creative ways to write table

8 Formatting Tips for Perfect Tables in Microsoft Word

Working with Word tables can be quite tricky. These simple tips will show you how to make a table and format it perfectly.

On Microsoft Word, tables are essential formatting tools. Microsoft Office has made it easier to create and format basic tables in Microsoft Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013.

We haven't covered tables as much as we would have liked to. It's time to correct that, as the number of people asking questions on how to format tables properly is piling up. Maybe these eight table tips can be an appetizer. You just cannot create beautiful Microsoft Word documents by cutting corners on tables—here's how to format tables in Word.

By the way, it's possible to get a free copy of Microsoft Word , should you need one.

1. How to Make a Table in Microsoft Word

Using tables, and even changing them on the fly according to the data, has become far easier in the newer versions of Word such as Microsoft Word 2019 and Office 365. Intuitive Microsoft Word table formatting features give you finer (and quicker) control over how a table looks. But first head to the Ribbon > Insert > Table > Insert Table for making your first table.

It gives you five options for creating your first table.

The quickest way to start is with Quick Tables . The built-in designs save you from the lack of design skills. You can modify the designs by adding your own rows and columns or deleting the ones you don't need.

Another quick way to create a table in Word is the Insert Control feature. You can create a new column or row with one click. Hover the mouse over a table. A bar appears right outside your table between two existing columns or rows. Click on it when it appears, and a new column or row will be inserted at that position.

When you want to move or order a row around, use the combination of Alt+Shift+Up Arrow and Alt+Shift+Down Arrow to order the row up or down. Move contiguous rows by selecting them all first.

How to Use Table Properties to Position Your Table on the Page

If your tables are overlapping in Word, or you want to stop them from overlaying your text, then you need to learn how to position your tables on the page using the Table Properties feature.

Right-click on the table and select Table Properties from the context menu. The Table Properties dialog box is for precise control over the data and its display. Control the size, alignment, and indentation of the table.

By default, Word aligns a table on the left. If you want to center a table on the page, select the Table tab. Click on Alignment > Center .

The Indent from left figure controls the distance of the table from the left margin.

Position the table according to the text around it for a visually aesthetic look. Wrap text around tables by dragging it by the handle. The text wrapping changes automatically from None to Around . From the Table Positioning dialog box, you can set the Distance from surrounding text for each side of the table.

Select Move with Text if the text is directly related to the table data. The table is vertically aligned to the related paragraph around it. If the table data applies to the whole document, you can keep the option unchecked.

You can also control the tables with Microsoft Word keyboard shortcuts .

2. Use the Ruler

If you're looking for an easy way to make tables look good in Word, then sizing tables and positioning them accurately is an art in itself. If you need precise measurements to size your rows and columns— use the ruler .

Hover the mouse over a border. When the double-arrow pointer appears, click the border and hold down the ALT key. Move the rows and columns to fit your measurements.

3. Convert Text to Table (and Vice Versa)

Tabular data gives information in its structure. It would have been frustrating if Word didn't have something to handle non-tabular data. You can convert data to tables instantly from the Insert Table command.

Select the text. Go to Ribbon > Insert > Table > Insert Table .

Microsoft Word determines the required number of rows and columns by considering the text separators and then auto-fits the contents. The Convert Text to Table dialog box allows you more control if the previous operation doesn't work out right. You can also choose how to fit the contents of the table on the page.

You can specify how Microsoft Word should separate the data into rows and columns. Paragraph, tabs, commas, or any other delimiting character. This allows you to easily import non-tabular data from CSV files or plain TXT files and convert them into formatted tables. Remember, you can also import data from Microsoft Word into an Excel spreadsheet.

Convert Table to Text

Engineer the reverse process if someone asks you to send them files with comma-separated values or any other delineator. Select the entire table by clicking the “move” handle above the table.

Go to Ribbon > Table Tools > Layout > In the Data Group , click Convert to Text .

Simple text can be boring. When you have the chance, convert your table of data to a more visual chart instead with one of the underused features in Microsoft Word .

4. Auto-Fill Column Numbers

Microsoft Excel makes auto-filling a sequence of numbers very easy. Microsoft Word does not, and you may have to resort to a manual job. There is a simpler way.

Create a new column for the serial numbers if it does not exist. Select this column by positioning the mouse over the column.

With the column selected, go to Home > Paragraph > Click the Numbering button for inserting a numbered list.

A number sequence is inserted in the column automatically.

5. Freeze Those Tables!

Microsoft Word tables change their dimension to accommodate new data. There may be times when you do not want the table to change size at all, even when new data is inserted. That is—“freeze” the size of cells.

The first step is to specify a fixed size for the cells. Go to Table Properties > Row > Enter a value in the Specify height box. For Row height is select Exactly from the dropdown.

Now, select the Table tab > click the Options button > uncheck the Automatically Resize to Fit Contents check box.

Click OK twice to exit the Table Properties dialog box.

This also solves the problem of inserting an image into a cell without the cell expanding to accommodate the image. If the image is bigger than the available space in the cell, it gets cropped to fit within the cell.

6. Change Rows Into Columns in a Table

There are situations where you have to change rows into columns and columns into rows. One possible scenario is where the number of columns exceeds the page margin. Switching columns around to rows and vice-versa is called transposition .

The bad news is that Word does not have an inbuilt method for handling this yet. Microsoft suggests that you copy-paste your table into Microsoft Excel and use its Transpose command. The transposed table can now be copy-pasted back into Microsoft Word.

Data shows how easy it is in Excel with this short tutorial on switching rows into columns . Also, take the help of Microsoft's Support Page if you run into a problem using the Transpose command.

7. Paste Perfect Excel Tables Into Gmail

You will find a use for this simple workaround. By default, Gmail does not retain the spreadsheet format when you paste from Microsoft Excel. To email tabular data without sending it as a separate attachment, use Microsoft Word as a bridge.

Select and copy-paste the Microsoft Excel table to a Microsoft Word document with the source formatting. Now, copy-paste from Microsoft Word to Gmail. As you can see from the screenshot, the problem is solved. You might have to tweak the more heavily formatted tables slightly, but most of the formatting is retained.

8. Reuse Your Tables to Save Time

You can save a lot of time by re-using tables in your professional Microsoft Word documents. Save empty table formats and insert new data when required. With this quick save, you won't have to recreate the layout from scratch for new data.

Select a table. Go to Ribbon > Insert > Text group > click Quick Parts > Save Selection to Quick Part Gallery .

After you save a selection to the Quick Part Gallery, you can reuse the selection by clicking Quick Parts and choosing the selection from the gallery.

Use the Building Blocks Organizer to preview any table you created. You can also edit properties and delete the tables from here.

Do Microsoft Word Tables Confuse You?

These tips aren't enough to cover the scope of formatting tables in Word. I haven't talked about the role of the Design tab in creating eye-catching tables. That is a topic in itself. But it is one of the lesser areas to get confused over thanks to the visual help in that tab.

Working with tables in Word can be extremely rewarding. While tables are one common area between Microsoft Word and Excel, Microsoft Excel is more for power managing tabular data. Nonetheless, learning how to format tables well in both applications is an essential Microsoft Office skill. Use them at every opportunity.

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25 Table Setting Ideas & Tablescape Inspiration

By Gabriela Ulloa , Melissa Minton , and Melissa Maria

Whether you’re gearing up for an intimate dinner party or planning a big holiday bash , tablescapes are a festive way to kick off any good celebration. We've rounded up some of our favorite table setting ideas that prove that a beautiful table is more than just curated dishware. Think: creative centerpieces, unexpected color palettes , and plants galore. These swoon-worthy table setting ideas make for instant conversation starters and are guaranteed to leave your guests envious. From tastefully minimalist to over-the-top statement settings, there is something for every type of entertainer. Keep scrolling to discover our tablescape selects. Which is your favorite?

Get Creative With Vases

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Need an excuse to buy yet another vase? Well, here you go! Group all of your favorite funky and colorful vases together to create the perfectly mismatched table setting.

Break Out the Candlesticks

Candlelight always enhances the mood. Tall candlesticks add a beautiful glow, but are slender enough that they won't block sight lines. Just look at Vivian Hoorn's understatedly elegant table setting.

Play Off Your Artwork

If your dining room doubles as a gallery, choose flowers and dishware that will complement your prized pieces.

Use Colorful Glassware

Vibrant glassware can make everyday meals more fun, and mixes well with formal pieces. If you're a minimalist who leans toward neutrals, this is a fun (and nonthreatening) way to incorporate more color into your space.

Use Spring Shades

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Capture the beauty of spring by using floral, pastel tones on your tablescape.

Group Your Floral Arrangements

Instead of a massive floral arrangement, opt for a group of smaller vases. Lay out vases of varying shapes and colors to add a whimsical vibe to your space. Use this opportunity to play florist and arrange your vases with your fave flowers.

Use a Potted Plant

If you want a more permanent centerpiece situation, try adding a potted plant that can live on the table permanently. If you want little to no maintenance , opt for a faux plant . We won't tell.

For a dramatic centerpiece, place branches in a tall vase. Pro tip: Dried eucalyptus is always a crowd-pleaser in our homes.

Play With Height

One of our go-to table setting ideas is mixing an array of objects of varying heights on our tables. This adds dimension and is pretty easy to put together. Pull from decor you may have laying around other parts of your home. Repurpose an ashtray or coffee table book, bring in a vase and a fruit bowl and you're good to go.

Choose Bold Blooms

Create a tablescape that uses flowers to bring in bright colors and sculptural shapes.

Embrace Natural Hues

For a rustic or bohemian table, choose china in muted, natural colors. Adding plants and decor with earthier tones will add to the natural vibe you're trying to emulate.

Don't Forget the Tablecloth

Often times overlooked in modern spaces, a tablecloth can transform any table setting by creating a neutral canvas or set a bold scene.

Coordinate with the Flowers

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For a cohesive look, choose flowers that give a nod to the decor and other floral arrangements around your home.

Add Interesting Objects

Turn your table into a cabinet of curiosities. No one did it better than the Late Fleur Cowles, just saying.

Create a Mix

Bring in items from around the world (or just your home) for a tablescape that feels collected and traveled.

Adding books to a tablescape allows you to create levels and play with the height of floral arrangements. Plus you can show off your favorite volumes.

Get Sculptural

When in doubt, add a mini (or not so mini) sculpture to your table. This is the ideal way to show of all of your new flea market finds.

Make a Colorful Impression

Your flowers don't need to be the only colorful accent on the table. Add in bright plates, napkins, placemats, and even fruits for a personality-packed scene.

Go for a Matchy-Matchy Vibe

Matching sets are a bullet-proof way to have a cohesive and flowing table setting. Go the extra mile and match your placemats with your chairs for an extra layer of seamlessness.

Keep It Clean

Sometimes, less is just better . Keep your tablescape minimal and leave all of the extra room for all of your home-cooked food takeout.

Using greenery as a centerpiece is a surefire way to appear like you have your life together. For some reason, tablescapes like the one pictured above just scream "I'm an adult, trust me."

Lean Into Natural Fibers

Tone down your table with natural fibers and colors. This is a great trick for those with color-filled dining tables or chairs.

Let Your Fruit Be the Star

Take a classic table setting approach and let fruit be the main accent. Place it in a funky bowl for some extra appeal.

Add Metallic Accents

A bit of sparkle and shine makes any table feel special. But don't be scared off by the intensity of some these accents. Bring in a subtle metallic vase to complete your table in a low-key yet statement-making way.

Add Some Light

Never underestimate the power of a lamp. Add one of these bad boys atop your tablescape and light up your evening.

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      A step-by-step guide to professional-looking tables

A step-by-step guide to professional-looking tables

Author : Rob Ashton

Posted : 18 / 10 / 16

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What you may not know is how easily you can take your tables from basic (and boring) to impressive and eye-catching.

Transform your tables

Tables in published journals usually look far superior to those in the average business document.

But it is perfectly possible to transform Word’s default tables into ones that are every bit as impressive as those produced by the big publishers. And in doing so, you can really lift your documents, to make them much more engaging.

You can do this without stepping outside of Word. And – here’s the best bit – you don’t need a degree in graphic design or to be a Microsoft Office ninja to do so. Far from it.

Watch the video to see how you can transform your tables, step by step:

This post is taken from a lesson in our online-training programme Emphasis 360, which improves your writing in practical, bite-sized weekly lessons. You can find out more about Emphasis 360 and preview more lessons for free here .

Image credit: Your Design / Shutterstock

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How to Make and Customize a Table in Microsoft Word

Lots of ways to make it look pro

Making a table in Microsoft Word can be tricky, but with just a few simple steps, creating and customizing one for your needs is easy. In this article, we’ll teach you how to make a table in Microsoft Word and customize it perfectly.

Tables are a handy tool for organizing data, making data calculations using formulas, displaying information in an eye-catching way, or even creating visually appealing charts and diagrams to help break up long paragraphs of content.

