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Young infants and toddlers alike love to look at pictures of faces, people, and pets. There are so many books on the market right now that take advantage of this! Instead of buying a book full of strangers though, why don't you make your youngster a book of their own full of the people, pets, and things they love! Just follow the simple directions below and enjoy.
Supplies:
Scissors
Hole punch
Colored markers
General purpose paper glue
*Clear Contact Paper (available in rolls at arts and crafts stores)
8.5 by 11 card stock or heavy duty construction paper in a variety of colors
3 Small index card rings, or colored yarn (will be used to "bind" the book)
Pictures of family members, pets, or favorite images clipped from magazines
*Contact paper is a clear, plastic like paper that is sticky on one side and smooth on the other. It will be used in this craft to help protect the book pages from little hands and make them sturdier.
Directions:
1.Fold card stock or construction paper in half length-wise so you have a piece that measures 8.5 inches long by 5.5 inches wide. Cut in half at fold line. Create as many "pages" as you'd like for your book. Keep in mind that you will be putting pictures on both sides of every page except the front and back covers!
2. Create a cover page for your child's book. You can place a picture on the cover, or simple write something to the effect of "Bill's Picture Book". Cut out one extra page for the back cover of the book and leave it plain.
3. Lay out pictures in the order you wish, and glue them to your pages. It's fun and adds visual interest if you alternate page colors. You can also write simple one or two word descriptions of the picture such as "Daddy" or "Toy truck".
4. Once the glue dries, unroll a section of the contact paper large enough to cover the front and back of the page. Remove the backing paper from the contact paper revealing the sticky surface. Place the book page on the sticky side of the contact paper, then draw the contact paper completely over the other side so you make a "sandwich" out of your book page (there will be a layer of contact paper, the book page, then another layer of contact paper). Smooth out any air bubbles or ridges and make sure the edges are sealed. Trim the contact paper to 1/4 inch all the way around the book page. Repeat this step for every page of your book including the cover and back page.
5. On the left side of each book page punch three holes in even intervals. Make sure all the holes line up so your book will open and close evenly!
6. Using your index card rings, or yarn, thread through each of the holes to "bind" your book.
Fun ideas and variations:
In addition to the pictures in your book, you could also add stickers, dye cut shapes found in scrapbooking sections of craft stores, patterned paper, ribbons, or anything your imagination can come up with!
Instead of just pictures in your book, you could also cut out shapes, numbers, letters, words, or use things from nature such as leaves and flowers.
You can vary the size of your book pages to any size you want!
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