How to Make Pop Up Books for Boys

Parents and teachers who want to know how to make pop-up books for boys should look at the themes that interest boys. All children, boys included, enjoy arts and crafts projects that they can create themselves. While boys tend to be more linearly inclined, they are also more likely to use objects like frogs, dragons and race cars to illustrate their pop-up books. Focus on engaging their imagination when creating a pop-up book for young boys. The following instructions are good for second through sixth grades.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ruler Pencil Scissors Glue Crayons/markers Letter paper (8 1/2 inches by 11 inches) Heavy construction paper (9 inches by 12 inches)

How to Make Pop-Up Books for Boys

1. Fold two pieces of the white letter paper in half. Use a ruler to measure along the fold to find the center of the sheet and place a dot there. Then using the dot as a guide, draw a 2 inch horizontal line from the dot on the fold to the center of the paper

2. Use scissors to cut the 2-inch line. Fold the two sides back to form triangles. Smooth the folds down. Unfold the main piece of paper and you will find a mouth-like incision. You use your fingers to press the triangles inward so that the "mouth" opens outwards.

3. Draw around the mouth to create an animal or creature with the mouth for a pop-up. The design of the mouth allows for boys to be creative in the choice of critter that is yawning, roaring or about to eat something.

4. Change the shape of the line to change the shape of the mouth or make it into something else. A jagged line for example gives the illusion of teeth. Colored paper as a background under the mouth opening can create a tongue or creature inside the mouth (for example a dragon with a gem in its mouth).

5. Use the heavy construction paper to make a cover for the book. Be sure to glue the pop-up pages so that they can still open, but are secure inside the book.

Tips & Warnings

• Encourage boys to experiment with different shapes to get different effects: circles for caves and rectangles for boats. Make up a story to accompany the creation of the book, for example: Monster Mouth which can be the mouth of various monsters. This makes it a great craft for Halloween.