How to Make a Reversible Felt Tree for Preschool Play
Add fun and learning to your felt board with a reversible felt tree. This tree cutout will prompt stories and activities for any season or holiday. Preschoolers will benefit from hands-on, child-led learning as they play on the felt board.
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What's on your felt board these days? Do you have any favorite cutouts to engage your eager preschoolers?
The felt board is fun for kids in so many ways. Take a look at our colorful dots for graphing and a snowman's hat and mittens for matching.
A large cut-out on the felt board - like this reversible tree - provides an instant prompt for child-led play. Simply add leaf or apple cutouts for the tree and you've got a matching activity, a counting activity, and more!
Felt board themes often involve seasonal activities, so a reversible felt tree is the perfect solution! You only have one felt prop to make and store, and the tree can adapt to changing seasons and themes.
Related: How to Store Felt Pieces
We've already made a tree with burlap .
- Burlap clings to the felt board just like felt cutouts, and has interesting color and texture that add a different sensory experience to the play.
Now I'm excited to include the reversible felt tree in your everyday play!
Reversible felt tree
The felt board, sometimes called a flannel board, is a wonderful prop to have in your toolkit for kids activities.
- Felt pieces are colorful and sturdy, and inspire games and stories that welcome kids participation.
This tree is simple to make and allows for a lot of flexibility in design. Your tree doesn't have to match ours exactly!
Supplies for felt tree
- black and brown felt
- glue gun or white glue
- white chalk
- scissors
I used 9 x 12 inch (23 x 30 cm) felt sheets in this tutorial. A long 8 x 35 inch (20 x 89 cm) piece can be purchased as an option. (Affiliate links for related products)
Instructions for felt tree
1. Draw a tree trunk and branches on black felt with white chalk.
- If you have a large piece of felt, you can draw the tree and branches together.
2. Cut out the black pieces of tree.
3. Trace the black cutouts onto brown felt to make a matching set.
4. Glue the brown and black tree shapes together. If you cut out the branches separately, insert them between the two pieces of tree before gluing the trunks together.
This is what your finished tree might look like. The design will vary depending on the sizes and colors of your felt pieces and your own imagination.
Play ideas for a felt tree
Brown tree
- Autumn activities: felt leaves in different colors; numbered pumpkins on the ground
- Forest activities: animal or plant cutouts; numbered flowers or apples
- Spring and summer activities: green leaves; bird nest; blossoms
Black tree
- Halloween activities: numbered ghosts; witch hats or brooms; wispy clouds
- Night time activities: owl cutouts; moon and stars cutouts
The felt board is one of the easiest tools for providing hands-on learning opportunities at home or in the preschool classroom.
There are countless stories and games felt cut-outs can add to everyday play. It can be used for math activities, story time or free play.
Related: How to Make Story Time Amazing
Have fun with the activity you put on your felt board today!
Here are a few more felt activities you might like!
Include a turkey in Thanksgiving Felt Board Play from Where Imagination Grows.
Count felt seeds in a Felt Apple Math Activity with B-Inspired Mama.
Explore simple math with Pre-K Pages in a fine motor Felt Leaf Counting Activity
Decorate in many different ways with a Felt Christmas Tree Activity from Powerful Mothering.
Get some tips from Juggling with Kids for the Secret to Making Felt Storyboards for Preschoolers.
Visit our Felt board on Pinterest!