How to Make Paper Mobiles

Making paper mobiles is a fun family craft to do with kids of all ages. You can attach any paper shape to a mobile to follow various themes. There are several different ways to make paper mobiles. The following steps will show you two ways to create a mobile.

Things You'll Need

• 3 unbendable drinking straws
• 21 large paper clips
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Templates or paper and pencil
• Markers, crayons or colored pencils
• 2 Clothes hangers
• Wire cutter
• Pliers
• Stapler
• Yarn or string

Instructions

Make a Drinking Straw and Paper Clip Mobile

1. Take a regular unbendable straw and hook a paper clip in the middle of it. Keep the majority of the clip above the straw. Place another paper clip on each end of the straw so that the main part of the clip hangs downward.

2. Hang another clip off the paper clip on the right side of the straw. Hang about four more clips to the paper clip hanging on the left. Attach a straw to both of the bottom clips on each side, making sure that the clips are positioned in the middle of each straw.

3. Place paper clips on each side of these two straws as you did to the very first one and hang two clips onto each other off the center of both straws so that they hang downward.

4. Cut six colorful shapes out of construction paper. You can cut out any shape you want such as stars, planets, teddy bears or even letters in your name.

5. Attach the paper cutouts to the six paper clips that are suspended from your mobile. Use tape or puncture a small hole in the paper cutouts and hang them off the paper clips.

Make a Clothes Hanger Mobile

1. Print items online from templates or draw items you would like to hang from your mobile. Color them or cut them out of construction paper. Use four cutouts for this project.

2. Staple your cutouts to about a foot of string or yarn.

3. Use a wire cutter to snip a piece of wire about a foot long from a clothes hanger. Cut another piece the same size from a second clothes hanger.

4. Make small loops on each side of both wires to hang your items from. Use pliers to bend the metal into loops.

5. Use the pliers to make a loop at the middle point of one of the wires. Stick the other wire through this hole. Bend this second piece of wire downward and twist, which will make a loop to connect the two pieces of wire.

6. Attach the four pieces of string to your mobile. Add a piece of string to the top center loop to hang your mobile.

Tips & Warnings

• You can print out front and back templates found online for this craft. Staple the front and back together and stuff them with paper to give your mobile a 3-D effect.

• An adult needs to clip the wire and bend it with pliers.

Resources

• Templates for paper mobiles