How to Create a Table

There are seven ways to import a table into an MS Word document. You can create them from scratch by drawing, inserting a graphic grid, using the insert function, adding a new Microsoft Excel spreadsheet table, inserting an existing Excel Spreadsheet table, using Quick Tables, or converting the existing text into a table.

No matter which option you choose, you’ll have to first open your Word document, find a spot where you want to insert the table, and click your cursor on that spot. Let’s use the above-mentioned methods to create a table in Microsoft Word.

Create a Table with Graphic Grid

This is one of the simplest ways of creating a Microsoft Word table. Follow these simple steps:

• Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon and click the Table button.

• When the Insert Table dialog box opens, it’ll show a basic grid pattern and menu options below it.

• With the cursor, select the first grid cell and slide it down to select the number of columns and rows you want. As an example, choose six columns and four rows.

• The table will be automatically created in the document.

Once there’s a table in your document, you’ll notice two new tabs on the ribbon: Table Design and Layout . You can use these tabs to modify and stylize your newly created table. More on that later.

Create a Table with the Insert Function

Using the insert function is as easy as selecting your table layout from the grid. Here’s how it works:

• Go to Insert , then press on Table .
• Instead of dragging your cursor to select the grid, select Insert Table from the menu just below the grid.

• A dialog box will appear where you can enter the number of rows and columns you want in your table under the Table Size panel. In the AutoFit Behavio r panel, select Auto . You can also experiment with other options to see how you like them. AutoFit to Contents will produce a narrow column that changes in size as you enter data. AutoFit to Window will expand your table to fit the size of your document.

• If you want your future tables to remain this size, check the Remember dimensions for new tables option. Click the OK button to finish and create a table.

Draw a Table

You can manually draw a basic table in Word. Here’s how:

• Go to Insert , select the Table button, and choose Draw Table from the menu below the Grid.

• Your cursor will turn into a pencil. Drag it down and across the document to draw a box. You don’t have to worry about the dimensions; you can modify them later.
• Now you can start drawing cells and columns inside it. Simply drag the cursor to draw them one at a time.
• If you need to add or remove columns or rows later, you can go to the Layout tab and select the Draw Table or Eraser button. This’ll allow you to continue drawing lines with a pencil cursor or to erase existing lines with an eraser cursor.

Insert a New Excel Spreadsheet in Word

You can create an Excel spreadsheet directly in Word . Follow these simple steps:

• Go to Insert , select Tables , and choose Excel Spreadsheet from the menu.

• The new spreadsheet will be created where your cursor is set.
• Excel’s menu and commands will also be available to you, and you can use them to edit your table.

Copy and Paste an Existing Excel Spreadsheet

If you have prepared data in an Excel spreadsheet but need to move it to your Word document, you can simply copy and paste it.

• Open your Excel Worksheet, highlight the spreadsheet you need, and select the Copy button.
• Open Word and position your cursor where you need to insert the spreadsheet.
• Select the Paste drop-down menu on the Home tab in Word and choose Keep Source Formatting .

• You can also right-click your mouse and select Keep Source Formatting under Paste Options.

Quick Tables

If you don’t want to customize your tables, choose one of Word’s templates from the Quick Tables menu. You can also create your own design and save it in the Quick Tables Gallery for later use.

• Go to Insert , then select Tables , and Quick Tables .

• Select the template from the Quick Tables menu that fits your project.

• You can continue modifying it if you want to change the details.

Convert Text to Table

Converting text to a table used to be messy in Word. The data in a table would end up misplaced. That’s because previously, we had to use tabs to separate the data in individual cells.

Microsoft improved this feature, and now you can separate the table fields with commas, paragraphs, or any other separation characters. Let’s see how to convert a simple grocery shopping list into a table.

• Enter your data in a Word document. Remember to separate each data entry you want into individual cells with a comma. The rows will be separated by hitting enter and starting a new paragraph. Your list should look something like this:

• Select the list, go to Insert , Tables , and choose the Convert Text to Table option.

• In the dialog box, make sure that Commas are selected under the Separate text at the panel. Then click OK .

• Word will do the conversion for you, and a table will appear. You can then use the Table Design and Layout tabs to modify it.

How to Customize a Table

Table Design and Layout tabs are filled with helpful table tools you can use to format tables. Use Table Design to stylize your table and change its looks. Here you’ll find tools for shading, painting borders, and setting their thickness, style, and color. You can also select one of the many offered table styles.

In the Layout tab, you’ll find tools to add or remove cells, rows, and columns, merge cells, split them, or split the whole table into several ones. You’ll also use this tab to set other table properties, such as the table’s dimensions, or to align the text.

However, there are quicker ways to achieve anything these tools allow you to do. Let’s see how to quickly resize, align, add, or remove columns, rows, cells, and much more in Word tables.

How to Resize a Microsoft Word Table

Resizing the table manually means you can adjust its size or modify rows and columns individually. It’s as easy as dragging and dropping.

Resize the Whole Table

You’ll have to grab and drag to make the entire table larger or smaller.

• Select your table.
• Grab the little square that appears at its bottom-right corner.

• Drag the table to the size you want.

Resize a Column or a Row

Adjusting only the column or a row is just as easy.

• Place your cursor over a column or a row border until you see a double-sided arrow. The arrows will face left and right for columns and up and down for rows.

• Click and drag the arrow right or left to resize a column and up and down to resize a row.
• When you are done, simply release the mouse button.

How to Align the Table in MS Word

You can align your table to the left, center, or right to best fit your Word document. This is especially useful if you resize the table to fit text around it. Here’s how:

• Select the table and go to the Home tab.

• In the Paragraph section you’ll find Align Left, Center, and Right buttons. Use them to align your table.

How to Insert or Remove Columns and Rows

If your table has too few or too many rows and columns, you can easily fix it.

Add Columns and Rows

Adding a single column or a row is simple:

• Place your cursor on top of the columns or on the left side of the rows until a plus sign appears.

• Click this plus sign to add a new column or row.

If you want to insert multiple rows and columns:

• Select the same number of already existing rows or columns (if you want to add two columns, select two existing ones).

• Right-click, then go to the Insert menu and select to insert columns to the left or right and rows above or below.

Remove Columns or Rows

To delete rows or columns, select them, right-click, and select Delete Columns (or rows).

How to Add Borders or Shading

Table borders and shading are crucial to making your table look professional. With these simple tools, you can make your table stand out and make it easier to read. You’ll find both tools in the Table Design tab.

Adding Borders

Go to the Table Design tab and:

• Click Borders . A drop-down menu will let you choose the type of borders you want to add. Add them around each cell, or only highlight the outside of the table with borders. Place the cursor over the options, and you’ll get a preview of how each one changes your table.

• Once you decide on the border style, click it to apply it to your table.

• To place borders around a specific cell, row, or column, first select it and then choose the border style.

Add Shading

Spice things up by adding a background color to your tables . Use the shading drop-down menu to choose a color with which you’ll shade your table. You’ll find it in the Table Design tab.

If you want to shade a specific row, column, or cell, first select it and then choose the color. You can also shade only the selected cells.

How to Apply a Style

Microsoft Word has many table styles to offer, and you can choose one to make your table look professional. You can also do this to skip adding border style and shading.

• Select the table and go to the Table Design tab.
• Locate the Table Style box at the top of the window, and use the up and down arrows, or the “More” arrow, to browse the gallery.

• If you place your cursor over a specific style, you’ll see its preview on your table.

• Click on the selected style to apply it to your table.

To adjust the premade table style, go back to the Table Design tab and check or uncheck the boxes in the Table Style Options section. By doing this you can add or remove the Header Row, First Column, or Banded rows. There are more options so you can experiment with them and see how they influence your table design.

Use Table Properties

If you need to set a specific row height and a column width, you should use Table Properties. Here’s how:

• Select your table and right-click it. Then, choose Table Properties from the menu.

• When a dialog box opens, use the Table , Row , Column , Cell , and Alt Text to adjust their size, text wrapping, alignment, and more.

• When you’re done with adjustments, click the OK button to apply them to your table.

Word offers you a lot of tools, but creating and customizing tables is a quick and easy task. Not only can you use the pre-formatted table templates, but you can also easily customize your own table based on the needs of your project. Whether it’s adding new rows or columns for different parts of your data or varying the widths and heights of cells, you have all the tools you need to create a professional table. Let us know in the comments below if you have any questions!

Nicolae is a Jack of all trades technology writer with a focus on hardware, programming languages, and AI image-processing software. Over the last five years, he has ghostwritten numerous tech how-to guides and books on a variety of topics ranging from Linux to C# programming and game development. Nicolae loves everything that has to do with technology and his goal is to share his knowledge and experience with others. Read Nicolae's Full Bio

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Table of Contents: Creative Examples

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Vitaly Friedman loves beautiful content and doesn’t like to give in easily. When he is not writing, he’s most probably running front-end & UX … More about Vitaly ↬

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Table of contents is often considered to be one of the most unspectacular design elements ever invented. Because of its simple, usual form, table of contents is often not given the attention it may deserve — after all, it is just a list of the parts of a book or document organized in the order in which the parts appear. But why not use exactly that and surprise the reader of a booklet, brochure, annual report or a book with some beautiful and original table of contents? In fact, many creative approaches are possible. And this post attempts to prove exactly that.

This post showcases creative and/or beautiful tables of contents . We have tried to include creative, visually appealing and interesting design solutions. Hopefully, everybody will find something interesting and unusual for herself or himself. Please take a look at the references section at the end of the article — there you may find further examples of interesting and unusual tables of contents.

You may want to take a look at our related posts

• Beautiful Brochures and Booklets
• Data Visualization and Infographics
• Content-First Prototyping
• The Golden Rules Of Bottom Navigation Design

Please notice : some photos look not beautiful at all — here the idea matters more than the quality of the screenshot. The showcased tables of contents aren’t necessarily useful in practice as they may be hard to read; they should serve as the inspiration for your future works and show you that even in the design of table of contents some unusual approaches are possible.

Examples with leaders

If the page numbers appear after the heading text, they might be preceded by characters called leaders, usually dots or periods, that run from the chapter or section titles on the opposite side of the page, or the page numbers might remain closer to the titles. In some cases, the page number appears before the text.

Book Paul Renner 1948 A classic.

Endsheet table of contents Handwriting in use. Why not?

La cuisine au fils des mois by, Suzanne LABOUREUR Table

A List Apart 2007 Survey Results In April 2007, A List Apart and An Event Apart conducted a survey of people who make websites. The results represent the first data ever collected on the business of web design and development as practiced in the U.S. and worldwide.

A. W. von Schlegel A. W. von Schlegel: Indische Bibliothek. Bd. 1 (1823). Inhaltsverzeichnis.

The Living World My great-grandfather’s book, published circa 1890.

Atlas Table of Contents A Finnish atlas from 1958. “Isänmaan ja maailman kartasto” (Atlas of the Homeland and the World).

The Telephone Book “The Telephone Book: Technology, Schizophrenia, Electric Speech” Avital Ronell University of Nebraska Press, 1989 (design: Richard Eckersley).

The Next Page - Cover

Buying In by Rob Walker

Examples without leaders

The Mechanical Bride “The Mechanical Bride: Folklore of Industrial Man” Herbert Marshall McLuhan. The Vanguard Press, 1951 (design: Ernst Reichl).

Glauber_Johnson 1999 Ray Johnson: Correspondences, 1999. Barbara Glauber, Beverly Joel/Heavy Meta, designer.

El Indice Capitulos Half-Blood Prince

Peterson The table of contents is repeated at the top of every page.

Design Noir “Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic Objects” Anthony Dunne & Fiona Raby. August/Birkhauser, 2001 (Design: Alex Rich)

The Canadian Hockey Atlas

ToC_Morphosys AR 2008

Complete book Each colored bar will repeat on the right hand page of the corresponding story.

Yeah, THAT Owen Wilson and THAT Wes Anderson

Ideas matter

Macro- and Microaesthetics Niggli, 1998. Design: Willi Kunz.

Sewed table of contents What about sewing a table of content? This is exactly what Screaming Lulu did. Limited edition.

Brunetti’s Anthology Table of Contents This table of contents uses drawing and cartoons as metaphors for the chapters.

Type Trumps “A set of Type Trumps, a play on the game Top Trumps, in which different typefaces are attributed numerical values. These figures are then used to enable the cards to be won or lost using some of the fried and tested ‘Top Trumps’ rules.

Shaz Madani’s poster No, it has nothing to do with tables of contents, but it somehow fits to the context. This is a response designed to promote the M25 motorway. On one side the poster gives exact directions that would have to be taken in order to travel from one side of London to the other illustrating the complexity and confusion involved in taking alternative routs through the centre of the city. The reverse side reads “wipe away the confusion take the M25”.

