Your Child Will Learn
How to make art with folded paper
Here’s What to Do
- Cut 10 long strips of colored paper for your child.
- Show your child how to fold the strips back and forth like an accordion. Help them fold the rest of the strips on their own.
- Invite your child to glue each end of the paper strips to a base sheet of paper.
- Encourage your child to layer and cross the folded strips so the paper turns into a 3D paper sculpture.
Put PEER Into Action
PAUSE
- Smile and say to your child, “let’s make a paper sculpture!”
ENGAGE
- “Watch how I fold a paper strip. I pick it up, then fold the end on top. I tuck the rest of the paper under, and then keep going back and forth. Can you try?
- “How do you think you’d like to attach the paper strips? Should the paper strips be close, far apart, or both? Should they criss-cross over each other?”
ENCOURAGE
- If your child has other ideas about how to fold the paper, encourage them to explore those. The paper strips don’t all need to be accordions.
- Notice your child’s creative choices, like this: “I’m noticing that you’re putting all the red strips here and all the blue strips here.”
REFLECT
- Ask your child what they enjoyed about making this art project
Not Quite Ready
If folding is too difficult for your child, experiment with other ways you can create texture with paper. Can you crumple it up? Cut it into a fringe? Curl it around a pencil?
Ready for More
Do an Internet search for “paper sculptures.” If your child is inspired by any images, see if they can recreate parts of the sculptures themselves.
As Your Child Masters This Skill
Their coordination and fine motor skills will become stronger
Time to Complete
15-20 minutes
Materials Needed
Colored paper, scissors, glue stick