We were looking for a really creative gift for a special teacher and I immediately thought of making a word cloud. This is a perfect gift idea for birthdays, graduation, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Father’s Day.
My favourite site to use is Tagxedo, but there are a few others. You must first download the software, but then the instructions are simple to follow.
When you choose CREATE, you can enter the words that you'd like to use to describe the person you are honouring. This is where the kids can help! Ask them how they feel about Grandma, Dad or their Teacher. What are things they love to do with that person? What silly stories or words describe them? One hint is to not use spaces between phrases (ie. type "bestteacher" not "best teacher" so that they words stay together in the cloud.
Choose a SHAPE that represents the person or the holiday- we used an apple for a favourite teacher and a heart for Valentine's Day. There are tons of shapes to use, so be creative!
Have fun with themes and colours! If you will be framing the final image, think of what colour frame you will be using.
Once you create your cloud, remember to save it as a "jpeg" so that you can use it for printing or even photos gifts. Upload your final "jpeg" to any photo printing or gift site and you can create a pillow, canvas, coffee mug or just a simple print to frame!
Here are some great occasions when you want the perfect and thoughtful gift- birthdays, father's day, end of the year, thank you gifts, Valentine's Day, and a word cloud can be a sweet way to let someone know exactly how you feel. Here are some examples;
1. End of the Year Teacher's Gifts-
2. Make a mug for Nana's birthday to tell her why you love her!
3. Personal Mantra or Core Desired Feelings-
4. Valentine's Day for the kids-