Sources and Resources

• The Next Page: Thirty Tables of Contents
• Tables of Contents Flickr Pool
• Michael Surtees’s Collection: Tables of Contents

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Event Design

35 Great Table Plan Ideas

Jason Clampet

March 11th, 2017 at 8:00 AM EST

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For events that require a formal seating plan a table plan is essential, but just because they are functional, it doesn’t mean that they can’t pretty! Gone are the days when seating charts were just boards of paper, now they are being used to enhance the event experience while incorporating the event theme and vibe.  Whether you are looking for inspiration and ideas or just want to marvel at the ingenuity of others, here are the 35 best table plan ideas we could find.

Acrylic Transparency

Go big or go home is clearly the motto for The Inviting Pear who shows off this 5 foot tall transparent acrylic seating chart with gold inlay. A great talking point and perfect if you have a larger event with lots of guests.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQVXs7LjvuU/

Let guests know which direction to go with these destination themed tables and attendee names by Michael Page on traditional signposts that you can dot around the venue allowing people to space out and adding to the décor theme.  

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPTTWlZjnLM

Mirrors offer a beautiful backdrop for names and with the right calligraphy can be a statement piece themselves. Larger ornamental mirrors like this one from Wildflower Linen lets attendees see themselves along with their names.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQZ2GjrDgla/

Periodic Table Tables

A fun and quirky way to approach the table naming and seating charts by Smashing the Glass because after all, your event has the chemistry.

When you have serious chemistry 😍😆 Don’t be afraid to think outside the box for things that make you special as a couple and share them with your wedding guests! 📷 @raquelbenito_, 📋 @bodasdecuento Une publication partagée par Smashing The Glass (Karen) (@smashingtheglass) le 12 Févr. 2017 à 8h07 PST

Make it easier for your guests to see your vision by re-creating a mini diorama of the venue itself! Mrs Rackley shows that you can see the tables, names and even the cake and dessert table, because we all want to be able to find the sweet treats quicker.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKRaJGlgJ55/

Vintage Foliage

This table plan by Fantastique London has an Alice in wonderland vibe with the vintage ornate frames set on a wall of foliage which is a great way to add uniqueness to each table.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJnJHLKh7Iy/

Fondue Forks

A fun and inventive seating chart idea by Rebecca Pffiffner making the guests find their fondue fork which has the individual details on each one. It’s also an awesome way of keeping track of who hasn’t arrived yet!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQUk6TpD7nI/

Chalkboards

This fun seating chart idea is completely adaptable for big or small functions, as proven by this great example by Silent Word Studio – 150 guests are listed on this one.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQfnsH_AuSP

Sometimes you want to personalize your own seating plan to suit your favorite movie or book which is exactly what The Magical Wedding Co. did with this UP inspired seating chart.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQfoHfbAR9Z

Vintage Drawers

Kyle & Mary Stoddard prove you can repurpose anything to use, like these old vintage drawers as planters holding the table information!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQTsv9qD8Vv/?taken-by=mylittleladiesfarmanddesignco

If you are looking for a budget friendly, quirky option for your seating plan, why not collect different sized glassware bottles and containers and use them to write the name for each table. The Reeds at Shelter Haven show they also double up as sweet vases too!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPtHnG2Aav5/?taken-by=thereedssh

Old Shutters

For a Spanish twist on your event, try adding some unique vintage décor to display your seating plan on like this one from Judith Jurado Colome .

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQdyEqnABG7/?taken-by=millepapillons

For the petrol heads, get a classic car involved, or at least part of it, and display your seating plan on the hood like this one from Rustic Weddings . You could always go to a salvage yard and see what’s available.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPhVyzigxaC/

Tabletop Repurpose

This classy seating chart from Peanut’s Gallery is chic and interesting with the flowers on it, and is upcycled from an old kitchen table! Budget friendly and unique ideas like this are a great way to spruce up what you already have and keep the costs down.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQRpK6eA8os

Travel Plans

For travel lovers or destination themed events, name the tables after locations and pin them to a world map as part of the seating chart like this one by Tanya Colclough . If it is an international event you could even personalize it to show the varied nationalities of the attendees or the locations the event has been held in in previus years.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQbZmJQANR3/?taken-by=edenphoto

Another budget friendly idea, although time consuming, that means you can make personalized figures of your guests along with where they are sitting. This fun example from Caroline Jamieson also has them holding balloons with the guest names too!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQawkXkFB0R/

Beaded Cage

This elegant cage idea surrounded with beads and pearls by Christine O Sullivan seems more intricate than it actually is and could easily be adapted to your décor and flowers for a classy seating chart example.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQZ-LxigHiE/

This cute idea is simplistic and effective and can be hung anywhere. By sprucing up old hangers and cascading the names from ribbons it provides a great seating plan idea from Elisabetta Zucchi Party .  

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQZ4z3vhvwc/

Scrabble Boards

These scrabble board table plans are an innovative idea that are fun to make. You & Your Wedding shows here how you can intertwine the table names so they look like an actual scrabble board.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPiX9GBhSG6/

This throwback idea by Truly Yours UK which is perfect for intimate gatherings or events not only allows guests to find where they are sitting but also creates an entertainment piece as everyone looks at the old photos which will get them chatting.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQNbiRPjGiV/

Vintage Time Cards

Make use of old props like this vintage time card and typewriter idea from Ruttle and Rowe which adds a fun twist for historical party or event themes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQNUPKrhZTM/

Ice Sculpture

Incorporate your seating chart into your ice sculpture for a functional and fun idea like this one from Galgorm Resort & Spa Weddings . The choices for this are unlimited in size or design, but always remember to laminate the chart first or you’ll end up with a soggy, illegible mess on the day.

❄️Winter wedding ❄️ The amazing ice sculpture table plan from Lauren and Leigh’s wedding yesterday 🌟 #tableplan #icesculpture #winterwedding #januarywedding #2017wedding #galgormweddings #galgormresortandspa #weddinginspiration Une publication partagée par Galgorm Resort & Spa Weddings (@galgormweddings) le 29 Janv. 2017 à 3h02 PST

Rose Display

Making the attendee names in the shape of actual flowers looks interesting against a tactile green backdrop and this sassy “Seat yo self” design by Etchey adds a fun twist.

Sit. Stay a while. #repost from @juiceboxmedia and @arielleeazoff of this sassy but classy seating chart with @petalandpaper flowers, @etcheyshop laser cut words featuring calligraphy by the talented @heididavidsondesign, and hedge wall by @sigpartyrentals. 😍 Une publication partagée par Etchey (@etcheyshop) le 7 Févr. 2017 à 18h27 PST

You see scrolls a lot in the movies but they are a thing of the past – or not as Doves & Peacocks show here with this sophisticated design. The perfect combination of past and present for your next black tie event.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPmTPKrhUga/

Boho Chic Ladders

Make use of a ladder and the different steps, like this example by Best Events Company . You can also style it up with potted plants, lights or other décor to suit the event.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP9-3X6D1WJ/

Tea lights are standard table décor but houseofbunting takes it one step further and turns them into their own seating plan with each guest name, table and information on the frosted glass. Allow them to take them back to their tables for mood lighting and place card combos.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP_IQtFAX74/

Manzanita Tree

These diverse trees are a beautiful option for those looking to bring some of the outdoors, inside an event. This table plan display by Pumpkin Events involves hanging cards, among other themed pieces, on the tree and allows them to blend into the other décor.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQAWWX9AXZ6/

Fireplace Cards

Using the room helps to avoid empty spaces in an event and this example by Kirsten Butler incorporates a stately fireplace into the seating chart focal point for beautiful results.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQC9wRvhvvi/

This inexpensive idea by The Green Cornwall is fun to make because it requires empty wine bottles (and the wine has got to go somewhere!) and a standard wooden wine rack. The results are chic and stunning.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQDn9aMjwOz/

Hanging Hearts

This pretty table plan by Lisa Jane Teague is simple and effective for weddings or other events and could easily be changed to suit other shapes and themes. Either way it is cute and sweet, as well as fitting easily on a front table.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQYNAGJlKVR/

Beauty and The Beast Inspired

With the current hype over the live-action beauty and the beast, it is no surprise that it is inspiring events and this table plan style by Kirsten Butler is a great example. Encasing each table plan in glass, just like the rose from the film makes them feel more unique.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP2JbMGh1hs/

Crazy String

For those who love chaos, this table plan display is a fun talking point and activity for everyone to try for finding their seats. The Love Wedding Studio shows off this fun wooden version that is suitable for larger amounts of tables but you could adapt this to anything.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQHQf2zAKCV/

If nature or green events is the theme then this coastal idea should inspire you. Hessian & Lace show off the mobile with cascading names that are interlocked for each table.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQd21p2Bou9/

Wheelbarrow Bouquet

This outdoor rustic bouquet is a great feature piece by Everything Wedding and using the seating plan to extend the flowers helps it to use the space properly. It could also be great for downsizing on a smaller scale for indoor use!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPr_Ahqjf00

Through The Window

Repurpose an old window and use the panes to separate each table and then use calligraphy to write on the glass, it’s simple yet effective as shown here by Home Flowers & Design .

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQVGmS2gYRu/

In Conclusion

As you can see, table plans don’t have to be boring and with a few original ideas and inspiration you can make them a talking point by making them interactive or incorporating props and décor to complement the event theme.

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Erin Wright Writing

Writing-Related Software Tutorials

How to Write Table Titles

By Erin Wright

• The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago Style)
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA style)
• MLA style from the Modern Language Association 1

These three style guides do agree on two issues:

• A label (the capitalized word table and a number) appears before the title
• The label and title appear flush left above the table

Table 1, at the bottom of this post, summarizes the differences between these three styles—because what’s a post about table titles without a table?

If you don’t follow a specific style guide and are wondering which one you should use, see “ Which Style Guide Is Best for You? ” Spoiler alert: Chicago style is the best choice for general writing, business writing, and writing geared to traditional publishing.

Chicago-Style Table Titles

According to The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago style), the table number can be a regular numeral or can feature double numbering beginning with the chapter number (e.g., 12.5 for the fifth table in the twelfth chapter).

The number can be followed by a period (preferred) or by a “space and typographical distinction.” Whichever format you choose, be sure to use it consistently throughout your document.

Both the label and the title appear in regular font on the same line.

The title can be capitalized sentence-style or headline-style . But once again, be sure to use the same format throughout your document. Whether you choose sentence-style or headline-style capitalization, don’t end the title with a period. 2

Table 3. Nap lengths for cats in different countries

Style Guide Alert: The student version of Chicago style, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (commonly called Turabian after its author), only formats table titles with sentence-style capitalization. Turabian mirrors all of Chicago style’s other recommendations for table titles. 3

APA-Style Table Titles (and Figure Titles)

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA style) recommends using bold font for the label and italic font for the title.

Although APA style doesn’t mention double numbering (where the table number begins with the chapter number), the Publication Manual itself uses double numbering, so we can safely assume this format is acceptable.

The table number isn’t followed by a period. Instead, the title is written in headline-style capitalization on the next double-spaced line, also without an ending period. 5

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MLA-Style Table Titles

MLA style from the Modern Language Association uses the same format for table titles as APA style except that MLA style formats the label and title with regular font. In addition, long titles that break to a second line are given a hanging indent . 6

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by Event and District

We will discuss table titles in appendixes in an upcoming post.

The title for Table 1 follows Chicago style. Click the table for a larger view in a separate browser tab.

Related Resources

How to Write Figure Captions

How to Reference Tables and Figures in Text

Three Ways to Insert Tables in Microsoft Word

How to Create and Customize Charts in Microsoft Word

How to Insert Figure Captions and Table Titles in Microsoft Word

How to Change the Style of Table Titles and Figure Captions in Microsoft Word

How to Update Table and Figure Numbers in Microsoft Word

How to Create and Update a List of Tables or Figures in Microsoft Word

How to Cross-Reference Tables and Figures in Microsoft Word

• The MLA Handbook does not address table titles, so all MLA style information comes from the MLA Style Center website, which is the handbook’s official online extension.
• The Chicago Manual of Style , 17th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), 3.50, 3.54, 3.55.
• Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations , 9th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018), 26.2.2, 26.2.21.
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th ed. (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2020), 7.23–7.25.
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7th ed. (Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2020), 7.9–7.11.
• “ Tables and Illustrations ,” Formatting a Research Paper, The MLA Style Center, accessed October 24, 2019.
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Tips for Creating Tables: How to Get Them Right

A cornerstone of scientific manuscripts that are successfully published is their judicious and effective use of tables and figures. The former are best used to depict trends in the data, such as time-series and distributions, especially if they are statistically significant, and for showing complex interactions of factorial analyses (think 2- or 3-way ANOVA). In the last several decades, however, there seems to be a greater emphasis on using figures in papers at the expense of tables. Two plausible reasons for this are the stringent length restrictions adopted by nearly all journals and the ease with which one can now make a variety of figures using software (e.g. Sigmaplot). So, should authors just abandon tables altogether?

