A desk mat only earns the space it takes up if a child uses it during the lesson rather than reading it once in September. Goals Desk Mat and Name Tags in Rainbow Brights is designed around that test: the reference tools sit exactly where the writing hand already is, and a goal strip runs along the bottom that the child writes on, wipes off and rewrites as the target changes.
Why this pack helps
Reference material on a wall gets used by the children sitting nearest to it. On the desk, everyone uses it. A number line within arm’s reach removes the biggest excuse for stopping work, and a personal goal written by the child — not typed by the teacher — is the difference between a target they own and a sticker they were given. Three grade-band versions exist because the reference tools a five-year-old needs are not the ones a nine-year-old needs, and a mat crowded with everything is a mat nobody reads.
What’s inside the pack
- Three desk mat versions — early years, lower elementary and upper elementary — each with the reference tools that age actually uses.
- A wipe-clean goal box on every mat, plus a separate goal card for classes that set targets weekly.
- Matching name tags in two sizes, one for taping flat and a larger folded table-tent version.
- An editable name field so the whole class list can be typed once and printed in a single run.
- A full black-and-white edition of every mat and tag, for printing onto colored card or saving ink.
What is printed on the mats
- Number lines – 0 to 20 on the early-years mat, 0 to 30 and beyond on the older versions.
- Alphabet strips – uppercase and lowercase with a picture cue for the youngest children.
- Number formation – directional arrows for digits that get reversed most often.
- Ten frames – a visual anchor for making and breaking ten.
- Two-dimensional shapes – named shapes for early geometry vocabulary.
- Days and months – spelling references students ask for constantly.
- Place value chart – on the upper mat, up to thousands.
- Goal box – a wipe-clean space the child writes their own current target in.
Who it’s for
Kindergarten through Grade 4 classrooms, with the early-years mat suiting preschool as well. Teachers running goal-setting or student conference routines get the most from the goal box, and support staff working with individual children often use a single mat as a portable reference rather than fixing it to a desk at all.
How to set it up in your classroom
Type your class list into the editable name field, print the mats and tags in one run, then laminate the mats — this is the one item in a classroom where lamination genuinely pays, since a paper desk mat will not survive a month. Attach with clear packing tape along all four edges rather than double-sided tape underneath, which peels. Keep a pot of fine dry-wipe markers nearby for the goal box, and set a weekly moment for updating it.
How teachers use it
The mats do their loudest work during independent writing and math, when the questions that would otherwise reach the teacher — how do you spell Wednesday, which way round is a 3, what comes after 19 — get answered by the desk instead. The goal box is usually updated on a Monday and reviewed on a Friday, often in pairs, with children reading each other’s targets. Teachers with a mid-year intake also like that a new child can be fully set up in ten minutes: type the name, print, laminate, tape.
Editions, printing & file format
- Editions: a full rainbow color edition and a black-and-white edition of every mat and tag.
- Format: print-ready PDF for the fixed artwork plus an editable presentation file for the name fields.
- Access: digital download delivered instantly after checkout, with lifetime access and re-downloads whenever you need them.
Please check the mat dimensions against your desks and confirm you can open an editable presentation file before ordering.
Frequently asked questions
What size are the mats? They are laid out to print across two sheets and be joined, or on a single larger sheet if your printer takes one. Dimensions are listed in the preview.
Can I change what is on a mat? The reference panels are fixed artwork; the name and goal fields are editable. Choose the grade-band version closest to what your class needs.
Does the goal box really wipe clean? Once laminated, yes, with a dry-wipe marker. Un-laminated, use a pencil and an eraser instead.
Can I print sets for another teacher? No. The license covers your own classroom only; other teachers need their own copy of the file.
Find more printable desk and classroom essentials in Classroom Teaching Resources.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.