Book Crafts

Instead of simple pages, this paper craft accordion book has pop-out pages -- a terrific surprise! Your kids can stamp on the pages, write on them, or glue in photographs. A super gift or private journal.

What You'll Need:

How to Make an Amazing Folded Book:Step 1: Stamp the circle, square, and triangle in yellow, orange, and red on one side of each square of mat board.

Step 2: Use the piece of cardboard to spread a line of glue on the unstamped side of each piece of mat board, running diagonally from corner to corner. Center the ribbon along this line, with the ends extending out from each corner of the board. Press the ribbon into the glue and set aside to dry.

Step 3: Fold each sheet of colored paper as follows: Fold it in half diagonally. Open it flat and turn it over. Fold it in half (into a rectangle), open it flat and then fold it in half the other way (also a rectangle). Leave this last fold. (Photo below shows all folds.)

Step 4: Let the fold rest on the table. Grasp the top corners and slowly bring your hands closer together. The top edges should open and begin to move out and to the sides. As you continue to move your hands together, you will see that you are forming a folded square.

Lay this square on the table and press the folds flat. Remember that you don't have to force the paper into a square; it will naturally fold that way as you bring your hands together.

Step 5: When all sheets have been folded into squares, glue the outsides together with the glue stick, making sure the open ends all face the same way. These are the pages of your book.

Place a piece of waxed paper inside each piece to keep glue from getting on the inside. Press the stack of sheets together and let dry.

Step 6: Spread white craft glue on the unstamped sides of the mat boards, over the attached ribbon. Align one end of the book with each board and press. (Ribbon should cross where pages open.) Let dry.

Step 7: On the side that doesn't open, tie the ends of the ribbons into a knot and then into a bow. On the front side, tie the ends into a bow that can be untied to open the book.

The next book craft will teach your kids that the best gifts in life are free. Learn how to make a Book of Promises in the following section.

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This paper craft shows kids that sometimes the best gift doesn't cost a penny. A promise is worth a million bucks, and it can be given to parents, grandparents, teachers, or friends.

What You'll Need:

How to Make a Book of Promises:

Step 1: To make a cover for your book, fold a piece of construction paper in half. Draw a heart as shown, and cut it out. Make sure you don't cut along the fold in the paper at the top of the heart!

Step 2: Fold 3 pieces of printer paper together. Trace the heart on the top piece of paper, and cut it out.

Step 3: Write a promise on each page -- they can be serious or silly. Decorate the pages with pictures to illustrate your promise.

­Step 4: Insert these pages into the cover, and staple the spine.

In the next paper craft, your kids will research and write their own publications. Learn how to make a Cultures of the World book in the following section.

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In this paper craft, kids will learn more about people of another culture, and recognize more about themselves at the same time.

Each page on the left-hand side of this book will contain a picture and some information about people from another culture. Right-hand pages will have a picture and some information about your kids or someone from your own culture.

Don't just limit your information to what is different about your child and a child from another culture -- try to also find things you have in common!

You might want to choose a theme for your book, such as food, clothing, or music. Help kids do research to decide what they want to put in their books.

What You'll Need:

How to Make a Cultures of the World Book:

Step 1: To make a book, cut a 9-1/2x6-inch rectangle from the cereal box and place it picture-side up. Fold it in half, matching the 6-inch sides together.

Step 2: Stack 4 sheets of white paper, fold the sheets into quarters, cut along the top, and place the paper inside the folded cardboard.

Step 3: Punch 3 holes along the folded edge, through the paper and cardboard, and thread the ribbon through the holes. Tie the ribbon to bind the book.

Step 4: Decorate the outside of the book with markers or cover it with construction paper. Now fill your book with all your information!

Are your kids a bunch of characters? Teach them how to make a kooky character Match-Up Book in the next section.

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This paper craft flip book lets kids create their own collection of kooky characters.

What You'll Need:

How to Make Match-Up Books:

Step 1: Cut each sheet of paper into 3 equal-size rectangles. (Cut across the short side of the paper.) This will give you 6 rectangles.

Step 2: Cut a piece of light cardboard the same size as the rectangles. Stack the 6 paper rectangles on top of each other. Fold them down twice, dividing the papers into 3 sections.

Step 3: Unfold the rectangles and draw a different person, family member, animal, or monster on each page. Draw the head in the top square, the body in the middle square, and the legs at the bottom.

(NOTE: The drawings should all be about the same size, and the heads, bodies, and legs should all line up in the same place. This way the head of one figure will line up with the body on every other ­drawing.)

Step 4: After you finish drawing, put the piece of cardboard on the bottom of the stack. Then staple the left side of your drawings together to make a book.

Step 5: Carefully cut across the papers along the folds, stopping before you get to the left side. (Don't cut the cardboard!)

Your book is done. Flip through your book, turning different flaps at a time, to see what silly characters you can create!

Paper crafts are great fun, and they also make great gifts. Your kids will learn how to make a special book just for Mom in the next section.

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This paper craft book is sure to bring joy to any Mom. Dads and grandparents can help little ones make a surprise Mom and Me book for her birthday, Mother's Day, or any day you want to let Mom know she's loved and appreciated.

What You'll Need:

How to Make a Mom and Me Book:

Step 1: Along a seam, cut a side of a brown bag to the bottom. Cut the bottom off the bag. Repeat for all the bags.

Step 2: Unfold the bags. Trim the bags to the size of the cardboard (9-inch squares). Help kids iron the bags with a cool iron to make them lay flat.

Step 3: Draw a line 1 inch from an edge of each of the cardboard squares. Use the edge of the ruler to bend the cardboard along the line.

Step 4: Bend the cardboard back and forth, until it works like a paper hinge. Put a strip of plastic tape on each side of the cardboard covering the hinge. Glue wrapping paper on the cardboard.

Step 5: Punch holes in the 1-inch section of the covers; punch a hole 2 inches from the top of the book and another hole 2 inches from the bottom.

Punch holes in the paper bag pages to match the cover holes. Stack all the bags between the covers, and clamp them with the clothespins.

Step 6: Thread the ribbon from the inside to the outside of the cover. Tie the ribbon in a knot, and make a bow. Write a title on the front cover, and decorate it. Fill your book with thoughts and pictures of Mom.

Teaching little ones how to count? Learn how to create a fun One to Ten Book of numbers in the next section.

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Math is so important and this paper craft makes it lots of fun. Help little ones create a one-to-ten book, and illustrate it with one-to-ten pictures.

What You'll Need:

How to Make a One to Ten Book:

Step 1: Staple together 11 pieces of paper (the top sheet is the cover). Write a title on the cover, and then number each of the following spreads (the 2 pages that face each other) with the numbers 1 through 10.

Step 2: On each spread, draw a picture that corresponds to the number on the page. On spread 1, draw 1 thing. On spread 2, draw 2 items. On spread 3, draw 3 things, and so on.

Create a theme for your book. For example, make a 1-to-10 book of animals, and choose a different animal for each spread (1 bear, 2 cats, 3 zebras, etc.).

Or illustrate the numbers with facts about yourself. For instance, on the "1" spread, draw something you have 1 of (1 heart, 1 dog, or 1 toothbrush). On the "2" spread, draw something you have 2 of (2 feet, 2 hands, or 2 cats). Keep going!

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ABOUT THE CRAFT DESIGNERS

Amazing Folded Book by contributing designers Sharon Broutzas, Rice Freeman-Zachery, Connie Matricardi, Susan Milord, Lynnette Schuepbach, Kim Solga, and Florence Temko