I’ve had a few customers tell me that they would really like a list that changes more visibly when a task is completed.  Some have solved this by laminating their list, and using an erasable marker to check off the tasks each day.  Others have used The Trip Clip to create a VELCRO® list with moving pieces.   I mentioned this to my kids, and they thought a physical list was a great idea, so we’ve been working on figuring out the best way to make this work.  Here are the steps we used to create a Morning Checklist with VELCRO®:

1. Select and Print Your Clipart

First, you need to print out the right pictures.  The easiest way to do this is to create a weekly list with all the pictures you want on your checklist.  Don’t worry about what days you assign things to – you just need a grid with the right images on it that you can cut apart later.  Here is what we created to turn into my 7-year-old son’s morning checklist:

2. Print Your To Do / Done Board

Here is a handy To Do / Done Template you can print. We printed ours out on blue paper because that’s what he wanted.

3. Laminate

After doing some research, I found these self-laminating sheets that are working very well for us (Avery 73601):   I bought this 50 pack at Amazon for $15. You’ll need to laminate the To Do / Done board as well as the clipart pictures. You can do this with just 2 of the laminating sheets. For the To Do / Done board, we found that using something thicker than a single piece of paper worked best. We cut the To Do / Done board page in half, and then also cut a thicker piece of paper to the same size, and laminated them at the same time. Peel the protector off of one laminating sheet and set it sticky side up on the table.  Then put the To Do / Done board on the left side of the laminating sheet (with the thicker layer underneath it) and your Weekly list with the clipart on the right side. Then peel the protector off a second laminating sheet, and press it sticky side down on top of the 1st laminating sheet.

4. Cut Out the Pieces

Next you can cut out all of the pieces you’ll need. When you cut the To Do / Done board, leave a good margin (1/2″ or so) around the edges of the board to make sure the double layer doesn’t slide around. For the clipart, use the grid lines on the chart to cut out each individual square.

5. Attach VELCRO® Brand Dots

I tried a few different kinds of VELCRO® brand dots, and discovered that it shouldn’t be too strong, especially if you want to hang the To Do / Done board on the wall like we do.  The super strong VELCRO® was stronger than the tape holding the list to the wall, so it kept falling off the wall, and the kids had to use two hands and pull pretty hard to get the clipart to separate. The dots we found and liked are these mini dots. I found this set of 56 dots on Amazon for $7.  They were just the right stickiness for our lists. The grid lines on the To Do / Done list are the right size for the clipart, so choose one side of the VELCRO® dots and put a dot in the center of each square on the laminated To Do / Done board. Then put the other side of the dots onto the backs of the clipart square you laminated and cut out in steps 3 and 4.

6. Hang It Up and Give It a Try!

Attach the picture squares to the “To Do” side of the board, and give it a go! If you try this, send me an email, or leave a comment below, and let me know how it worked for you!