When to Use a Table?

  Tables still have a key role to play in manuscript writing, especially for empirical research that presents new results. Admittedly, on a printed page, tables are seen as costly vis-à-vis their occupation of space. Fortunately, as more journals go online there is more digital space available for housing supplemental information of a manuscript. The use of tables here is a “no-brainer”. An excellent example of a supplementary table might be a large reference table that ought to be archived or detailed statistical tests. While most tables are numerical, they may be textual too (e.g., listing of competing hypotheses to explain a phenomenon).

A useful heuristic is to use a table only if it presents detailed information or data that is important to the research and objective at hand; for example, a table summarizing the predictions of a model or experiment, or the analyzed environmental variables of experimental plots or study sites. Indeed, the primary function served by tables in communicating research is to help readers grasp information quickly and easily, and learn how numbers are related to concepts in a study. Tables should also be used when many specific numerical results must be reported and when the reader would benefit from analyzing orderly comparisons of the data.

Before creating tables, it is imperative to think about why they are required. What purpose will they serve? It helps to keep in mind, during manuscript preparation, the target journal. Some journals limit the combined number of tables and figures they publish. This means that the authors would need to carefully consider the type and number of tables to present. Where 1-2 sentences might suffice to describe your table’s data, it might be useful to omit the table. With online space for supplementary information being made available by most journals, the use of tables to display all the output details of statistical analyses (e.g., Regression, ANOVAs) is increasingly in disuse, perhaps with good reason.

Key Features of a Good Table

Every table must carry a caption that lies above the table’s body (rows and columns), and which should be left justified. Some journals require a brief, informative title phrase, often in bold type. In any case, the caption text should be succinct and clear, and most importantly, self-explanatory. That is, good tables—as with figures—are able to “stand-alone”, apart from the main text. For example, in field biology, authors should include the studied species full names, where they were surveyed and when. A reader skimming through the article should be able to glean what the study was about from the tables and figures.

Many students and junior researchers often wrestle with the table layout. The question of how to arrange and present the data is not a trivial matter, but there is no clear-cut answer. The best orientation will most easily highlight the results based on the type of data collected and analyses applied. For example, it is common for response variables to occupy columns, with the independent variables or factors as rows. In every table, at least one top row is reserved for column headings (with units), below which lies the table body (data/results). The simplest table has at least three demarcating rows, but more can be used effectively to indicate mean values, sums, or statistics (e.g., F -, P -values). Indeed, the table is a flexible tool and may become complex, especially when hierarchal comparisons or date is summarized.

Tables are almost always numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals. Footnotes are often underappreciated and overlooked during manuscript preparation and writing. When necessary, footnotes can prove to be useful tools to provide an explanation, or to reference a column or row subheading by a superscript symbol, number, or letter; for example to spell out abbreviations or denote significance levels. As a rule of the thumb, footnotes are always placed below the body of the table. Journals have their own formatting style in place; hence, authors must be sure to read the author instructions about how to create and format tables before submitting the manuscript. eAuthors must ensure that all tables are referred to within the main text (e.g., as ‘Table 1’, and not ‘Table one’). Specifically, multiple tables should be cited in order and with relevant context. In the manuscript text, avoid repeating the numerical data presented in the tables.

Other Useful Tips

Authors should aim to keep the tables neat and legible. The rows should be double-spaced whenever possible. Unless the journal’s author guidelines specify otherwise, it is recommended to have one table per page. It is advisable for authors to revisit their tables to be sure that a reader can make sense of it. Incorporating one or more tables in a manuscript requires thoughtful consideration and execution. When done properly they support the main text, and help narrate the scientific ‘story’—and readers will appreciate it. Tables are powerful tools because they can convey a large amount of data, in an organized manner, in a relatively small space. It is the authors’ responsibility to use them wisely.

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The Most Charming Place Card Ideas for Any Table Setting or Celebration

Zee is a former associate digital editor for MarthaStewart.com.

Welcome your guests to your next celebration with these creative place card ideas. We're sharing how-tos and ideas for every popular holiday, plus beautiful projects for special banquets, outdoor events, birthday parties, family reunions, and intimate receptions, too.

If you think about it, place cards serve two main roles at any event: They're decorative elements that anchor your tabletop design , but they're also practical tools that help guests find their seats effortlessly. Without a well-designed, readable place card, your family and friends are left to wander aimlessly. What's more, certain couples or family members may end up at opposite ends of the table. Place cards help everyone avoid that awkward guessing game of where to sit, which means you'll be free to focus on more important issues (like executing your dinner menu ).

More often than not, simply taking the time to choose a piece of stationery that's complementary to your tablescape and linens will make your place settings look more complete. With a creative vision, you can make use of craft supplies like calligraphy pens, watercolor paints, glitter, and other embellishments to take those place settings to the next level. That's why we're sharing how to transform a piece of stationery into a work of art that makes a great first impression upon any guest.

These place cards can sit atop plates or they can be fashioned to accentuate other tabletop essentials like napkins, silverware, or even edible treats. If you're planning a holiday feast, a place card paired with an edible Easter egg or a citrus pomander at Christmas are innovative ways to make your place card standout. Use one of these unique place card to decorate your tablescape in the days before your event, for whichever occasion it may be.

Photo Place Cards

A really cute idea for family and close friends around the holidays, printing out photos of your guests is a great substitute for traditional place cards. The best part? They get to take the photos with them when they leave!

Origami Place Cards

Simple and yet sophisticated, these place cards come together with just a few simple folds. To make them, fold a five-and-one-eigth-inch square piece of origami paper into quarters, making a smaller square; then, fold that square in half. Holding the card with its crease at the bottom, fold front and back flaps down so all edges are even. As the finishing touch, write your guest's name in marker on card stock, and set the tag inside your crafted holder.

Mini Terrarium Place Cards

Welcome guests to an alfresco meal with little pots of moss. Covered with a glass, each looks like a miniature terrarium . Fill a one-and-a-half-inch terra-cotta pot with moss, insert twig in center, and glue a name tag to twig. Cover it with a glass, which can be used for drinks.

Message-in-a-Bottle Place Cards

If you're hosting a beach party, these delicate place cards accentuate the best elements of coastal living. To make them, use a funnel to pour sand into a small glass bottle. Roll up a small scroll of paper, securing with a few strips of double-sided tape placed parallel to the rolling direction, and write a guest's name on it. Using tweezers, place it inside the bottle and seal it with a cork.

Lobster Place Cards

Hosting a summertime seafood buffet? Set the tone in advance with claw-shaped cards. To make them, trace our template onto red card stock and cut out the claw shapes. Write names onto each card using a white gel-ink pen and when you place it on the table, weight it down with stones.

Paper-Boat Place Card

Set a shipshape table with seaworthy vessels whose sails designate younger guests' seats. Great for a children's table, these whimsical place cards require little more than kraft paper and a simple folding technique. Outfit boats with Life Savers candies and cast them adrift on blue napkins.

Watercolor-Painted Marble Tile Place Cards

Set a personalized place setting for each guest at the table and center it around this place card. All you need are two things: craft paint and small tiles, which are blended with summery colors of soft pink, peach, lilac, coral, and white.

Miniature Easter Candy Basket

This is a great example of marrying place cards with pre-service nosh. Put a small basket of Easter goodies at each seat with a name tag to take care of your décor, place settings, and party favors, quick as a bunny.

Cloth Ghost Place Cards

These spooky little spirits come with open arms (and hold the chalkboard place card for you to find your seat). To make them, mold the body of each little ghost by draping cheesecloth (soaked in fabric stiffener) over a styrofoam ball and wooden skewers. A gaping mouth and pair of eyes are drawn on with permanent marker.

Graveyard Place Cards

Show dinner guests to their seats with cemetery-themed place cards that double as treat holders. To make them, cut off the top of plain paper bags about two-and-a-half inches from the bottom and use a decorative paper punch to create the surrounding "fence." You'll then cut "gravestones" from card stock, and stamp them with names of your guests.

Leaf Animal Place Cards

Use backyard leaves to make place cards for the kids' table—or have your young dinner guests create their own. To make them, print one of our forest animal templates and secure it onto a leaf with tape, using detail scissors to cut out the shape. Tip: If you're using brittle leaves, reinforce them with layers of tape on the backs before cutting.

Cardinal Place Cards

In many European countries, it is a Christmas custom to feed songbirds, which are symbols of luck. Mark place settings with handsome red cardinals, and your guests are sure to feel fortunate. These place cards can be used with or without honeycomb paper.

Thanksgiving Menu Place Card

Here's a novel idea: skip a printed menu altogether and just roll it into a place card instead. It makes an elegant addition to the table, especially when paired with gilded greenery and a wrapped napkin.

Nutshell Place Cards

At your Thanksgiving table, celebrate the bounty of the season—right down to the place cards. To create these walnut name labels, cut slips of paper into flags (about 1 1/2 inches by 1/2 inch each). Write names on the paper using a fine-tipped felt or metallic-paint pen. Open shells slightly with a nutcracker, and insert the flags.

Rock Place Cards

The shades and textures found in marble and stone dinnerware make a great backdrop for a concept cut from a similar cloth. Personalize smooth river rocks with each guest's name, spelled out in gold stickers.

Embroidered-Leaf Place Cards

Guide Thanksgiving guests to their seats—and give little hands a fun project in the days beforehand—with easy embroidered table cards. Stitch each name onto a sturdy leaf (these are magnolia), and let nature's paper spruce up the feast.

Tree Place Card

Plant a forest of place cards on the holiday table. Kids can help fold paper trees and add stars with guests' names. To make them, print our Christmas tree and star clip-art onto card stock and fold along the lines as indicated. Write your guest's name on the teeny-tiny paper star before inserting it into the slit atop your tabletop tree.

Paper Lantern Place Cards

Lanterns are appropriate for all manner of occasions. Fold a small lantern—paired with a personalized name tag—that can be offered as a thoughtful gift to each guest sitting at your table.

Dreidel Place Card

Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel—made out of card stock! (And there's no glue required, so it's already dry and ready.) Print our dreidel templates and trace sections onto lavender card stock, and cut out. Cut slits onto your cards as indicated on the templates. Finish by writing the guest's name on one piece and slide both pieces together.

Cornhusk Place Cards

In fall, the blossoms of summertime are little more than a distant memory. But you can bring some of their delicate beauty to your fall decorating by fashioning flowers from the husks of dried Indian corn—a farm-stand staple at this time of year. To make place cards, create flowers by copying our template onto card stock. Cluster blossoms and buds, one at a time, securing wires together with floral tape. Attach to a tented place card by punching two holes with a micro-hole punch and threading ribbon through it to tie.

Dried-Flower Place Cards

Forage from the outdoors to craft these place cards for your autumn harvest table. They're easy to make: Simply write your guest's names with a white gel pen on small cards or thick paper that's been cut down to size, then use a strip of washi tape to attach a dried-flower stem to each card.

Pinecone Place Card

Small florets adorn each and every place card, which is made by gluing your choice of card stock over veneer paper. You'll have to prop up the cards with a triangle fashioned out of heavy paper that's glued underneath, perpendicular to the veneer.

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Blog Data Visualization 10 Report Design Ideas & Tips to Engage Readers

10 Report Design Ideas & Tips to Engage Readers

Written by: Midori Nediger Jun 12, 2023

A good report design encompasses a visually appealing and well-structured layout that effectively communicates information. It involves a clear and logical organization with headings and sections, consistent branding elements , readable typography and a visual hierarchy to emphasize key points.

Ultimately, designing a good report goes beyond aesthetics and encompasses strategic elements that facilitate effective information communication. This includes implementing visually appealing and well-structured layouts.

Ideally, your report should be mobile-friendly too. Sounds like a lot, but I’ve got everything covered in this guide so keep reading or get started right away with one of Venngage’s professionally designed report templates .

How to design a report:

• Balance text with visuals to make your information easy to digest.
• Use a single highlight color to draw attention to key information.
• Create a clear text hierarchy to make your report easy to navigate.
• Incorporate your branding for cohesive report design.
• Visualize your data with bar charts, line charts, bubble charts, and pie charts.
• Use a 2-column layout for optimal readability.
• Leave plenty of whitespace in your report design.
• Apply consistent motifs across every page of your report design.
• Use color blocks to group related information.
• Include an appendix with detailed tables and graphs.

Today I’m going to give you a primer on making reports that are as beautiful as they are functional. We’ll cover the 10 report design best practices you need to know and report design ideas.

When writing a report that uses a lot of data, you should use the IMRaD format . IMRaD is an acronym that stands for Introduction – Method – Results – and – Discussion.

If your report is more text than data-heavy, such as if you were creating an annual report or a nonprofit report about a program of activities, you should broadly follow the IMRaD format too. Although with less emphasis on the ‘method’ section. Instead, focus on showcasing the results of your work.

