A Teacher Uses Teacher Stamps to Help Her Classroom Learn Well

Meet Dana Santilli! Dana currently teaches a Level IV Special Education program. Using custom and stock teacher stamps to help her students learn, Dana shows how stamps can be helpful in any classroom. Read our interview with Dana to get ideas for how you too can use stamps in the classroom to support your students!

What inspired you to use stamps in the classroom?

I got the idea from watching my students gradually learn how to use dot markers (dabbers). I noticed how much my students enjoyed having ownership of their own work. Moving from dot markers to stamps allowed my students to complete a wider variety of tasks, all while practicing important fine and visual motor skills such as applying appropriate pressure, crossing the midline and staying "in the lines."

Which stamps do you use? And how do you use them?

I currently teach a Level IV Special Education program. All students will be starting the school year as first graders this year. Last year as Kindergarteners, we used stamps in a variety of ways. The students in my program are all at very different levels. Stamps allow students with physical and/or intellectual delays to access different activities. For example, stamps are a great way for students with fine motor challenges to participate in academics. Students who can read but can't handwrite yet use stamps to practice their Snap Words. Stamps are also a great prerequisite for handwriting in general.

Students will use stamps to match shapes or count objects, all while practicing fine motor and visual motor techniques. There are many other uses for stamps in a Special Education Classroom, last year as Kindergarteners we mainly used shape and snap word stamps. We are so excited to see how these new stamps will help us as First Graders!

How have stamps impacted your classroom interactions?

Having stamps in the classroom is so beneficial for the student as a whole. It promotes independence and ownership and encourages both academic and physical growth. Stamps are used in a lot of different ways in my classroom and overall I have enjoyed learning new ways to use them.

What are you looking forward to the most with the new stamps you designed for this school year?

I am SO excited about the Name stamps given to us. In Special Education, our main job is to meet students where they are. For some students, handwriting is a skill they may spend a majority of their life learning. Having name stamps allows for students to have ownership of their work. These students can now "write their name on their paper" just like their peers. Most of my students are able to recognize their name, they just can't write it. They are going to be VERY excited when they see their name on their own stamp.

How did you find creating your stamps and placing the order?

The website is extremely user friendly. I also really appreciated the different font options. I was able to use a font that aligns with how letter formation is taught at the elementary level. Teachers KNOW how exciting that is. The stamps also came to me very quickly and turned out exactly how I pictured it. There are also lots of different stamp, color and size options. I chose self-inking stamps for my students based on where they are at behaviorally and academically. Eventually, once my students can successfully follow two step directions we can graduate to an ink pad. The size options were important to me as well, I have one student with a significant visual impairment and therefore can only see objects at a certain size. I was able to make my shape stamps large enough for that student to use. Placing the order was also very user friendly and everyone is extremely helpful with the sizing questions I had.

How to Use Teacher Stamps in Your Classroom

Other Ways to Use Stamps in Your Classroom!

Dana shared multiple ways that she has creatively woven stamps into her class activities. From signature stamps for students who struggle with handwriting to shape stamps for matching activities, you can use any stamp to help your students succeed.

If you can’t find the perfect stamp among our stamp templates, then design your own!

If you’re struggling to create a stamp, feel free to reach out at [email protected] or call us at (888) 451-7300. Our team is always happy to help!