions, and text.

Next, let’s talk about colors. Why do they matter? They matter because bright colors appeal to our students. However, too many colors can become overstimulating or confusing to our students. You can use bright colors, just be mindful of how many you use. Less is more. Now keep in mind, every child has different preferences. Even though most students aren’t attracted to dull, earthy colors, it doesn’t mean you can’t use them in some resources for those students who prefer these tones. That’s the beauty of creating your own teaching resources! You can quickly (in just a few minutes) tweak your resources to adjust colors and images. You can’t do that with resources that you purchase from others. 😊

Easy Clipart for Teaching Resources

Worried that you can’t draw, so how are you going to make a digital resource? The wonderful thing about creating digital resources is that you don’t need to know how to draw! 😊 Clipart, and so much of it, has come to your rescue. Think of a collage, a digital resource is basically a digital version of one. You take pre-cut, ready-to-go images and simply place them anywhere you want on any page. It’s as easy as cut and paste.

Are you worried about the cost of clipart? Another fabulous thing about digital resources is that there is so much free clipart for teachers available. You just have to know where to find them. 😉 (This will be included in my future course. Get on the waitlist now.) There are also specific holiday clipart for digital resources. We need to keep our students’ engagement high, and swapping out themes to holiday ones throughout the year can do just that!

So, why is clipart so important for creating teaching resources?

Your students love fun images, especially when they are learning. When you use images that are based on their interests, they are more inclined to stay engaged. Have a student struggling with a math concept? Find out what their passions are. Do they like trucks, baseball, waffles? Think how much excitement there would be if your students had tailored-made lessons just for them!

BONUS SALE

As an extra bonus, today and tomorrow (April 6 & 7), I am having a storewide 25% OFF Sale on all of my digital resources. Head over to my shop HERE and check out all of the goodies!

The big teacher resource site might be having a similar sale 😉, but if you purchase through Savvy Apple, you will receive a BONUS digital resource! Purchase any product from this site today or tomorrow, and you will receive a BONUS digital resource directly to your email Friday morning. 😊

Here are a few of my best sellers:

This 1st Grade Math Full Curriculum Bundle will have you set with a full year’s worth of engaging math that meets EVERY Common Core Standard for that grade level. It’s already discounted at an amazing price, and it is also included with the additional discount! 😊 I’ve heard you 1st grade teachers have been struggling trying to find digital resources to meet all of your needs. So, here it is! A great solution at a great price!

Hey, 2nd grade teachers! I haven’t forgotten about you. 😃 I also have a similar FULL curriculum bundle that meets all Common Core Standards for 2nd grade. It is at a great price already and has the additional discount on top of that! 🎉 It has tons of practice pages and examples. The mini lessons are great for additional practice. Click here to see all that is included in the FULL curriculum bundle.

Not ready to purchase a year’s worth of lessons? Don’t worry, every resource within each of these bundles is sold separately. Head over to the SHOP page and browse through the selection. Now is the time to stock up! I really appreciate the support that you show by purchasing through my site. Thank You! 😊

Have a great week!

Jess @Savvy Apple