Watch: How to create an annual report

Once you feel confident and inspired, you can jump to our reports templates page to start designing your own custom report! Keep reading for some report design ideas.

1. Balance text with visuals for a digestible report design

As humans, we’re much better at grasping information presented in the form of visuals than written text. So when designing a text-heavy report, look for opportunities to summarize information by  transforming text into visuals to make your information more engaging and easier to digest.

Don’t use words if the same information can be presented visually.

Aim for at least a 50/50 balance between text and images. At least half of each page should be dedicated to visuals like charts, diagrams, and helpful images.

As with the simple report design above, every chunk of text in the report should be accompanied by a representative visual. The visual should communicate the bulk of the information, and the accompanying text should list the major takeaways.

Even if your report requires a more text-heavy approach, try to scatter visuals between the longer paragraphs of text. Alternating text with visuals will help keep your readers engaged from page to page like in this report design idea:

Just remember, functionality should always come first. Visuals should be used to enhance understanding–to categorize, highlight, and emphasize information–not just to break up the text. Choose visuals that make your content easier to understand.

Our  progress report templates  are ideal for businesses and consultants to showcase the right data and ignore all the minutiae in the process.

Our consulting report templates  are another good resource.

2. Use a single highlight color to draw attention to key information

Color is one of the most important elements of any design.

Besides playing a role in the overall look and feel of a design, color can be even be used to control where our readers look. We can use bold color accents to draw our readers’ attention to any key facts and figures that we think are particularly important.

As shown in the modern report design below, color is a powerful tool for highlighting significant data points and drawing attention to report headers.

Just make sure you use highlight colors with restraint. Many bright, contrasting colors will compete with each other and overwhelm the senses, distracting from the message you’re trying to communicate.

Sticking with a single highlight color will enhance your readers’ comprehension, and even help to tie your document together.

3. Create a clear text hierarchy for an easy-to-navigate report design

Similar to the way we can use color to tell our readers what to look at first, we can use text size to tell our readers what to read first.

This is what a typographic hierarchy is all about–sizing and styling text so that readers can easily navigate our reports with just a quick glance.

Every report should have at least three levels of text hierarchy, and this hierarchy should be applied to the entire document.

Your text hierarchy should contain, at the very least:

• Header text
• Subheader text
• Paragraph text

As seen in the report design below, headers should be big and bold enough to grab your reader’s attention, and a bit stylized. Subheaders should be a little smaller, and a little less stylized. Paragraph text should be more minimal in style, and highly readable.

Check out our guide on choosing fonts for more information on creating text hierarchies.

4. Incorporate your branding for a cohesive report design

It’s usually a good idea to take your company’s branding into account when you create your reports.

Using your brand elements will help you stick with a single visual theme from start to finish, which is critical to creating a report design that feels like one cohesive document.

As seen in this example from IPG Media below, consistently applying company brand colors can have a dramatic effect.

But don’t be afraid to add your own personal touch! Just because your design is consistent with your company’s branding doesn’t mean you have no creative freedom.

You can riff on your company’s core brand elements to create a fun design that still meets the brief. This report design from Maine Tourism mixes some secondary colors with the core brand colors to give the report a unique feel.

If you haven’t already, check out Venngage’s  My Brand Kit . We’ve made it even easier to apply your company’s brand colors, fonts, and logos to all of our report templates!

Just upload your company logo, and add your company’s fonts and brand colors, then generate branded report templates with one click!

Once you’re happy with your report design, use the Venngage Business Account to invite your team to comment on your design and get some good feedback. You can even save your annual report as a template to use next year!

5. Visualize your data with bar charts, line charts, bubble charts, and pie charts

Data visualizations in a long report don’t have to be fancy.  In fact, simpler is usually better!

And that’s why knowing the basics of chart design can be a game changer for your report design.

Using simpler charts like line charts, bar charts, bubble charts, and big number charts means that you won’t run the risk of confusing your readers, and they won’t have to work to interpret your charts.

These basic charts can even be quite engaging if incorporated cleverly into your overall design.  Check out this annual report design from the Hall Family Foundation, which uses very basic data visualization techniques (big number charts and bar charts) to great effect.

Just make sure you’re using charts that are appropriate for the type of data that you have and the message you’re trying to convey.

Here are a few guidelines on how to choose the right type of chart :

• Use line charts to highlight trends over time
• Use bar charts and bubble charts to show difference among categories
• Use big number charts to emphasize key performance indicators

Watch: How to Pick The Right Chart For Your Data

One final tip for visualizing data in reports: include descriptions for all charts or tables to add context for readers. As seen below, each chart should have some accompanying text (a header, at the very least) that provides clarification and explains important trends.

If you’re not sure of the best way to visualize your data, look for inspiration in our statistical infographics . Many of the same visualization techniques used in data-heavy infographics work surprisingly well in report designs, too.

6. Use a 2-column layout for optimal readability

Messy, disorganized reports not only look unprofessional, they can be confusing!

Keep your reports organized by building them on a grid–ideally, a 2-column grid, as seen in this report design from the Global Fund for Children . A grid gives a report some visual structure, prevents visual clutter, and creates a satisfying sense of rhythm in the design.

Designing on a 2-column grid will also prevent your paragraphs from getting too wide. The optimal line length of readability is about 60-70 characters per line, which usually works out about right in most 2-column layouts.

7. Leave plenty of whitespace in your report design

Whitespace, the empty space around every piece of content on a page, is an essential element of good design.

The perfect amount of whitespace makes a design feel balanced and pleasing, while a lack of whitespace makes a design feel cramped and unfinished. Just take a look at what a difference a bit of whitespace makes in a simple design:

This report from Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance is a bit of an extreme example of whitespace in practice, but you get the point. The blank space around the text, numbers, and images helps a design feel light, polished and balanced:

When it comes to adding whitespace to your reports, keep in mind that readers might get turned off when faced with large walls of text. Try to summarize your information , break text up into smaller sections and space those sections out to prevent pages from getting too busy.

Whitespace is especially important in information-dense reports, which can easily look heavy and overwhelming in the page. By leaving generous margins around text sections and charts, we can prevent our reports from looking too formidable.

8. Apply the same visual motifs across every page of the report design

Consistency is crucial to a great report design. Since your text and visuals are changing from page to page, for the pages of a report to feel like they belong together, they must have similar design elements that remain consistent from page to page.

These consistent design elements (or motifs) could be images, illustrations, icons , or even just shapes!

Check out the annual report design below. The simple band along the right side of the page creates that essential visual consistency to tie the design together.

To add motifs to your report designs in Venngage, head to our Icon Library in the left panel of the editor. You can browse the library by category:

Or search for specific icons by keyword with our search bar. When using the search, you can even filter your search to find multicolored icons or single color icons (which can be customized to any color)!

9. Use color blocks to group related information

The layout and design of a report should support readers’ understanding of the information within that report.  

For example, we can use basic design elements (like blocks of color, lines, and borders) to indicate which information belongs together, making it easier for our readers to quickly interpret that information.

Let’s take a look at how this can help us design data-heavy pages of our reports.

Data-heavy pages can easily get visually overwhelming, with a ton of data points, lines, and bars all competing for our attention. By dividing these pages into defined sections, we can create a dashboard-style report design that’s much easier to take in:

Never underestimate the power of a color block!

10. Include an appendix with detailed tables and graphs

To avoid overwhelming readers with too much information at once, detailed tables and graphs should be left out of the main body of the report and included in an appendix instead.

This gives interested readers the opportunity to explore your content in greater depth while keeping your core report short and sweet.

When creating tables for your appendices, there are a few design tips you should keep in mind:

• Use a bright color to clearly distinguish header rows from body rows.
• Alternate the color of body rows between white and light grey to make the table easy to scan.
• Use brightly-colored boxes to draw attention to important values in the table.

Designing an effective report is all about including the right amount of information. Your goal in the body of the report should be to state any key takeaways and back up those statements with supporting visuals. Any information beyond that should be relegated to an appendix.

Bonus: Add an attractive cover

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” might be good advice in your daily life, but the truth is that people still do it—and you need to take that into account if you want people to walk away with a positive impression of your report.

For printed documents, consider using a report cover page or book cover with an engaging photo, illustration, or other design on it. Make sure it’s an image that expresses the brand voice or subject matter associated with the report. You’ll also want something that matches the report’s overall tone; if it’s optimistic, sobering, or conflicted, choose an image that helps to convey those feelings.

Even if your report cover takes a fairly minimalist approach (with a design comprised of little more than the title of the report), that still adds a great deal more professionalism than there would be with no cover at all.

PS: If you’re an HR professional, you can use our  HR report templates to create anything from incident reports to performance reviews.

Related: 20 Professional Report Cover Page Examples & Templates [100% Customizable]

Even if the content of your report is dry, the design of the report doesn’t have to be. With these report design best practices in mind, you can create documents that make the information they contain easy to digest and a pleasure to read.

Get a head start on your next report design ideas with one of our many report templates and our easy-to-use report creator .

More report design guides:

• 90+ Annual Report Design Templates, Inspirational Examples & Design Tips [2024]
• What is a Marketing Plan & How to Create One [with Examples]
• 21 Engaging Performance Review Examples [+ Tips From an HR Manager]

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How to Create a Simple Table in Microsoft Word

Last Updated: June 23, 2023

Using Desktop

Using iphone or ipad, using android.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd . Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 169,504 times. Learn more...

This wikiHow teaches you how to insert a simple table into a Microsoft Word document.

• If you'd rather edit an existing document, simply double-click the document in question.

• If you're editing an existing document, skip this step.

• For example, selecting a section four squares down and eight squares right will create a table with eight columns and four rows.

• If Word opens to a document, tap the "Back" button in the top-left corner of the screen first.
• If you'd rather load a pre-existing document, tap Open in the bottom-right corner of the screen and then tap a document's name to open it.

• If you're opening an existing document, skip this step.

• Tap a cell to select it for writing.
• Tap the leftmost button in the toolbar to add a column to the left of your cursor.
• Tap the button to the right of the leftmost button to add a row below your cursor.

• You can also tap a document's name from the left side of the screen to open it.

• Insert Above - Add a row above the row in which your cursor sits.
• Insert Below - Add a row below the row in which your cursor sits.
• Insert Left - Add a column to the left of the column in which your cursor sits.
• Insert Right - Add a column to the right of the column in which your cursor sits.

Community Q&A

• If you wish to change the cell formatting or the color of the table, select it and click Design at the top of the Word window to view formatting options. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• You can use your table to create a custom calendar or a weekly schedule. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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1. Open Microsoft Word . 2. Double-click Blank Document . 3. Click Insert . 4. Click Table . 5. Choose a table size/layout (rows x columns). Did this summary help you? Yes No

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15 Cool Ways to Show Data

The different methods of showing data in a pictorial form, graphical, and visual context enable decision-makers to grasp difficult concepts or define trends.

No matter if you want to visualize a data flow, data comparison or you need to show data over time as a trend, there are many variants of visual communication.

Here we collected 15 examples of creative and cool ways to show data in statistics, business, marketing, finance and etc.

1. Venn Diagram

If you need to make a comparison between 2 relatively simple data sets, Venn diagram can be your creative and cool solution. Venn diagram is an illustration that uses circles to shows logical relationships between two or more sets (grouping items).

Typically, Venn diagrams show how given items are similar and different. Venn diagram with 2 or 3 circles is the most common type. But there are also many diagrams with a larger number of circles (5,6,7,8,10…).

2. Bubble Chart 

Bubble Chart is one of the most attractive types of graphs  and charts available in statistics and business.

Bubble charts are super useful charts for making a comparison of the relationships between data in 3 numeric data dimensions: the Y-axis data, the X-axis data, and data depicting the bubble size.

If you want to display three or four dimensions of data or you want to compare and display the relationships between categorized circles, bubble charts can be your answer.

3. Decision Trees

As graphical representations of complex or simple problems, decision trees have an important place in business. A decision tree is a diagram representation of possible solutions to a decision. It shows different outcomes from a set of decisions.

Decision trees are helpful for a variety of reasons. Not only they are easy-to-understand diagrams that support you ‘see’ your thoughts, but also because they provide a framework for estimating all possible alternatives.

4. Radar Chart

A radar chart is one of the most modern types of charts and cool ways to show data – ideal for multiple comparisons. Radar charts use a circular display with several different quantitative axes looking like spokes on a wheel.

Each axis shows a quantity for a different categorical value. Radar Chart has many applications nowadays in statistics, maths, business, sports analysis, data intelligence, and etc.

5. Cycle Diagram

Cycle diagram is a rarely used method for data visualization and representation. However, it has some interesting benefits and an attractive look. Cycle Diagram shows how one event flows to another.

It presents the steps of a cyclical process or a data flow. Cycle diagrams can be utilized for many different types of processes. For example, you can use Circle diagram to visualize a flow of money in a company or the path of assets that run through a production process.

