Using DIY Notebook Stickers to Make Visual Note-Taking Easy

The Quick & Easy Route to Interactive Notes

---

How to Use DIY "Doodle Note" Stickers to Let Students Convert Any Notebook Page Into a Memory-Boosting Graphic Note Sheet

If you are hoping to boost your students' understanding and retention of a lesson, you can't beat graphic notes!

Visual note-taking is a surefire way to build connections in your students' brains and increase:

• comprehension
• memory
• problem solving ability
• focus
• engagement
• and much more!

An easy way to maximize these brain benefits without having to do a ton of prep work is to use DIY doodle note stickers.

Grab your free set, then print this list of all of your options.  There are so many ways to use these!

Option 1:
​STUDENTS use the stickers

​Distribute stickers to the students, and let them assemble their own pages right inside their notebooks.

To make this easy, two versions are included for many of the larger structural stickers.  You can choose to print a variety pack for each child, or you can print the versions that have 4 of the same sticker on each page.  It's easy to just pass out a single page for a whole table of four students, and it saves paper!

Remember, if you don't want to purchase sticker paper, you can just use regular paper and have kids glue these into their notebooks.  

Here's how a page comes together:

Students will each add their own unique creativity to the page as they work.  The act of hand lettering, color coding, sketching, and doodling will solidify the concepts in their minds.

The connection between the visual, colorful side and the linguistic side maximizes activity along the neural pathways that lead to long-term memory.  Visual note-taking methods have been proven to increase retention.

Option 2:
YOU use the stickers (You'll need just one teacher set printed)

​Print yourself one full set on sticker paper (or just use regular paper and a glue stick).  Choose a few stickers that best represent the structure of your lesson content.  2-3 per page is usually plenty!

Draft out a page that organizes your particular lesson content clearly.
​  
Quick Tip:  Lay it all out before peeling the backs, so you can re-arrange as needed.  Once you have settled on a layout, peel and stick!  

Then, photocopy your master page as a graphic note to distribute.
Students can fill in the rest and add their input wherever you have left them some space for interaction.

The teacher plans out the structure & makes copies...

...the students add input to complete!

You can choose to add text (either hand-written or typed with a fun "color-able" font & cut out)  or your own graphics before making the photocopies, or you can leave it fairly blank with only the basic structure in place.  Your call!

Option 3:
Review / Study Guide

Group students into small study teams.  Assign them a lesson or Chapter to summarize.  Offer them a variety of pre-printed doodle note sticker sheets, so they can choose the stickers that will best organize the information.  (The rest can be saved for later - see storage envelope tip below.)

They'll have to plan out the best way to visually represent the lesson material.  The process of choosing, laying out, and planning their page with the stickers helps them organize the information mentally.  They can discuss their options.

Then, they'll build a graphic note page that can serve as a study guide.

By embellishing, labeling, and interacting with the note sheet, they'll build mental connections and remember the information.  The activation of both brain hemispheres and the processes behind Dual Coding Theory will offer them the best study experience!

You can even photocopy the finished pages to distribute to the whole class, so they have a reference / study guide from each group.

These also make great classroom posters!

Tips & Tricks
​for Easy Implementation:

1.  Choose the best sheet option before printing.  Will your students be using a variety of stickers, or do you want to pre-select the few that are best suited to today's lesson organization?

Stickers on the variety sheets are labeled, so kids can pre-cut them as homework before a lesson. 

Give each student a full sheet...

...or save paper by printing selected stickers for a whole group of 4

2.  If students will be saving some stickers for another day, or if you want to hand out multiple pages all at once and have them use a few each day, use storage pockets.  They can stick an envelope or pocket right in their notebooks.  Try a large pocket for full sheets and a smaller envelope for cut-outs.

3.  Be sure to print on matte sticker paper (not glossy) so that kids can write on top of the stickers!  Another option is to print on regular paper and have them use glue sticks.  Here is my favorite sticker paper (affiliate link):

Interactive Notebooks

Stickers are a great complement or even replacement for folding style interactive notebooks.  They can be a lot simpler and easier.  (Quicker too!)

The class is able to easily develop a doodle-friendly graphic note that offers all the benefits of an interactive notebook as well as added brain benefits.

With the coloring, doodling, lettering, embellishing, and color coding, students engage the full brain.  They activate the neural pathways that allow them to convert the information to long-term memory.

By blending the text and graphics, the "doodle note" strategy takes full advantage of Dual Coding Theory.  Click the links below to access the notebook stickers.

Because of the combined impact of Dual Coding Theory, the cooperation of brain hemispheres, and Picture Superiority Effect, doodle notes boost focus, learning, and retention of the lesson material.

Download a Free Set of Notebook Stickers:

Click the image above to download a free set of notebook stickers to try out!
A larger set is available for purchase here as well: DIY Doodle Note Stickers

Interested in updates, inspiration, and more resources?  Enter your email to stay in the loop through the Math Giraffe email list:

To Read Next: