Mind Mapping with Freeform: Endless Space for Big Ideas

Creating a mind map helps students learn by encouraging them to organize and connect ideas visually. As they identify key concepts and relationships, students engage in critical thinking, synthesize information, and make meaningful connections between ideas. Mind mapping also provides a unique and creative way to take notes, allowing students to represent complex information in a clear, structured format. This approach supports deeper understanding, long-term retention, and flexible thinking across any content area or grade level.

Using Freeform is ideal for creating mind maps because it provides an expansive, nearly limitless canvas that allows students to branch out and extend their ideas freely. Students can easily add connections, annotations, and visuals without worrying about running out of space. This activity requires zero prep for teachers, making it a flexible tool for helping students to organize their thinking, take creative notes, and deepen their understanding of complex concepts.

Students can use Apple Pencils to write directly onto the Freeform board, or they can use shapes and text boxes to communicate their ideas. When using shapes, students can double-tap a shape to turn it into a text box for labeling or adding details. To help organize their thinking, students are encouraged to use color-coding, arrows, and icons, making connections between concepts visually clear and enhancing both creativity and comprehension.

Tip: If using the drawing tool, draw a circle (or any shape/line) and hold down briefly once done. Your drawn circle will then transform into a perfect circle!