6. Concept Maps

Concept maps (also known as mind maps) are among the most interesting and cool ways to show data. They are widely used for organizing thoughts, ideas, brainstorming and solving complex business problems.

With the help of a mind map, you can represent and link ideas so you can choose the most critical points and solutions. There are many free mind mapping tools you can use for different purposes.

7. Flowchart

8. Fishbone Diagram

When it comes to creative ways to visualize data, fishbone diagram is definitely one of the best data representing tools. Fishbone diagram is known as one of the key graphical methods to solve business problems because it takes into account all the possible causes.

A fishbone diagram (also known as a cause and effect diagram or Ishikawa diagram) is a visualization tool for categorizing the possible causes of a particular problem or situation. The main goal is to find the root cause. Therefore, it is one of the key root cause analysis tools .

Although it looks difficult for drawing, there are many free  fishbone diagram software tools that make creating Ishikawa diagram a piece of cake.

9. Scatter Plot 

Scatter Plot  can be very interesting and attractive method for representing a relationship between 2 variables.

Scatter Plot is an X-Y diagram that shows a correlation between two variables. It is utilized to plot data points on a vertical and a horizontal axis. The goal is to represent how much one variable affects another.

10. Box and Whisker Plot

Not only their name but also the way they look make you think box and whisker plots are cool ways to show data in statistic or in business.

A box and whisker plot (or just a box plot) is a graph that represents visually data from a five-number summary. These numbers are median, upper and lower quartile, minimum, and maximum data value (extremes).

Don’t panic, these numbers are easy to understand. For more details take a look at our post  box and whisker plot examples .

11. Pie Charts

Pie Charts are a classic way to present data but still, it is one of the coolest and most attractive methods. Pie charts display data and statistics in an easy-to-understand ‘pie-slice’ format and illustrate numerical proportion.

The pie chart brakes down a group into smaller pieces. It shows part-whole relationships. To make a pie chart, you need a list of categorical data and numerical variables.  The total sum of the proportions (pieces) is 100%.

12. Pictographs

The pictograph is one of the most eye-catching ways of showing data in a pictorial form. It displays numerical information with the use of icons or picture symbols to represent data sets.

They are very easy to read statistical way of data visualization. A pictogram shows the frequency of data as images or symbols. Each image/symbol may represent one or more units of a given dataset.

13. Gantt Chart

As a powerful tool at the hands of project managers, Gantt chart is a graphical illustration that represents a project schedule or a timeline. Actually, this is very useful and interesting way of showing tasks displayed against time.

Gantt chart is irreplaceable when it comes to using tools for planning, coordinating, and tracking specific activities in a project.

14. Funnel Chart

Funnel charts are great ways to illustrate stages in a specific process, most common – a sales process. Actually, they could be utilized to show anything that’s decreasing in size.

Funnel charts are very similar to pie charts because the total sum of the bars is 100%. Each funnel stage illustrates a percentage of the whole. Typically, the first stage is the largest, and each next stage is smaller than its predecessor.

15. Pyramid Graph

How to create cool charts and graphs?

The short answer – with the right software tools.

In our high-tech era, there is a wide variety of premium or free graphing software  tools that allow you to create amazing graphs and charts in minutes. They are interesting, visually-appealing, and easy to understand.

Here is a list of the most popular of them:

• FusionCharts

About The Author

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Silvia Valcheva is a digital marketer with over a decade of experience creating content for the tech industry. She has a strong passion for writing about emerging software and technologies such as big data, AI (Artificial Intelligence), IoT (Internet of Things), process automation, etc.

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50 Fun Hands-On Activities and Games To Teach Multiplication

Making it fun makes it stick!

Multiplication is a basic skill students need to master before they can move on to more advanced math. Memorizing multiplication tables is one option, but it’s important for kids to understand exactly what it means to multiply. This list of fun and engaging ways to teach multiplication has so many options. You’re sure to find a way to resonate with every one of your students!

1. Play a game of Scoot

This is a fun way to break up the routine of worksheets. One at a time, you will post one of the multiplication task cards and your students will work to find the answer. After a set amount of time (up to you), say “Scoot.” Students will leave their answer sheet on their desk and move one seat to their left. Post another task card. Again, say “Scoot” and have students rotate.

2. Practice skip-counting with a song

For many of us, setting information to music helps us memorize it. This series of videos from HeavenSentHorse features common tunes that your students will quickly catch on to like Jingle Bells, This Old Man and more.

3. Solve multiplication puzzles

Puzzles are a great way to engage students and build their problem-solving skills. These puzzles help students put together the pieces to get the whole picture and really understand how to solve a multiplication problem.

4. Play Four in a Row

This fun game challenges kids to practice their math facts. Partners will take turns choosing a circle and solving the math fact. If they get it right, they place a marker over it (here, a penguin stamp). The first player to connect four wins.

5. Solve Mystery Pictures

Students will solve the one-digit multiplication problems, then use the key to color in the boxes and create the mystery picture.

6. Play multiplication tic-tac-toe

Playing with partners, each player chooses a multiplication problem to solve. If they get it right, they mark it with their dot marker. If not, it’s the next person’s turn. Play goes back and forth until someone gets three in a row.

7. Build multiplication skills with Minecraft

Your kids will flip for this fun version of Minecraft multiplication. Download the game and instructions for free!

8. Deal a hand of Spiral

Players take turns rolling the dice and moving around the game board with this fun multiplication card game.

9. Sweeten up multiplication practice

Write multiplication problems on the bottom of small cupcake paper liners. On the inside, write the product. Two players take turns picking a liner, finding the answer, and flipping it over to check.

10. Take a whirl at fidget spinner math

The object of the game is simple: Spin the spinner and complete as many problems as possible.

11. Make multiplication pool noodles

Pick up some pool noodles and use our easy tutorial to turn them into the ultimate multiplication manipulatives ! This is such a unique way for kids to practice their math facts.

12. Match wits at Array Capture

You can use dice-in-dice or just a regular pair of dice for this game. Players roll the dice and use the numbers to block off space on the grid, writing in the math sentence too. At the end of the game, the player with the most spaces colored in wins.

13. Punch holes to make arrays

Arrays introduce multiplication in a way that kids can easily understand. This activity is great for active learners who will love punching holes as they create multiplication arrays for basic facts.

14. Fold a multiplication cootie catcher

We love finding new and clever ways to practice math facts! Get these free printables , then let kids color and fold them up. Now they’ve got self-checking practice at their fingertips.

15. Visit the Multiplication Shop

How fun is this? Set up a “store” with small items for sale. Kids choose a number of items from each section to “buy” and write out the multiplication sentences as their receipt!

16. Ask a partner, “Do You Have …?”

Got an old “Guess Who?” game lying around? Turn it into a multiplication game instead!

17. Pull out the base-10 blocks

Base-10 blocks are one of our favorite manipulatives, and they’re a terrific tool to help you teach multiplication. Build arrays with them to let kids visualize the problems and their answers.

18. Color in Emoji Mystery pages

Here’s a twist on color-by-number. First, kids have to answer the multiplication problems in each square. Then they get to color! Get a free set of these pages at Artsy Fartsy Mama .

19. Multiply with dice-in-dice

Something about dice-in-dice just makes learning more fun! If you don’t have a set, you can use a pair of regular dice for this activity. Mix things up with polyhedral dice with higher numbers too.

20. Pick sticks to play Kaboom!

So easy and so fun! Write multiplication facts at the end of a variety of wood craft sticks. On a few, write “Kaboom!” instead. To play, kids draw sticks from a cup and answer the problem. If they get it right, they can keep pulling sticks. But if they get a Kaboom! stick, they have to put their whole collection back!

21. Match Multiplication memory cards

Practice facts with a memory game. Make your own cards by writing facts and answers, then lay them all face down. Turn over a card and try to find its matching answer or problem. Your turn continues as long as you’re able to make matches.

22. Find it first

Write a series of products on the whiteboard, and mix in a few random numbers too. Send two students up to the board and call out a multiplication problem. The first one to find and point to the correct answer wins a point.

23. Draw Waldorf multiplication flowers

This is a creative way to teach multiplication facts. Draw a flower with 12 petals and a circle in the center. In the circle, write the multiplicand; on the petals, the numbers 1 to 12. Now, draw larger petals outside, and fill in the product of each fact. Add some color to make fun classroom decorations!

24. Play multiplication war

All you need for this is a deck of cards, plus paper and a pencil for each player. Split the deck between the players. Each player flips two cards, then writes out the multiplication sentence and the answer. The player with the higher product takes all the cards. Play until the deck is gone. The player with the most cards wins!

25. Compete at multiplication bingo

Grab these free printable bingo cards at the link and provide one to each student along with some chips or beans to use as counters. Call out multiplication facts and have students cover the answers if they have them. When they get five in a row, it’s a bingo!

26. Put a twist on Rock, Paper, Scissors

Chances are your students already know how to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. This is similar, but instead, each player holds out a random number of fingers. The first one to correctly multiply them together and call out the answer wins a point. Play to 5, 10, or any number you choose.

27. Do some egg carton multiplication

Number the cups of an egg carton from 1 to 12. Drop in two marbles or beans, then close the carton and shake it up. Open it up and have students write out the multiplication number sentence based on where the marbles landed. This is an easy tool parents can make for kids at home too.

28. Try interactive flash cards

These aren’t your ordinary flash cards! These free printables are a cool way to teach multiplication since the answer side includes a dot array to help kids visualize the solution. You can use sticky-note flags to cover the answers while kids use the arrays for help too.

29. Teach multiplication facts with a paper plate wheel

All it takes is paper plates, glue, and a marker to help your students learn their multiplication tables. Let kids have fun decorating their plates, and this doubles as a math craft!

30. Practice with fact family triangles

Tie together multiplication and division facts with triangle flash cards. Learn how to use them and buy a printable set at Primary Flourish . You can also have kids make their own.

31. Make LEGO arrays

LEGO bricks are one of our favorite ways to teach math! You can use multiple bricks to make arrays or just look at the bumps on the top of a single brick as an array in itself.

32. Try the finger trick

This cute craft also teaches kids a clever multiplication trick that can help them if they’re stuck with multiplication “times nine.” Learn the easy trick at 5-Minute Crafts .

33. Use the Force to teach multiplication

Sometimes learning multiplication facts just takes practice. Worksheets may not be very exciting, but adding a theme that kids are interested in may motivate your students. This free download from Royal Baloo features homework sheets and practice papers with graphs, mazes, puzzles, and more, all with a Star Wars theme.

34. Watch a multiplication video

From Schoolhouse Rock to Animaniacs and beyond, there are lots of fun videos to help you teach multiplication. Find our big list here.

35. Play multiplication checkers

Turn a thrift store checkerboard into a multiplication game with some stickers and a marker. The play is similar to traditional checkers, but you have to solve the problem before you can leave your checker on a new space.

36. Toss a multiplication soccer ball

What better way to appeal to students than to combine math with one of their favorite activities? These fun balls can be used in so many ways to support learning.

37. Flip bottle caps

Here’s a cool alternative to flash cards. You can use metal bottle caps or plastic bottle lids, along with round stickers that fit the caps. It’s a great way to go green while you teach multiplication!

38. Batter up to learn multiplication

Sports-loving kids will love this one! Get the free printables and use them along with a 10-sided die to get some multiplication facts practice.

39. Line up dominoes

Single dominoes turned sideways become multiplication number sentences! Grab a handful and have kids write out the sentences and their answers.

40. Roll to win

This works a bit like Yahtzee. Roll a die, then choose a number from 1 to 6 to multiply it by. Each number can only be used once, so choose carefully to rack up the most points. If you have polyhedral dice, you can play with higher numbers too.

41. Sculpt play dough arrays

What kid doesn’t love the chance to play with play dough? Use this activity for math centers, and kids will really enjoy practicing their multiplication facts.

42. Connect the dots with Multiplication Squares

This is a math spin on the old Dots and Boxes game. Kids roll two dice and multiply the numbers together. Then they find the answer on the board and connect two dots next to it. The goal is to complete a box, coloring it in with your own color marker. When the board is full, count the squares to see who wins.

43. Cut out and assemble array cities

Here’s another colorful math craft: multiplication array cities. Most high-rises have their windows arranged to make perfect arrays. Have kids make their own city skylines with buildings showing various multiplication arrays.

44. Stack math power towers

There’s a universal appeal about making stacks of cups, so don’t be surprised if kids clamor to play this game over and over again. Pull a cup, answer correctly, and stack. See who can get a stack of 10 first, or who can build the highest tower in 2 minutes, and so on.

45. Change your students’ names (temporarily)

Grab some name tags and write multiplication equations on each. Give a tag to each of your students. For the remainder of the day, everyone will refer to each other by the answer to the equation on their tag (e.g., the student with the name tag that says 7 x 6 would be referred to as “42”).

46. Take multiplication to the gridiron

All you need is poster board, 12-sided dice, and a couple of game pieces to teach multiplication using football. Students move their game piece up the field by rolling the dice and multiplying the two numbers that face up. They get four chances to score a touchdown.

