How to Design a Paper House

Get crafty with your paper house decorations.

Paper houses can be used for holiday decoration, dioramas, children's toys and countless other crafts. Designing paper houses is a cheap and creative project to do with young ones because they can let their imaginations run wild with the decorations while learning about simple 3-D construction projects. There are many programs online that you can use to print out patterns for paper homes. All you need to do is follow the directions. Once you have your basic paper house set up you can begin the fun part of designing it.

Things You'll Need

• Heavyweight copy paper
• Paper house pattern
• Scissors
• Tape
• Glue
• Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
• Art Supplies

Instructions

1. Search for a paper house template online. Use specific search terms when searching for the templates or patterns.

2. Print out your paper house template. Use your scissors to cut out the house pattern from the piece of paper. One side of your paper will have markings, indicating where to fold and cut. Make notes on this side of the paper indicating which squares of the house are the front, back, and sides. Decorate the other sides of the pieces of the house. It is easier to decorate your house when it is flat, as opposed to when it is fully constructed.

3. Decorate your paper house. Decide where you want your doors and windows. You can use your markers, crayons, colored pencils and any other art supplies that you can think of to begin designing your house. Use glue and other objects to add texture to your house. Apply beads or buttons for doorknobs. Use sand to represent brick walls. Glue cotton balls to the roof for snow. If you plan to put things inside the house, you can cut windows out of the paper. Let your creativity be your guide as you design your paper house.

4. Allow time for your decorations to dry. Use the guidelines on the blank side of the paper to fold your house into an upright position. Put tabs into slots or use tape to hold the walls together. Enjoy your creation.

Tips & Warnings

• Use thicker, heavyweight paper for a sturdier house.

• There are many different patterns for many different styles of houses. Consider what you are using the paper houses for. If you are creating paper houses for a historical diorama, you may want to use house designs that were popular in a particular region during a specific period in history. If you are creating paper houses to design with a child, you may want to use a house that is similar to your own or others in your neighborhood.

References

• Stick Site: Paper Houses You Can Make
• Enchanted Learning: Paper Houses