I’m refreshing Practical Life trays in our 3–6 room and want clear picture-only step cards to support independence — ideally 2×3 cards on a ring right beside the work. Do you have favorite printable icon sets or templates (free or under $10) and durability tips — I’m using a Scotch TL901 with 5 mil pouches, but I’m open to better options.
I’ve had good luck pulling simple icons from The Noun Project (https://thenounproject.com) and laying them out in a 2×3 Canva grid; my durability fix is to punch the ring hole after laminating but just inside a 2–3 mm border so the seal holds. If glare bugs your kiddos, matte 5 mil pouches run fine in the TL901 and are easier on little eyes.
I switched to photo-only cards of our actual materials for steps like “pour” and “sponge,” and the kids followed them faster than icons. For durability, I punch a 1/4 in hole after laminating and set a small eyelet (Crop-A-Dile eyelets are cheap) so the ring doesn’t chew through 5 mil; if you prefer icons, that reinforcement still saves you reprints.
, glare on those 5 mil TL901 laminates drives me nuts — I get way better kid-readability with matte pouches, and I leave a chunky border then round the corners so they don’t lift. For picture-only steps, the free Material Symbols set (https://fonts.google.com/icons) stays super clear at your “2×3 on a ring” size; I lay them out in Google Slides and print on heavy cardstock. Small caveat: if you tweak sequences often, cheap vertical badge sleeves on the ring save re‑laminating — worth it by the sink.