47. Roll and Bump!

Print the free game boards , each with a multiplier in the heading. Roll two dice, add them together, then multiply by the multiplier. Then place your game piece over that answer. If another player also comes up with the same product, they can “bump” your game piece off and replace it with their own. The player with the most markers on the board at the end of the game wins.

48. Weave multiplication patterns

Skip-counting provides an introduction to multiplication. We love this hands-on activity where kids skip-count and weave yarn into pretty patterns.

49. Challenge kids with Multiplication Jenga

Grab an old Jenga game at the thrift store (or pick up the generic version at the dollar store). Write multiplication problems on each block, then stack ’em up. Player one pulls a block and tries to answer the problem. If they get it right, they keep the block. If they miss, their partner gets a chance. But if no one can answer it, the block gets stacked up on top. Keep playing until the tower collapses!

50. Twist and learn

Your students will love this twisted version of an old favorite! The original Math Twister was designed for addition, but it works for multiplication too. Simply write products on sticky notes and add them to circles. Then call out math problems like “Left foot, 4 x 5!” The player must put their left foot on the number 20—if they can!

Looking for more activities to teach multiplication? Try these Teacher-Tested Tips and Activities for Teaching the Area Model Multiplication Method .

Plus, get all the latest teaching tips and ideas when you sign up for our free newsletters .

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45+ Super Creative Empty Notebook Ideas to Fill Up Your Journal

Last Updated on December 1, 2023

Do you have a ton of half-filled or empty notebooks lying around? 🙋‍♀️I think we can all relate to buying a journal or notebook, being super into it for several pages, and then letting it sit unused. 

But why do that when there are SO many creative ways to fill up an empty notebook and make the most of it?! These empty notebook ideas have got you covered. From self care journaling, to fun lists, to keeping track of good memories, there’s so much you can do to make sure a notebook never goes empty again!

Table of Contents

The habit of hoarding empty notebooks is so real.

First of all, let me just say that hoarding empty and half-filled notebooks can be a real problem! I could probably bet money that you have at least one abandoned notebook sitting around in your house somewhere. And I can’t say you’re alone in that.

But you’re in luck, because there a ton of cute and creative empty notebook ideas out there just waiting to be explored! Say you bought a new notebook (and oh how exciting it always is!) and planned to dedicate it to something in particular, but you’ve fallen off the wagon.

Well, who’s stopping you from taking that empty notebook in a new direction?! There are no rules here. If you bought a journal with the intention of dedicating it to a manifestation journal but now you’ve grown bored with that idea and want to turn it into an art journal, go for it!

Or maybe you love making lists. Maybe you love scrapbooking. The sky is the limit, and this post features a tonnnn of empty notebook ideas for you to fill up all those extra pages.

What to do with empty notebooks?

45+ Things To Do With Empty Notebooks

Creative things to do in a journal.

Looking to get into the creative spirit?! Awesome! These empty notebook ideas will spark your creativity and get you inspired to explore the fun side of journaling for pure leisure and enjoyment!

1. Creative writing journal

Starting off these empty notebook ideas is keeping a creative writing journal! This is perfect for short stories or brainstorming for writing a book! If you enjoy fiction and have all sorts of ideas for interesting stories, you should definitely write them down.

2. Bullet journal

Bullet journaling is super creative! You can create so many different spreads for planners, lists, memories, and more. Bullet journaling is meant to be very visual, so it’s the perfect opportunity to whip out the markers, highlighters, and washi tape!

3. Vision boards

When you think of a vision board, you might think of a wall collage. But you can also turn a vision board into something to fill up empty notebook pages! You can put together a collage of smaller, polaroid size pictures that represent your dreams, goals, or happy things you love. I have a whole post on vision board ideas if you want inspiration!

4. Inspirational quotes

Inspirational quotes keep us motivated, positive, and uplifted! Keeping a collection of your favorite quotes to refer back to can be so good for your mindset. 

5. Collection journal

Do you enjoy collecting stamps, stickers, or polaroid photos? You can keep them all in one place to look back on in your journal!

6. Scrapbook

Similar to the collection journal idea, you can also turn an empty notebook into a scrapbook for keeping memories through photos. I have a “guinea pig family scrapbook” for photos of my pet guinea pigs throughout the years! So you can always dedicate a scrapbook to anything you want 😊

On Customsticker.com, you can custom cut die-cut stickers , holographic stickers, clear stickers, and other products for decorating empty notebooks and making scrapbooks look fantastic.

7. Art journal

Art journals are great to dedicate to fun doodles, sketches, or anything artsy and creative. I used to always practice hand lettering with brush pens in a journal!

8. Gardening journal

Into gardening or want to take it up as a fun hobby? Why not keep a journal about all the things you want to plant?! You can keep ideas, gardening method notes, or anything relating to gardening.

Empty Notebook Ideas for Self Care

Self care is a non-negotiable. Make sure you’re prioritizing time to nurture yourself with these empty notebook ideas for self care. Release your emotions, get to know your feelings, and track your mental health progress!

9. Mental Health Journal

Journaling for the purpose of checking in on your mental health is so important. Of all the empty notebook ideas, this is most crucial. I’m always proactive in managing my mental health and journaling is hands down the best coping strategy for myself and many others. 

If you wish you had guided mental health journal prompts conveniently bundled just for you, you’ve got to check out my printable mental health journal !

It’s jam-packed with 33 pages of writing prompts and mental activities for understanding your emotions, overcoming unhelpful behaviors, and reframing negative thoughts. Perfect for understanding things like anxiety and depression!

10. Brain dumping

Brain dumping is the practice of letting your thoughts flow right onto paper without any prompts. Brain dumping is probably the easiest way to incorporate self care into your journal because you just write what comes to mind!

11. Self care journal

A self care journal can be used to journal about your self care journey or plan out your self care activities. Check in on where you’re at mentally or plan for how you’ll get in one small self care activity each day! If you need self care activity ideas each day, check out my 30 Day Mental Wellness Challenge .

12. Spiritual journaling

Want to focus on spiritual growth? Journal about your spiritual thoughts, prayers, practices, or anything else that applies to your spirituality. 

13. Morning/evening check in

I’m a huge fan of quick 5-minute morning and evening self care check ins! These are perfect for when you don’t have a lot of time or energy to spare, but you still want to stay on top of your mental health.

You can grab my (free!) daily self care check in sheet below for this! It helps you reflect on how you feel each morning and night and how your day went.

Psst…make self care quick and easy by downloading my (free!) printable daily self care check in! Grab it to start adding a little self reflection into your morning + night routines.

You will receive your daily self care check in shortly.

14. Daily diary

For a longer daily check-in, try filling up one page each day about how things are going. Did you do anything fun? Have some thoughts on your mind? Worried about something coming up this week? Write it down in a daily diary entry!

15. Unsent letters

Unsent letters are useful for the tough feelings we may face in our interpersonal relationships. The idea is that you write out all your thoughts and feelings as if you’re addressing it to someone specific in your life, but you don’t actually send it to them.

This can help organize your thoughts for later if you plan to confront the person, or you can just keep these thoughts to yourself.

16. Gratitude Journal

Expressing gratitude may help you feel increased positivity and a general mood boost. I love using a gratitude journal to reflect on all the good in my life, and it has genuinely changed my mindset for the better!

Want gratitude journal prompts conveniently bundled just for you? My printable gratitude journal has everything you need to practice gratitude each day and develop life-changing positive habits!

Includes 12 pages to break down your gratitude practice each morning and evening, as well as weekly and monthly. Jam-packed with thought-provoking gratitude journal prompts and activities to keep you focused and on track!

17. Meditation journal

A slightly different approach to these empty notebook ideas is a meditation journal. If you meditate, you can record how each meditation goes. Did your mind wander a lot? What techniques helped you stay present and grounded? Reflecting on your ability to feel calm and at ease during meditation is great to keep track of!

18. Manifestation journal

I keep a manifestation journal myself and I love it! This is where you can practice manifesting something you’d like to achieve by envisioning it down to the specifics. This really helps me believe in myself and my goals. I have a guide on how to manifest something through writing !

19. Journaling prompts

Don’t even get me started on journal prompts because this blog is ALL about them! I’m a little biased, but this is easily my favorite of the empty notebook ideas. Here are some journaling prompts to get you started:

• 70 Easy and Fun Journal Prompts for Beginners

52 Journal Prompts for Self Love to Empower Yourself

40 Trauma Healing Journal Prompts

60 Journal Prompts for Self Care When You’re Struggling

20. Affirmations

Writing positive affirmations that resonate with you is another way to improve your mindset by swapping negative self talk for positive self talk.

I have a deck of 40 printable affirmation cards made for journaling! You can paste them into a journal for a powerful visual reminder or even use them as journal prompts to reflect on how they make you feel.

Empty Notebook Ideas When You’re Bored

Hey, maybe you’re just bored and wanna do something you’ve never done before in your journal! You’re in luck, because these empty notebook ideas are the best boredom busters.

21. Record your dreams

Recording your dreams dream-journal-style is a great empty notebook idea! Noticing patterns in recurring dreams might even give you a clue to something you’re dealing with that’s going overlooked.

22. Books to read

I’m always seeing books I want to read but I forget to keep a note of them! This is why it’s not a bad idea to keep a list of books you want to read so you’ll always head into Barnes and Noble prepared. 

23. Memory journal

Keeping track of good memories is so important! It seems like we always forget the little details after too much time has passed, so it really pays off to record memories you make while they’re fresh in your mind.

24. Life lessons

Have an amazing epiphany where you realized something important? Write it down! This is another great way to track your self growth too.

25. Travel ideas and itineraries

I never know where I’m going to travel next because there are just simply so many places I want to go! This is why it’s good to write down all the places you want to travel, along with the specific restaurants and activities in each place. 

26. Restaurants/activities/things to do in your city

I moved to central Illinois in 2020 and while I think that I’ve covered all the ground in the last 2 years of living here, I kinda haven’t! There are still so many cool local restaurants and coffee shops I’ve yet to check out, but I always seem to stick to the same 3 places. Keeping a list of where I want to try would really help me explore more!

27. Bucket lists

You’re never too old to have a bucket list. Whether it’s a summer bucket list , or just a general bucket list of all the things you want to do before you die, it’s great to have things to look forward to!

28. Recipes to try

I know some people are more adventurous than others in the kitchen, but I LOVE finding new recipes! Any time you’re craving something, write it down and find a recipe for how to make it!

29. Hobbies to try

We ALL need hobbies. If your life is all work and no play, you’ll feel burnt out in no time. It’s never too late to pick up a new hobby, so go check out my list of 100 fun and interesting hobby ideas in your 20s !

30. Funny phrases/inside jokes

Ever since middle school, I’ve always kept various notes of funny inside jokes between my friends and I! This is a fabulous way to keep memories and cheer yourself up. 

31. Food journal

If you have a particular health goal in mind, keeping a food journal is a good way to stay on track and assess your eating habits. 

32. Nature journal

Next time you go on a nature walk or explore a new area, take note of what’s around and write it down! I love paying attention to different birds, cute little animals, flowers, and plants. 

33. Astrology journal

If you’re into astrology, you can take notes of zodiac sign traits, zodiac sign compatibility, horoscopes, birth charts, or anything that interests you!

34. Gift ideas

This idea is simply GENIUS. Don’t you hate it when Christmas rolls around and you have no idea what to get your friends and family?! If you keep tabs all year long about the things they like, it makes holidays a thousand times easier.

Empty Notebook Ideas for Organization and Productivity

Time to get your life in check! If you could use a little more organization in your work or personal life, these empty notebook ideas for organization and productivity have you covered. Stay on top of good habits and plan out the best goals!

35. Goal setting

Writing down goals is important, but don’t stop there. You want to make sure you’re writing down both your goals and the habits necessary to achieve those goals. This is probably the most beneficial of these empty notebook ideas!

To do goal setting right, you need a game plan. I have a printable goal planner that will help you map out your goals AND habits in detail so you can achieve anything you set your mind to for work, school, or your personal life!

Use lists for anything under the sun! Books to read, movies to watch, your grocery list…just all the lists!

37. Habit tracking

Habit tracking is the perfect way to keep yourself accountable. My printable goal planner offers habit tracking pages for staying on track toward any goal. I’ve found that habit tracking makes it much less likely for me to fall off the wagon!

38. Budget tracking

Take charge of your finances by taking a deep look at your spending habits. There’s likely room for improvement somewhere in there, and seeing your budget laid out in front of you can really help!

This video shows you 10 different ideas for financial trackers you can create in a bullet journal!

39. Small business/side hustle journal

Have a small business or side hustle? Want to start one up? You can jot down business ideas or keep track of business stats.

40. Social media journal

Many businesses use social media in their marketing strategy, so keeping track of social media post ideas and stats is smart!

