How to Customize Text in PowerPoint
In the last 2 lessons, you’ve learned how to make a table and how to customize shapes. Now, you’re going to learn how to customize text to suit the project you’re completing.
Step 1
First, open the table that you have created. You will need to click on the text box icon, or you can go to the Insert tab and click on Text Box.
Step 2
Your cursor will change to the letter A. Click and a tiny square will appear, or you can drag the cursor and a larger box will appear. This is your text box, and once it’s open, you can type whatever text you choose, and then change the font. {FYI, you can change the font first and then type the text if you want…the order doesn’t matter.}
I LOVE fonts, and it shows when I open my fonts folder. The font I am using in this tutorial is called KG Eyes Wide Open by Kimberly Geswein. (You can download it here for free!)
Step 3
Now that you have selected your font, you need to make your text larger. To accomplish this, go to the number beside of the font name and select the appropriate size. {The size will be relative to the font you select, but for this font heading, I want to go with 40 pt.} Then, you will need to center your heading. Simply go to one of the text box sides and drag the text to the correct spot.
Step 4
Heading centered…check. Now you need to create a space on the left-hand side of the table for the names of the weekdays. Instead of the original 3×5 table that you created in the first lesson, you will want a 4×5. To alter the number of rows and columns in your table, you need to click on the Table Layout tab.
Step 5
Next, you will want to add text to the table. Type MONDAY in the first cell, and then highlight the text. You want to go to Format>Text Direction. A window will pop up and you need to go to Text Direction>Rotate to 90° Counterclockwise.
This will change your text from the original horizontal to the new and improved vertical! {To save you some time, you can format all of the days of the week at the same time by simply typing in the names, highlighting the words, and following the same process we just completed.}
Step 6
You will want to change the font and size at this point. You will also want to center the text inside of the cells. (I have used KG Eyes Wide Open font, size 32 pt., bolded, and centered.) Your text always needs to be highlighted if you want to be able to manipulate it.
Step 7
The next thing you need to do is make the first column thinner than the other columns. Hover over the first line and drag the line closer to the left-hand side of the table. This will give you the right amount of room for the title.
Once your first column is aligned just under the weekday titles, you will have to move the other lines so all your other columns are the same width. When you have moved the others, your table should look like this.
Step 8
Lastly, I want to give you two helpful hints.
- You can move your “Weekly Lesson Plans” header up, and insert a text box above each column for your subject areas. (I added subject areas using the Amarillo font, and changed the color of my “Weekly Lesson Plans.”) Add your specific lesson information, and you are ready!
- My lesson plans are always two pages, side by side. To create another page, decide how many more columns you need for your plans and create another table template. Then you can simply duplicate the slides week after week!
Guess what, friend? You have now learned how to customize text, and you’ve created your very own customizable lesson plan template! Just remember, the more you use PowerPoint, the more user-friendly it becomes. I hope these tutorials have been helpful for you. Now, the sky is the limit on the fabulous documents that you can make!!
