Although you can buy megaphones made of hard plastic, there may be times when you want to make your own. Megaphones are a great spirit craft. Cut a large half-circle from poster board and give the girls free rein over decorating their own piece. Suggest they write the team name or use the team or school colors. Roll up the poster board to look like a cone. Tape the ends and let the girls use them during a game or cheer event.
You can paint hard plastic megaphones in any color to match school or team colors. Painting it a solid color is easier, but many teams or schools use more than one color. Cover the end of the megaphone that touches the mouth with painter's tape to keep it clean. Use a paint that will adhere to the material your megaphone is made from. If you're painting several different colors, cover the areas in painter's tape until you're ready to paint that part. This keeps them clear of the other colors. Cover the finished megaphone with a clear protective coat so the paint doesn't chip or flake off.
You can decorate megaphones with stickers, foam shapes or decals; these may not come off easily, so be careful. Decorate megaphones for different holidays. During Christmas, tape a tinsel garland around the large opening. Tape paper hearts on the megaphones during February. Many schools play charity games. If you're involved, tape pictures or the logos from the charity on your megaphone.
Megaphones look like a cone, with one wide end and one small one. The small end is typically larger than your mouth and is held against it. Point the larger end toward the people you're talking to. Don't talk in a normal tone of voice; although the sound will be amplified, you still have to talk loudly. The sound only goes in the direction you point the megaphone. If you're cheering on a large crowd, it helps if several people are shouting the same thing.