41. Event planning

Have a birthday, wedding, or big event coming up? Planning out everything you need for it on paper is useful!

42. Fitness journal

Write down fitness goals, workout ideas, or your workout schedule.

43. Study notes

If you’re a student, you probably already have dedicated notebooks for note-taking, but study notes can apply to things outside of school too. When I’m reading a nonfiction book or short course, I like to take notes on what I’m learning.

44. Master to-do list

You might already keep a daily to-do list, but having a master to-do list of all the things you need to get around to in the next couple months is so helpful. My master to-do list consists of health appointments I need to make, fun projects I want to take on, and clothes I need to buy for certain occasions. 

45. Project journal

If you’re working on a project, whether it be for work or your personal life, you can map out the individual steps and supplies you may need.

46. DIY Projects

Keeping a list of the DIY projects you want to do and the supplies needed for them is also a big help! 

How to Use an Empty Notebook Effectively

There’s a couple different routes you can go when deciding on the empty notebook ideas you want to use.

You can either go the artsy route or the productive route . Or a mix of the two!

Using an empty notebook for cute artsy things might look like:

• Creative writing
• Bullet journaling
• Scrapbooking
• Vision boards
• Dream journaling

And using an empty notebook for productive things might look like:

• Improving your self care
• Exploring your mental health
• Work or business planning
• Habit tracking
• Budget tracking

To name a few! Those are some areas to consider when thinking about what you want to achieve with an empty notebook. Do you just want to use your journal in a leisurely, artistic way? Or do you want to improve yourself in some way?

Final Thoughts on Empty Notebook Ideas

Were you feeling stumped on how to fill up those extra notebooks you have lying around? Hopefully not anymore! These empty notebook ideas are here to fuel your creativity and inspiration. There are endless possibilities for sprinkling a little more excitement into your journals.

It’s pretty common to run into the dilemma of “what do I write about?!” when sitting in front of a journal. But now you have a tonnnn of creative ideas for filling up those empty notebooks! So get to it and tell me what you decide to write in your notebook the next time creativity strikes!

Let me know in the comments:

What do you write in your notebook when you’re bored?

More empty notebook ideas:.

35 Easy and Fun Journal Prompts for Beginners

LIKE THESE EMPTY NOTEBOOK IDEAS? PIN THEM FOR LATER!

Founder & Content Strategist

Hey there! I'm Alexa, and I'm a self-care enthusiast and mental health advocate. At Ambitiously Alexa, I'm here to support women like you who are on a mission to achieve allll the things they're passionate about and make time for self care. I make this balance possible through journal prompts, positive affirmations, and self care ideas you'll love! Here's more about me, including my B.A in Psychology...

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Hello Alexa! My father left a little black book of his travels it is fading because it’s pencil. I have horrible penmanship, so I’d like to transcribe his words or another program & my ? Is how would the cut word doc & glue it to new journal. I’ve ordered small leather refillable Journals refill with Blank pages. Do you have any ideas? Thank you so very much & kindest regards

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Switch up your conference location and venue:

There’s a reason conference centers and large hotels host the lion’s share of conferences”they have event space, food, and overnight accommodations to spare. Avoid that ˜here we go again’ feeling among conference attendees by thinking a little outside the box.

12. Move to a different location .

It’s difficult to imagine SXSW anywhere besides Austin. But smaller conferences not tied to a specific site can benefit from a new locale. The location shift gives people an incentive to attend so they can explore regional attractions and enjoy the local cuisine. 

13. Head out of the big city.

People are busy and conferences typically add to their hectic schedules. Take people out of the hustle and bustle with a meeting in a small or mid-sized city, such as Rochester, Minnesota or Highlands Ranch, Colorado. The key is choosing a location that is within an hour’s drive of an airport and that provides adequate convention space. 

14. Pick a unique venue.

Explore venue platforms, such as the Cvent supplier network , search a city”and scroll past the top returns to look for something different. You can also select filters that focus your search to unusual event sites, including aquariums, bars, and educational facilities. 

• Most museums have large auditoriums and seminar rooms to accommodate different elements of a conference while offering attendees a unique experience. 
• A large theater opens up a world of possibilities, complete with comfy seating and a stage or screen for presentations and clear sightlines for all.
• Transform a warehouse into a cool and unique event space, or choose a venue with an open floor plan, exposed beams, and a retro-industrial feel.  

Mix and match conference room layouts:

This is particularly important for large-scale conferences occurring over several days. Room after room with the same seating design is uninspiring and can contribute to a wasn’t I just here? feeling, even in new spaces. Below are some standard event layout options; simply choose between them for different events throughout the conference.

15. Auditorium style.

Works best for addressing a large group of people who don’t need to take notes or interact with each other. Perfect for sessions where speakers present their topics and take questions at the end. 

16. Banquet tables.

You’ll typically use this setup for meals and refreshment breaks. But this is a good setup for networking sessions, allowing people to mingle among the tables.  

17. Classroom style.

The table in front of participants allows note-taking and project creation. A great conference room setup idea for speakers who rely on audience participation and interaction between participants.

18. U-shape.

Great for intimate sessions where presenters take turns in the center section to speak to attendees on a personal level. This set up allows participants to take notes and interact with each other and the speaker as needed.

19. Custom design.

Use event planning layout tools to create a unique floor plan based on your needs and the parameters of each room you are designing. 

Creative conference F&B makes a big impact with little effort:

Food and beverage play an essential role in events by creating a welcoming environment from start to finish. Here are some F&B offerings that won’t feel like an afterthought: 

20. Gourmet coffee bars.

Regular and decaf with powdered creamer aren’t good enough anymore. Offer a variety of teas and hot cocoa for those who don’t like coffee. Include regular and sugar-free options for sweetener. Provide creamer, flavored creamer, and almond milk for the dairy-free crowd. And make sure the coffee bar is stocked and fresh throughout the entire event. 

21. Hydration stations.

Don’t make your attendees hunt for the vending machines. Provide plenty of water options placed around the venue for convenient self-service. Large water dispensers filled with mint leaves, cucumber slices, or fresh fruit are a refreshing option. You can also provide branded water bottles during check-in and water-filling stations for refills.  

22. Theme-based F&B.

Customize menus to match the industry you’re serving. Whip up an assortment of healthy smoothies at a nursing conference. Offer apple-themed desserts at a teacher’s conference. Serve apps and drinks in Petri dishes and beakers at a science conference.

23. Local favorites.

Of course, you’ll consider regional favorites like Philly cheesesteak, Chicago deep-dish, or Carolina BBQ. But if there’s a dynamic bakery, artisan ice cream shop, or local pizza joint serving world-class fare nearby, bring them in for a taste of the unexpected. 

24. Instagram-worthy F&B.

Excite social sharing about your conference with outstanding F&B that adds a fun element or makes attendees feel pampered. Some ideas to get you started:

• Offer international fare if the business has an affiliate office in another market. For example, France (quiche) Japan (such) or Canada (Poutine).   
• Book a food truck for your event (or two), offering a chance to get outside and enjoy the fresh air among classic dishes like tacos, burgers, or even Thai.
• Go retro with throw-back, comfort food dishes like mac & cheese cups, fried chicken, or wedge salads with blue cheese dressing and bacon.
• Check out even more conference event catering ideas here .

Incorporate the trends that matter to people into your conference:

Stay on top of current trends to get attendees on board with your mission, and to give them something unique to remember. 

25. Create a mobile app for your event.

Attendees enjoy access to event agendas right on their smartphones, and you can make announcements and send alerts with ease. 

26. Reduce your carbon footprint.

Promote green values and bring people together over an important topic. It’s easy to go paperless with apps, email, and digital agendas. Choose biodegradable table products. And engage with sustainable venues and suppliers who support your green mission.

27. Use tech badges .

Reduce lines and confusion by producing tech badges for all attendees. Whether you choose tags, wearables, NFC or RFID technologies, or standard plastic badges, event badges create a personal experience. 

28. Offer a way to give back.

Donate a portion of your proceeds to a local charity, build a sponsorship with one, or encourage people to donate with a matching program. Everyone will leave the conference feeling like they made a difference in the world. 

29. Get social.

Social media is a great way to build buzz and get people excited about the conference. Create an event in a Facebook group to build connections and reiterate important information after the conference is over.

Now you’re ready to put these ideas in motion and reinvent your conference!

Put a twist on the tried-and-true and stay ahead of the conference trends with these ideas. They’ll steer you clear of planning ruts and ensure your events stand out from the crowd. 

Need more help in keeping up with the demands of conference planning? Here are foolproof conference planning tips to level up your events.

Need more conference ideas?

An unrelenting focus on the audience is the best approach to making a conference interesting. Enable them to get involved by asking questions, interacting in small groups, networking freely, and having fun!

Choose a compelling theme and a team of experts to bring it to life. Submit RFPs to a few different types of venues (conference centers, universities, hotels, etc), and book the one that fits your needs. Arrange your vendors, get some speakers, build out a schedule full of interesting sessions, and start gathering attendees!

Conferences can be academic, athletic, literary, hobby/interest-based, trade-based, hosted by a single company to promote their products, and more. A conference is a gathering of people related to a singular topic.

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25 Fun Writing Area Ideas for Preschool & Kindergarten

Need to revive flagging interest in your writing area? Wanting to make the most of this precious, preschool learning space? Don’t despair, today I’m sharing 25 super simple but absolutely fabulous playful ways to encourage a young child’s interest in letters and writing that work fabulously well in both preschool and kindergarten classrooms – as well as at home writing spaces.

But first, for those who are unsure, what is a Writing Area or Writing Centre?

A writing area or centre is a (generally small) permanent area within an early years classroom that includes a range of materials that encourage young children to experiment with pre-writing and writing behaviours. You will commonly find a writing area in play-based preschool and kindergarten classrooms, as well as in day care services.

What are the benefits of including a writing area within the classroom?

Ensuring writing materials are readily available to young children encourages them to engage in important pre-writing and early writing behaviours.

The addition of a range of supplementary materials (such as many of the ideas shared below) encourages children to see the purpose and importance of writing through the provision of many authentic and meaningful reasons to write.

I include a word of caution for those new to creating a writing area – do not include all of these ideas at once. Start out with the basics and rotate between the additional ideas as they apply to your early years setting, the age and development of the children and their current interests.

So what are the basic requirements for a writing area?

• An assortment of papers: different sizes and types of paper, some lined and some unlined
• An assortment of writing implements: lead pencils, coloured pencils, crayons and/or felt tipped marker pens
• Glue sticks
• Tape: colourful washi tape is especially fun
• Post-It notes come in lots of fun colours and shapes making them a great addition to any writing table.
• Alphabet stamps: Self-inking alphabet stamps or alphabet stamps that can be used with ink pads or pressed into playdough or clay.
• A printed list or set of photo cards including the children’s names is also a very valuable addition.
• Alphabet wall chart – this can be a commercial chart or one you make together with the children

25 More Fun Ideas for What to Put In Your Preschool or Kindergarten Writing Area

3. Add card making materials such as small, pre-folded cards, collage materials and envelopes. This Christmas card making station is a great example.

4. Mini whiteboards with whiteboard markers and erasers.

6. Include a collection of small note pads .

7. Recycle your old Scrabble game to include a basket of letter tiles in your writing center.

8. Hang a reversible sequin board or add a reversible sequin cushion to the area.

9. Add old diaries or wall calendar pages .

10. Make an alphabet of tactile yarn wrapped letters from pipe cleaners/chenille stems or sticks.

12. Add pads of blank birthday party invitations .

13. Alphabet stickers are great for pre-writers who are demonstrating interest in letter shapes and sounds and those who can spell recognisable words too.

15. Fold and staple some blank paper pages to make book blanks for story writing.

16. Clipboards are a great way to encourage children to take their writing to wherever they need it – both within the classroom and outdoors. Tie on a pencil with a length of string to help keep supplies together. Check out our collection of outdoor literacy ideas here.

17. Add a small collection of junk mail catalogues – the children will find lots of interesting ways to use them, engaging them with purposeful reading and writing.

19. Print or photocopy maps of your local area to add to your writing center. Via Picklebums.

20. Make a salt tray by colouring a little salt with liquid food dye, then spread it to cover the base of a plastic or metal tray. Add a set of alphabet cards and invite children to form letters with their finger, a paintbrush, or a chopstick.

21. Print some pretty letter writing paper and add a set of coloured pens . You’ll find two free printable sets over at Picklebums – Set 1 and Set 2 .

22. Add a set of Geometry Tools for children to explore. From Picklebums.

23. Leaves and metallic pens make a fabulous invitation for children to write letters to the fairies hiding in your garden. Via My Little Bookcase.

25. A set of DIY silly sentence blocks is a great addition for early readers.

Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.

so many great ideas here, thanks Christie!

Thanks, Jo 🙂

• Pingback: Writing and Art Table | the artsy toddler

Thanks for these ideas, so many to get through!

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