Hello, friends! Today I have a sweet little character to introduce to you (and hopefully, your students/children as well!)
Years (and I do mean many years) ago, a colleague shared the concept of a character known as "Mr. BD Eyes" with me. At the time, he did not really have a specific, identifiable image; He was simply a character that I taught my students how to draw whenever they struggled to remember how to write their b's and d's correctly.
These letters are so often confused, and students well beyond the primary grades will often transpose b and d when writing. At the time I began using Mr. BD Eyes with my students, I was teaching third grade. Since then, I have used this fellow with students from Kindergarten up to fourth grade.
The process is simple:
1. Write a b.
2. Write a d immediately beside the b.
3. Draw eyes within the centers of the b and d.
4. Complete a face around the letters, adding eyebrows, a nose, a mouth, hair, etc.
I have often encouraged my students to draw Mr. BD Eyes on the top corner of their papers for tests or any written draft. At any point during writing, they simply have to touch the letters in their little illustration as they say (or think) "Mr. BD Eyes" to remember which letter faced which direction.
Oftentimes, students love adding details to this character. My kiddos have always been quick to create their own versions, and consequently, Mr. BD Eyes has developed many faces over time. While I have made a printable version of this character for you to download for free and display as a reference, students will enjoy the opportunity to elaborate on this design and really make him their own. At its core, this is a fun, personalized way to reinforce basic letter formation for students of all ages.
Here are a few examples of Mr. BD Eyes, as drawn by some of my students.
If you are interested in introducing your students to Mr. BD Eyes, go ahead and grab the freebie to use in your classroom! Click here to access the freebie, or click the image below.
