Easy Paper Craft
Here is an easy paper craft to introduce the concept of weaving to create different patterns. Paper crafts are a great way to make a budget friendly project by using what you have around the house. This project uses recycled magazines and if you don’t have a magazine you can use left over paper from a previous project too. It will amaze your kids how you can create a beautiful pattern from simple materials, perfect for Elementary and even Middle school age. If you have young ones too, they can help cut the strips of paper for scissors practice and do the weaving part together.
Materials:
Magazine pages (or other paper)
Construction Paper
Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Glue
Tutorial:
1. Tear out pages of colors you like from a magazine.
2. Cut magazine pages into strips.
3. Create your paper loom by folding a piece of construction paper in half. On the non folded edge, approximately 1 inch down from top of paper draw horizontal line (fold should be on the opposite side). This is your “stop line”.
4. From the stop line draw a vertical zig-zag line down to the fold. (Tip: For beginners I recommend drawing 3 lines, for more advanced weavers you may draw more lines which will create a complex pattern).
5. Cut your zigzag lines but be sure to stop at the stop line. Unfold your construction paper.
6. You are now ready to weave. Take one magazine paper strip and place it “over ” the first zig zag section and then “under” the next. Repeat the “over, under” pattern across your paper loom. IMPORTANT —-> Make sure your second strip starts opposite of the first one. If you started “over” the first zig zag section with your first strip, on your next strip you will start “under” the zig zag section. Repeat with other magazine strips.
7. Once you have filled your paper loom with strips, I suggest gluing the ends down to help the strips stay in place.
Take a step back and enjoy your beautiful paper weaving. Try more with different colored papers or try cutting different types of lines in your paper loom to create a new pattern.
Share your paper weaving creations with us!
Post to our Facebook page or tag us on Instagram (#handmadekidsart)
Very cute! Love ideas for kids! Especially on recycling stuff!
Thank you! We love using recycled materials, very budget friendly too! Thank you for commenting. If you are looking for more recycle art projects be sure to follow our Pinterest Board, http://www.pinterest.com/handmadekidsart/recycled-art-and-crafts/
What a neat idea! I love how the one with all of the colors turned out!
Thank you! We love the contrast of bright colors against a dark background. My two little ones had fun searching the magazine for their favorite colors. Thank you for your comment.
This is such a great fine motor and visual motor activity! Thanks for the inspiration! We’ll be sharing this with our followers on Facebook! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing. We love to find new ways to use materials as well as develop those fine motor skills!
Hey there 🙂 We featured your artwork in our 12 Kid Crafted Gifts for Mom’s day round up! http://2crochethooks.com/12-kid-crafts-for-moms-day/
Wonderful! Thanks for letting us know. 🙂