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What are Paper Toys and Why Kids Love Making Them
Paper toys are fun and interactive playthings that kids can enjoy for hours!
Caroline
Paper toys are a great way to learn new skills
Paper toys are one of the most versatile and budget-friendly tools when it comes to keeping children occupied and entertained. From drawing or painting to making origami- paper crafts are a timeless hobby that kids love to engage in to satiate their need to explore and create.
Paper folding techniques are also used to make complex three-dimensional shapes which can be used for paper models of structures.
These sort of toys have existed for centuries and thanks to the advances in technology, complicated paper toys can easily be made through a printout of a template. Paper is an inexpensive material that is widely available and so it doubles as a fun budget activity.
The construction of paper trinkets and toys usually involves little more than folding and perhaps cutting, one or more sheets of paper. Children can strengthen their motor skills through this activity and put their brilliant minds into action to create new toys for themselves.
Types of paper crafts used to make toys:
Origami:
The Japanese paper-folding art, origami, can be used to create paper toys. Origami typically offers the opportunity to construct a wide range of complex paper toys, including jumping frogs, building block towers, and many more interesting objects.
Traditional Origami is typically done by folding a single square sheet of paper into a sculpture. Tape, scissors, and glue can also be employed to make certain items.
Quilling:
Quilling is another paper art used to make all sorts of objects ranging from decorations for greeting cards to making figurines and putting them on keychains. Quilling is the art of cutting paper into thin strips and then rolling, pinching, and sticking those strips together to create breath-taking pieces of art.
There are also a variety of tools to add more precision and make the art of quilling easier. Like origami, Quilling too has a long history and studies suggest that it originated from China.
Papier–mâché:
Papier–mâché or paper mache is a popular craft using paper and glue paste to make an assortment of articles. The method used for this craft is named after the French term for “chewed paper”.
This type of paper art is prized for its affordability and practicality. All you need is recycled paper and glue paste to create durable items like baskets, jewelry boxes, vases, and many more such items.
The glue paste used to wet the paper acts as a binding agent. As the paper dries, the outer shell hardens, which can then be painted and decorated.
Printable templates:
Printable crafts are very quick to prepare and are easily available online. For this type of craft, a template will be printed on paper and all you have to do is cut it out and assemble it to make the toy.
Finger puppets, paper dolls, room decoration, cut and stick activities and puzzles are some of the popular printable activities that kids love.
“Made by Joel” is a great website with free printable toys and activities for all children. Some of the activities even include stories, making the activity even more enriching. Explore the beautiful streets of Paris with your children through this amazing and free printable project: https://madebyjoel.com/2011/08/paper-city-paris.html
Flower making:
Crepe paper can be used to make the most beautiful and realistic flowers. Flower making is more popular among older children who love to display their creativity through art. Paper flower crafting requires patience and precision but is yet another low-cost activity and can be used to decorate and make your house look more lively.
It makes a great activity for stress relief as it requires complete concentration and shifts your mind away from life’s anxieties.
Bookbinding:
At the end of an academic year, there’s nothing sadder than throwing away your kid’s notebooks that weren’t fully used. Bookbinding is an easy solution to this issue and is a great activity to teach children that they can make the best out of waste.
They can use their creativity to make their special diaries or could learn to bind together books to give to children who cannot afford to buy new ones every year.
Watch this cool tutorial to create your own robot paper toy:
All you need is one square sheet of craft paper in the size 21 x 21cms, a little bit of glue, googly eyes, and a paper cut-out of a mouth for the robot.
Watch how to make the cool robot toy here
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