How to Make Paper Toys for Kids
A single sheet of typing or construction paper and a few other materials can be used to create all sorts of simple paper toys for kids of all ages to enjoy. Making simple paper crafts is not only fun, but also helps younger children develop their fine motor skills. Leave the plastic and metal store-bought constructions at home on your next family camping trip, but bring along a stack of paper and use pieces to make toys like airplanes, fans, footballs and this nifty fortune teller.
Instructions
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1
Make a square by folding the top-right corner of a piece of 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper down onto a large triangle so that it aligns with the left side. Crease the right fold that is created. Fold the bottom strip up over the bottom edge of the triangular flap and then cut that strip off to create one square piece of paper.
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2
Place the square in front of the child and have her fold each corner toward the middle so that they all meet. This will form a diamond/square shape with triangular flaps on the top. Turn the paper over so that the flaps are on the bottom and repeat the same process of folding the corners that are now facing upward in toward the center.
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3
Fold the resulting square in half horizontally and vertically several times. The child should then be able to insert his thumbs and index fingers in the bottom of the square and form an object that can be manipulated with his fingers like a little mouth that opens up and down and side to side.
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Have the child write a different color on the four areas that show at the top of the fortune teller when her fingers are moving it from underneath. Then have her open the square so that the triangular flaps created in the first part of step 2 are showing. Write eight different numbers---one number on each half of the four triangles.
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Open the number flaps and use a pen to write eight different answers---one on each side of bottom side of the triangles where the numbers are written. The object is for one answer to be associated with one corresponding number. Then have the child put the fortune teller back together and hold it with his thumbs and fingers.
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Have the child ask an adult to name a color. She then spells out the color, opening the fortune teller front and back with the first letter, then side to side with the next letter, and so on.
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Stop moving the fortune teller while saying the last letter. Four inside numbers will be revealed. The person who picked the color then chooses one of the numbers. The child counts it out while moving the teller in the same manner as he did when spelling the color. This will end with four numbers showing again.
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Have the person ask a question and then pick a final number. The child then opens the fortune teller and reads the answer under that number, revealing the questioner's fortune.
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Tips & Warnings
It's most fun if the answers the child writes in her fortune teller are general responses like "yes," "no," "maybe," and so forth.
As a rule, paper is a safe craft material, but paper cuts are painful. Kids should be advised to work cautiously while making this paper toy.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit paper samples for business cards image by Adam Radosavljevic from Fotolia.com
