Try something new! These books are a great introduction to the delightful world of papercrafting. We’ve picked the 15 best books of paper projects for kids. Then, try more paper crafts for tweens and big kids.
Paper crafts are fun, but sometimes you need detailed visual instructions. All of these books with paper projects for kids include visual tutorials along with easy-to-cut paper to complete the crafts.
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In many creative projects, there is one very useful material that always shines through: paper. Whether you want to try DIY home decorations, origami, and quilling with the kids, paper is your best friend. You can use construction paper, crepe paper, art paper, or other types of paper. Some even use old newspapers and tissue paper!
Popular Paper Projects to Try
Paper is a magical creation that makes all our DIY dreams come true! Here are some paper art forms that you can try at home using any kind of paper available.
1. Paper Quilling
Quilling is the art of cutting and rolling paper and arranging them into coils to form different designs. This art form has been around for centuries and was once a favorite hobby of young ladies back in 19th century England. The process pretty much remained the same! All you need is glue, thin paper, and a small tool with which to roll the paper. You can use the designs to decorate gift bags, cards, and boxes.
2. Origami
Origami is the art of paper folding – transforming simple paper into easily recognizable, realistic models. No glue or markings are needed. Just intricately folded paper and creative imagination! Origami has several levels of difficulty, but even with the easiest instructions, you can come up with a wide range of shapes like animals and plants. It’s easy to fold a cat!
3. Paper Cutting
Just like origami, paper cutting can transform paper into fabulous three-dimensional images. There are countless ways to cut paper and make paper creations. Some cut many pieces of colored paper and then paste them together to produce beautiful designs. Others use just one sheet of paper to create awesome designs, from snowflakes to plants. You can even make a paper boat!
4. Scrapbooking
Scrapbooking is a hobby similar to journaling. It involves adding photos and other embellishments on blank pages to document day-to-day thoughts and activities. A scrapbook is like a diary or a journal, with less writing and more visuals. You can either start with a scrapbook or even just a blank notebook and decorate it with lots of decorative stuff like stickers.
5. Cardmaking
Cardmaking is not just one of the most exciting hobbies, it’s also meaningful, thoughtful. It’s an amazing way to express yourself and show appreciation to a loved one. When creating a card, don’t forget to use thicker paper. Standard paper is quite thin, so decorative items won’t stay on it. Here’s another idea: the simpler the better. A minimalist design is easier but nothing less remarkable!
Paper crafts are for everyone! You may not believe it at first, but it’s true. Even for beginners, there’s always a way to learn these things and get crafty. You were born artistic. You just don’t know it yet!
Best Books with Paper Projects for Kids
Looking for fun paper craft projects to keep your hands busy? Here are some paper project books to try!
Making paper airplanes is, in itself, an art. And there's a book that can teach the kids how to do it right! This book helps children make aerodynamic paper airplanes and acquaint them with aviation and technology. It comes with 48 pre-cut paper models and detailed instructions for each paper plane.
Snowflakes, Sunbursts, and Stars guides readers in recreating pretty snowflake geometrical patterns through origami, quilling, and kirigami. The book is organized by craft, and has detailed step-by-step photos! It offers several awesome projects, from quilled window ornaments, garlands, and coasters to origami earrings and gift tags.
This book on Karakuri explains the physics behind simple mechanisms and shows readers how to turn awesome paper models into life. There are diagrams and pull-out pages that can help kids easily construct their own moving gear models. Time to learn how to make complex little machines made of paper!
Looking for ultra-cool paper robot designs to try with the kids? Paper Bots: PaperMade is made up of 20 pre-cut bots that can be easily cut and turned into 3D objects. Each project is so easy to complete, thanks to detailed instructions. A fun activity for youngsters age 7 and older.
For the Love of Paper: Florals is a must-have for young crafters and nature lovers. This excellent book celebrates nature through dozens of floral-themed designs, from contemporary patterns to vintage details. There are roses, lilies and other botanical ornaments.
Teach your kids how to care for plants the no-water way... for now. Make realistic paper plants with them! This book includes templates and patterns of more than 30 popular houseplants, from peperomia and philodendrons to monsteras. Every page is packed with green, stylish photos.
Whether you're a newbie paper crafter or an advanced origami artist, you'll love this book and kit. Its paper-folding models cover a range of topics, including animals and flowers. The simple yet straightforward instructions make it a huge hit even for kids who want to master origami.
Ahoy, young would-be sailors! Paper Boats is the book that will take you to the high seas, papercraft style. It teaches young artists how to make sailboats, speedboats, liners, and aircraft carriers from waterproof paper. They can also modify some of the models, depending on the design they want.
Animal origami models are so cute and tweens will find hours of enjoyment creating them! The Animal Origami for the Enthusiast book has 25 intricately detailed paper-folding projects that feature several realistic animals. It comes with easy-to-follow, illustrated instructions but still brings huge challenges to the little ones.
Paper toys are real and kids can now make their own at home. This book introduces basic paper folding techniques to newbies while making adorable, friendly monsters! Extensive instructions but still enough room for creativity and exploring one's style.
Take the kids' crafting skills to the next level by upcycling tissue paper rolls. Help them turn it into a unicorn, ninja, castle, space rocket, or treasure chest. This book contains easy paper projects that can be completed within an hour.
Dragons are such powerful, complex mythical creatures, but making paper versions of them seems pretty easy. This book comes with 10 sheets of custom-designed parts and hatchlings, plus fascinating dragon facts. It allows kids to design their own paper dragon pets, paper craft style.
Quilling is a hobby fit for all seasons, especially Christmas. This book of 30 colorful paper quilling projects can help your fam make awesome Christmas ornaments, greeting cards gift tags, and more. Each activity is designed for a specific skill level, so even newbies will love working on it.
If your kids want to work on animal quilling projects, you'll never go wrong with this book. It has 20 artistic three-dimensional designs covering a range of animals, from dogs and cats to giraffes and alpacas. The instructions are wonderfully written, sparking so much creativity.
The Kids' Book of Paper Love is composed of 180 pages of creative surprises. Bookmarks to cut out. A DIY storybook. Stickers to play with. Each page is literally a fun paper craft project. It's packed with gorgeous stickers, illustrations, vibrant metallic papers, and more!
More Paper Crafts
- Geeky paper snowflakes to cut
- Cute corner bookmarks for Halloween
- Watercolor paper pinwheels
- DIY photo mat with scrapbook paper
- Paper fortune cookies
