Birthdays
- Balloon bunch. Thumbprints in three colors with a pen string drawn from each. Works for any age that can press a thumb on an ink pad.
- Pop-up cake. A box pop-up with a paper cake glued to the step and paper candles on top.
- Age number collage. Draw the big age number in outline, then fill it with torn paper pieces.
- Accordion banner. An accordion fold with one letter of the name on each panel.
Thank-you notes
Thank-you notes work best small. A quarter-fold card from printer paper is easy to decorate and quick to write. Ask the child to name the gift or the kind act and one thing they did with it or felt about it. "Thank you for the book about sharks. I read it twice" says more than a full page of general thanks.
- Drawing of the gift on the front, by the child.
- Tent card that stands on a desk, so the person can keep it out.
- Stamped border made with a pencil eraser dipped in paint, dotted around the edge.
Get-well cards
Keep get-well cards cheerful and gentle. Bright colors, a sun or a rainbow, and a short message are plenty. A beak pop-up drawn as a smiling bird or a frog can raise a laugh. If the card is going to a hospital, check whether the ward has any rules about what can be brought in, and avoid loose glitter.
Holidays and seasons
| Season | Idea | Technique |
|---|---|---|
| Winter | Snowflake card: fold paper and snip the edges, then open and glue it on dark paper | Folding and snipping |
| Spring | Flower garden with a row of small box pop-ups as stems | Box pop-up |
| Summer | Beach card with sand-colored torn paper and a paper sun | Torn paper collage |
| Fall | Leaf rubbing: lay a leaf under thin paper and rub the side of a crayon over it | Crayon rubbing |
| Any holiday | Gatefold card with a picture across both doors that reveals a message inside | Gatefold |
Make cards for the holidays your family and your friends celebrate. Asking a child what a holiday means to them is a good way to choose the picture.
New baby and new home
- Little footprint. Older siblings can draw around their own hand or foot and decorate it as a welcome.
- House pop-up. A box pop-up with a paper house on the step and windows that open.
- Letter-fold card with three panels: "Welcome", a picture, and the family's names.
Just because
A card does not need an occasion. A note to a teacher, a neighbor, a grandparent who lives far away, or a friend who moved is often the one that gets kept longest. Setting a regular card-making time once a month gives children a steady reason to practice and keeps family members in touch.
Technique quick list
- Crayon resist: draw in crayon, then brush watery paint over it. The wax resists the paint.
- Thumbprints: washable ink pad, a thumb and a fine pen for legs, faces and strings.
- Torn-paper collage: tear colored scraps and glue them into shapes.
- Rubbings: leaves, coins or textured surfaces under thin paper, rubbed with a crayon on its side.
- Simple stamps: pencil erasers, bottle caps or cut sponge shapes dipped in paint. An adult cuts any sponge shapes.