How to Create a Flat Teacher Letter

With many children at home during the COVID-19 crisis, early childhood educators are finding unique ways to still connect with their children while they are separated. 

One of the most creative ways we’ve seen so far that we absolutely LOVE are flat teacher letters that some ECEs have been mailing to their students as part of the Flat Teacher Project.

Each letter has activities to take the cartoon teacher along for. As these adventures are completed, the child will have a photo taken of them to then share with their teacher or the rest of the class.

Such a fun idea, right?!?

In this guide, we’ll go over how to create your very own flat teacher letters to keep the kiddos company at home.

How to Create Your Bitmoji Teacher

To start, you’ll first need to download Bitmoji on your phone. Don’t worry if you’re not very savvy with technology or design — it’s super easy and we’ll walk you through it.

Alternatively, you could print an actual photograph of yourself, but a cartoon will be extra cute and exciting for the children to receive.

Next, create a free account using an email address or Snapchat account.

Once you’re in the app, take a selfie to help the app create a Bitmoji version of yourself.

After that, you’ll be able to customize every single detail of your Bitmoji, everything from skin tones and face shapes to clothing and accessories.

When you’re happy with your avatar, press the Save button to enter the stickers gallery. Here you’ll find hundreds of stickers featuring your brand new Bitmoji! 

Scroll through until you find one that features your Bitmoji’s full body with no words, backgrounds or other items around it. This will make it easier to cut out later on. You can also try searching words and phrases to find a Bitmoji expressing a particular emotion.

Here’s one that I think will work great:

Once you’ve found the one you like, you’ll then get several options of how to save the image. Email it to yourself to then print from your computer, or if you have wireless printing set up you can print it straight from your phone. Make sure to print a Bitmoji for each student that you will be sending one to.

After it’s finished printing, cut out your Bitmoji. Leave a little bit of extra white space around the Bitmoji so there’s more for the children to hold onto and it won’t tear as easily. Opt for thicker printer paper if you have any available to help them last longer as well, or laminate them if you have a laminating machine available.

Writing the Letter

Now that your Bitmoji is ready to go, it’s time to draft the letter you’ll be sending along with it. There are no rules about what this letter should consist of, so feel free to get creative! 

Here are some tips that can help with writing your letter:

• Address the student by name.
• Use language that the child will understand.
• Write in simple sentences or even as a poem.
• Say how much you miss them and are still there for them.
• Include at least one activity or adventure to take their flat teacher on.
• Include instructions on how to share these adventures.

After you’ve written the letter, place it in an envelope along with your Bitmoji (being careful not to damage it in the process) and mail it to your student.

Feel free to use the flat letter template below to get started!

Flat Letter Template

Hello, [student name], how do you do?
It’s your teacher, [teacher name], with some news for you.
I don’t remember just quite how it happened,
But when I woke up today I saw I was flattened!

I’ve missed you so much as we’ve been apart,
But today I thought of something real smart.
I hopped in an envelope and went for a ride
Mailing myself to your house so I could be by your side!

Now that I’m here, there’s so much to see
So come along and explore with me!
Show me your family, your toys and your room,
Or even a pet or a sink or a broom.

As we explore, ask your parents real nice,
With a “please” and a “thank you” for some extra spice,
To take pictures of us with the things we will find
And share with the class — I hope you won’t mind!

Sharing Their Adventures

Provide separate instructions for parents on how to share the photos with you. Choose whichever method works best for you and your class. Some ways that we have seen include:

• On a center’s Facebook page.
• Emailing them directly to the teacher.
• Through a child care app.

Once the photos have been gathered, share them with the rest of the class in the platforms listed above, or you could show them off by sharing your screen during a video call with the entire class!