How to Make Picture Frames With Children

Allow your child to outline his homemade picture frame with wrapping paper.

Put empty CD cases to good use and make a picture frame with your children. A good inexpensive gift for a child to give relatives, this frame highlights your child's photo and allows him to express his creativity. Decoration ideas abound as you allow him to decorate with decals, stickers, fabrics and small toys or her to choose flowers, buttons and bows. Or, the design theme can reflect the holiday as you include his picture with Santa in a Christmas frame or with the Easter bunny in a themed Easter frame. A heart shaped photograph can be inserted into a Valentine's Day frame as bats and witches surround a picture of your children dressed in Halloween costumes.

Things You'll Need

• CD case
• Scissor
• Construction paper
• Wrapping paper or fabric
• Photograph
• Hot glue gun
• Glue sticks
• Decorative items such as stickers, decals,small buttons, puzzle pieces, flower petals, bugs, beads or ribbons

Instructions

1. Remove all items inside the CD cases as you want an empty case for this project. Gather supplies and clean your work area.

2. Cut the cardboard to the size of the front portion of the CD case. Normally this is 4 ¾ inches wide by 5 ¼ inches high, but use your ruler for an accurate measurement of your CD case.

3. Center and paste your child's picture to the cardboard. Paste wrapping paper or fabric along the blank sides of the cardboard as decoration.

4. Cut a piece of solid color construction paper in a coordinating color for the back of the CD case.

5. Open the CD case and stand it up with the folded section on top. Slip picture lengthwise into the front part of the CD case under the tags, withe the picture face-side out. Run a strip of hot glue along the top and bottom of the front case to secure the picture in place.

6. Hot glue construction paper to the back section of the case. Let glue dry then close the case.

7. Run strips of hot glue along the parameters of the front case. Place festive wrapping paper over the hot glue, or small buttons, puzzle pieces, flower petals, bugs, beads, ribbons, stickers or decals as decorations.

Tips & Warnings

• Decorate according to the holiday.

• Allow child to choose her own colors, wrapping papers, fabrics and pieces for decorative accents

• Keep children away from the hot glue gun.

• Supervise scissor use by children.

References

• Activity Village: Photo Frames from CD Boxes
• Creaft Elf: CD Case Picture Frame