Paper Crafts for Children

This is a simple origami paper craft for children that can be adapted to many different critters or fantasy creatures.

	Cut a square from a sheet of colored paper, we used photocopy sized paper. You can choose to use a larger square of paper and you will get a bigger snapper than the one pictured. The narrow strip of paper is our off-cut.
	Fold the square sheet of paper in half. Fold each side in half so you end up with a zig zag fold in the paper.
	Flatten all the folds so you are left with a skinny rectangle. On the first section fold the corners in on a diagonal to form a triangle.
	Repeat this on the middle section …
	… and then again on the last section so that all the sections are folded to the same shape.
	Find the center point on the longest side and using a pencil make a mark about 12 mm (0.5″) in from the edge. Cut up to the mark through all the layers of paper.
	Fold back long triangles from the cut to the outer point. This creates the lips or gums of the snapper. Pull the sides apart.
	Fold over so the points meet and make a beak or mouth shape. I pinch the back of this to encourage it to stay folded so it does keep springing fully open.
	Decorate as you wish. I cut teeth from white card …
	… and a curly tongue from red paper, but you can use you imagination to create any creature you like. Maybe big lips for a gorilla or a hanging tongue for a dog. Whiskers and ears for a mouse or fangs for a bat.

Download the printable version of the Tutorial – PDF Worksheet – Paper Snapper

This festive craft is not just a great paper craft for children – it is an any age party decoration. You need to gather up the brightest crepe paper you can find, some scissors, string and glue and then you can get started.

	Cut two strips off the end of a roll of crepe paper. Cut a small piece – up to the first fold from each roll to be used as a wrapper in a later step.
	Cut narrow strips into the thick piece.
	Cut the ends of the folded strips open at the end the narrow strips are cut from.
	Thread string through the folded end. Fold the small piece in half length-ways.
	Scrunch the tassel around the string and wrap the folded small piece of crepe paper around and glue in place as pictured.

Download the printable version of the Tutorial – PDF Worksheet – Crepe Paper Tassels.

This is one of the very versatile paper crafts for children. You can make patterns, pictures, even write words by scraping into the paint. You just need some paper and paint, and some tools to do the scraping. Tools like a piece of card, the end of a brush or even fingers will do!

To make a more dramatic scraped paint image, first coat the paper with a base layer of acrylic paint. If you are using just one layer of paint and scraping through to the paper, then any sort of paint is fine.

	Once the first layer is dry paint a small area on top. I have painted and scraped each stripe before starting the next one.
	While the paint is still wet scrape into the paint with a tool, like the end of a paint brush or a peice of card.
	You can scrape patterns or words into the wet paint.

Cut bits from the finished piece for all sorts of paper crafts.

Download the printable version of the tutorial – PDF Worksheet – Scraped Paint

See some of the things we made with just half of this decorated paper at Scraped Paint Decorated Things.

Another of the easy and speedy paper crafts for children. You need some paper, scissors and a bit of sticky tape.

	Cut slits in an oblong piece of paper, about three-quarters of the way across the paper.
	Roll up the paper and secure the roll at the bottom with a piece of tape.
	Carefully pull up the center of the tree to bring the ‘branches’ up.
	Arrange the branches by bending them, rolling them and cutting extra slits in them.
	To make a stand for the tree cut a circle out of paper or thin card. Cut a slit to the center and then a circle from the center about the size of the tree trunk.
	Form a cone around the base of the tree and secure it with tape. You can also made a trunk for the tree with another piece of paper decorated with crayon rubbings.

Download the printable version of the tutorial – PDF Tutorial – Paper Tree.

Have a look at the finished paper trees that we crafted.

Children love this art technique and it makes a great base for lots of paper crafts. You just need paint and plain paper.

	Fold your piece of paper in half, open it, and drip or paint some paint on one half of the paper.
	Close the paper together and press it so the paint gets all squashed together between the two sides of paper. Then open the paper up.
	The mirror picture is now revealed. The pattern created is called a mirror picture as one side is a mirror image of the other.

Download the printable version of the tutorial. PDF Tutorial – Mirror Picture.
Check out some of the artwork created by our children using mirror pictures at Mirror Picture Artwork and at Mirror Picture Butterfly.

One of the mess free paper crafts for children! You need a pencil, some paper, sticky tape, and scissors.

	Start with an oblong piece of paper, the size of half a piece of photocopy paper is about right.
	Fold the paper in half and then half again and cut slits from one end to about an inch from the other end. Make sure you do not cut through the folds on the sides.
	Wrap the paper around the top of the pencil, taping the paper firmly to the pencil.
	Bend the paper strips out and down to create the flower.
	If you want to create even more shape to your flower, roll some of the strips around a pencil to curl them.

Download the printable version of the worksheet. PDF Worksheet – Flower Pencil Topper.