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What Are the Different Types of Construction Paper Crafts?
Construction paper crafts can be anything made from construction paper, and some of the most common craft items like this include greeting cards and link chains made for decorating. Animals made from construction paper are another type of craft which many children like to make. Many children trace their hand prints onto construction paper and create various crafts, such as turkey decorations for Thanksgiving and construction paper bouquets. Paper plates made from construction paper are another type of craft that can be decorated using paints, markers, colored pencils, or crayons.
Elementary school teachers often instruct students on how to create construction paper crafts. Making crafts using construction paper can be done throughout the year, but it is especially popular for creating holiday projects. For instance, construction paper crafts made for Valentine's Day may include paper hearts and Valentine's Day cards. Christmas tree decorations may include a construction paper link chain. Making a paper Christmas tree using construction paper is another type of project.
Origami, which is an ancient Japanese art of creating figures and objects from paper, may be done with construction paper. Creating construction paper crafts using the origami method will require folding the paper into various shapes. One of the most common origami designs is paper flowers. Other construction paper decorations may include paper baskets and paper fruit. Simple paper boxes to hold trinkets and party favors can also be made from construction paper, using the origami method.
Many children create construction paper hats and paper boats in school. These are typically some of the first paper crafts many children learn to make. Hats can be made as a birthday party favor, or more elaborately designed for other occasions. Other styles of hats made from construction paper may include pirate hats, viking hats, or tiaras. Creating boats and ships from construction paper may be done by tracing patterns of the sail and hull and using glue to assemble the parts.
Construction paper may also be used to decorate flags. These flags may represent different countries and may be colored with crayons or makers. Greeting cards with a folded-flap envelope can be another type of craft created by using construction paper. White construction paper may work best, allowing children to use markers or colored pens to write messages on the card and envelope. Templates for these and various other construction paper projects can be found online.
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![Construction paper crafts may include origami.]()
By: amphotoltConstruction paper crafts may include origami. -
![If made correctly, paper boats can float on water.]()
By: Chepko DanilIf made correctly, paper boats can float on water.
Discussion Comments
@bythewell - Construction paper can actually be a really good teaching aide for kids as well.
Some construction paper activities might be teaching them different colors or different shapes with cut outs. If you let them cut them out, it can help to develop fine motor control as well.
Eventually you can even use construction paper to help teach math, adding squares or circles to each other and so forth.
It's really good to try and do these sorts of activities at home with your kids as though they are games, because it lays a strong foundation for them when they get into school. Not only will they have a leg up on the skills, they will also associate learning with family and fun.
@irontoenail - Construction paper does make really good decorations. We use it every year to make streamers for Christmas, just joining up rings of paper in red and green and white and stringing them up around the room.
If you match it with some tinsel it can be very effective and then you can either recycle it or burn it in the fireplace when Christmas is over, so that you don't have boxes and boxes of decorations to store.
It's also really good for toddler crafts. We get my little nephew to make something from construction paper for all the different holidays and he loves it. You just download a template from online, print it out and let him cut it out with those rounded safety scissors.
He makes a big mess, but it's easier to clean up bits of paper than to deal with paint or clay or even ink from pens, and he can still enjoy the bright colors.
There's still the glue to manage, but we usually just do that part ourselves!
My mother is a teacher at a school and her school recently had a spirit week that she was helping to coordinate. She wanted all the students to decorate the doors of their homerooms with something celebrating school spirit so she asked me to make something appropriate.
I got a whole bunch of construction paper and cut out various shapes to look like hills and things, then cut out figures that were flying kites in the colors of the school. Then I added a river in sparkly sticker paper (which you can get in sheets, then just cut to order).
I put a heavy ink border around each figure but left the individual pieces undefined and it was quite effective. It was quick and easy to set up with a glue stick and some scissors and a pad of construction paper that had enough different colors.
Hopefully it will inspire the students to do something even more interesting with their doors. Construction paper might seem like it's just for fun crafts with kids, but it can be used for any age, I think.
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