Perfect paper pals
Everyone needs a little company sometimes, and what could be sweeter company than a little friend made by your child on a quiet afternoon.
Paper dolls are one of those iconic, tried’n’true crafts that never dates.
It’s easy to cut one symmetrical figure from a single folded sheet of paper, and almost as easy to make multiple figures all at once, connected by their fingers and toes.
Grab an A4 page and fold it into thirds, then into half again… with sturdy scissors it’s possible to cut through 6-8 layers of regular paper. Experiment with papers of different types, weights and colours.
While the scissor cutting stage can be a bit fiddly (and therefore a job for grown-up hands) the job of adding the details that bring a little friend to life is where your children work their very own magic.
Here’s how it’s done:
Find some paper – use an A4 sheet or whatever you have on hand. It can be printed or blank, a recycled artwork from kinder or childcare, a page from a magazine or catalogue, even paper that was once wrapped around a parcel or bunch of flowers.
Fold the paper – an A4 page can be folded into half to make one doll.
To make a chain of 3 dolls fold the page into thirds (takeaway menus and brochures are often already neatly folded into thirds already).
Then fold the the third into half again (see my photos below).Draw half a simple figure onto the front section, making sure that at least the arms (and/or the legs) extend to the paper’s edge ( see diagram below for some character ideas).
Cut along the outline. This can be tricky depending on the thickness of the folded sheets of paper. Experiment and adjust your folding and cutting to suit the size and thickness of paper.
Carefully unfold the dolls to make a chain of connected paper people.
Decorate - offer the kids a selection of textas, pencils or pastels, or extend their choices with scraps of paper, fabric or yarn and a gluestick.
Watch the magic begin!
One of my favourite paper doll shapes is drawn in a way that creates a heart-shaped space between each person.
Experiment with different paper types.
Brown wrapping paper is often robust and can be an ever-useful resource.
Newspaper is thin enough to cut many dolls at once, but may be too fragile for drawing onto.
