Jill A. Chafin
Looking to improve your children’s focus and productivity while learning at home? A poster board cubicle can help boost concentration while keeping supplies organized. Here’s why you need to make one today.
At-home learning presents many challenges, such as temptation from toys, online games, pets, siblings, and snacks—to name a few. It’s not just a struggle for the kids, either. Plenty of adults have had to adjust their work schedule to adapt to the new stuck-at-home situation.
The poster board cubicle is a simple solution that greatly enhances the at-home learning experience. It was originally created by Angelina Harper, a mom of three school-aged children, who was desperate for a more focused approach to online learning. Now this ingenious poster board hack is taking the world by storm.
The best part? It’s so simple and easy to make!
Making the Cubicle is Fun
Designing and making the poster board cubicle is an easy and fun project for you and your kids to undertake. All you need is a large trifold poster board, plus supplies like clips, glue, markers, and any decorations. Watch the above video on how to make an affordable cubicle using supplies from the Dollar Tree.
Encourage your child to be fully in charge of designing her cubicle—it’s her own space, after all.
For younger kids, you can do the basics, then have them embellish it with stickers, stamps, or markers. Include alphabet, number, and color flashcards for early learning inspiration.
Just make sure the cubicle doesn’t become too elaborate. Remember, it needs to function as a practical school organizer. If it becomes too wild or distracting, your child might not get any work done. (But hey, by all means, if they love the concept, buy an extra board and make a play zone, too!)
Improves Focus
You know how they put those blinders on horses when they take them on the road? Well, the poster board cubicle basically works the same way—helping block out surrounding distractions. And let’s face it, when the kids are stuck at home all day, they’re bound to get distracted!
Just like a cubicle in an office, the poster board helps create a dedicated space for each person to hone in on the task at hand. This is especially helpful if you need to work as well.
The poster board also helps signify the start of “school time.” Some kids need these visual cues to switch gears from free-play to focused learning.
Keeps Supplies Organized
One of the highlights of the poster board cubicle is being able to deck it out with hooks and clips, ultimately transforming it into a highly organized space. Trust us, every kid needs this level of organization. (Heck, we could use it as well!)
Start by using small Command hooks to hang a zippered pencil pouch or a mesh-pocket organizer, allowing for easy access to pens, pencils, highlighters, crayons, Post-it notes, scissors, and more. You can also secure the zipper pouch to the poster board using a hot glue gun—just make sure to position it so the zipper is at the top.
Go ahead and put up a calendar or your child’s weekly schedule with these large clips.
And what about your child’s bluetooth headphones? For starters, make sure each child has a pair—you definitely don’t want to listen to multiple Zoom calls at once. Then hang them from each child’s poster board with these large hooks. Just think, you won’t have to listen to their complaints anymore, such as, “Where did my headphones go?” Because everything is right there, always within reach. It’s brilliant!
Lastly, don’t forget to include a lightweight battery-operated, clip-on book light to help minimize squinting and eye strain.
Helps Keep School Time Separate from Personal Time
Adults don’t like it when work time blends into their personal life. Well, guess what? Kids are the same!
Sticking to a concrete schedule is the best way to keep the chaos under control, whether you’re homeschooling or following your school’s virtual schedule. Make sure to have weekly family meetings to tweak the schedule—this whole learning and working from home thing is definitely a challenge, but with enough focus, dedication, and support, your family can get through it!
Always honor the end of the work/school day; don’t push your kids (or yourself!) beyond their limits. If 3:00 p.m. is when the school day officially “ends,” then pack away that poster board cubicle, your child’s laptop or tablet, and any other school supplies, stashing them in another room. Here are some tips on how to make your home office disappear when work’s done—many of which can be applied to your child’s schooling.
Celebrate the end of another productive day by getting outside, reading books, or enjoying a simple hobby together. It’s important to rejuvenate yourself after a long day of screen time—Zoom fatigue is a real thing!
Reduces Sibling Fights
Balancing the educational and emotional needs of multiple kids and various ages at once is quite the feat. Anything that can help cut down on distractions, bickering over supplies, or just “Mom! Tim is looking at me weird again!” moments, is definitely worth it.
Make the at-home learning experience a little easier by clearly defining each child’s workspace. This is especially helpful if everyone is crammed around the communal kitchen table. A poster board can help create a private alcove for each child, thus minimizing fights over shared pens, lack of space, or someone flinging a paper airplane across the table. In the photo above you can see the inside of one child’s poster board cubicle but if you look at the upper corners, you can see there are two other cubicles at the same kitchen table.
Furthermore, it’ll help you focus on your work tasks or chores without having to pause to break up those sibling arguments.
Encourages Time Efficiency
Kids can easily get off track or postpone important tasks. Or worse, they might lose their schedule, to-do list, or calendar. We get it, there’s a lot to manage at home right now.
This is why the poster board cubicle is a lifesaver! Your child can easily keep important items or lists pinned up in front of them. With a quick glance, they can assess which task needs to happen next.
We suggest displaying a small whiteboard or chalkboard inside their cubicle. Or better yet, try these stick-on dry erase sheets—attaching them directly to the poster board.
The goal is to have an easy spot to jot down important tasks, ideas, goals, and deadlines. Having it all accessible within their cubicle will do wonders on keeping your child right on track.
Expresses Individuality
At school, children and teens have plenty of opportunities to express themselves and their individual tastes. For example, they might be allowed to decorate the top of their desk, the inside of their locker, or a poster board on the wall.
At home, it’s harder to bring individuality to the virtual experience. This is why a poster board cubicle is ideal, allowing them to deck it out exactly how they like. If they want to paste up inspirational quotes, pictures of adorable kittens, or photos of their besties, let them go at it.
Ultimately this cubicle will be their little sanctuary—a quiet place to retreat to learn, study, and focus. You want them to feel totally at home within this space.
Allows At-Home Learning to be Portable
Your kids won’t always want to study at the kitchen table. It’s nice to take the learning outside on nice cool days. Or, to alternate between the kitchen table and the living room.
The ease and flexibility of the poster board cubicle allow you to virtually take it anywhere! Just don’t forget about ergonomics. It’s important to make sure your kids are sitting up straight, using a cushion to boost them up to the table or desk’s height.
Transform your at-home learning experience with an awesome easy-to-make poster board cubicle. And while you’re at it, make one for yourself! That way you don’t have to worry about your kids stealing your pen, headphones, or desk lamp. Might as well take this time to transform your kitchen table into a glorified office—one that inspires productivity, focus, and optimal organization.
