Folded Paper Flexagon Book

You will need

• Plain printer paper or light cardstockCut into strips 1 inch wide and 11 inches long; two strips per child
• ScissorsStandard scissors for this age
• RulerFor scoring and measuring strips accurately
• Washable markers or colored pencilsFor illustrating the three hidden panels
• Glue stick or clear tapeFor securing the final fold
• PencilFor lightly marking fold lines before creasing
• Bone folder or butter knife handleoptionalOptional; makes cleaner creases on cardstock

Steps

1. 1

   Cut and mark the strip

   Help the child cut a strip one inch wide and eleven inches long from printer paper. Use a ruler and pencil to lightly mark ten equal segments along the strip — each segment will be roughly one inch square. These marks are fold guides only; they don't show in the finished piece.

   Tip: Accuracy matters here more than in most paper crafts — take the extra two minutes to measure.

2. 2

   Fold the triangles

   Show the child how to fold the strip diagonally at the first mark, corner to corner, creating a triangle. Fold back the opposite direction at the next mark. Continue alternating directions along the strip until you have a zigzag of connected equilateral triangles. Crease each fold firmly.

   Tip: Fold toward you each time, then away — a rhythm helps keep the direction consistent.

3. 3

   Label the panels lightly

   Before final assembly, unfold and lightly number the triangle faces in pencil: 1, 2, and 3 cycling in order. This tells the child which triangles belong to the same hidden face, so they can illustrate a matching scene across all the right panels later.

   Tip: Fold it once through the flexagon motion to check the numbering is right before committing to it in marker.

4. 4

   Fold into a hexagon

   Curl the strip of triangles around into a flat hexagonal ring. The last triangle folds under and glues or tapes to the first, holding the shape closed. This step takes two pairs of hands — stay right beside the child and hold the shape while they apply the glue.

   Tip: A binder clip for thirty seconds while the glue sets is the difference between a hexagon and a flat strip again.

5. 5

   Teach the flex motion

   Show the child how to pinch two opposite edges, push the top down gently, and open the center like a flower. A new face appears. Practice this three or four times before any illustration begins — fluency with the motion first, decoration second.

   Tip: If it won't open, the glue join is probably too thick; a tiny piece of tape is thinner and more reliable.

6. 6

   Illustrate the hidden faces

   With the three faces now identified, invite the child to draw a connected scene across each one — a different setting, a different time of day, whatever they choose. Remind them that each face is made of six triangles that together form one image: think of it as a pie chart they're drawing inside.

   Tip: Simple, bold shapes show up better than fine detail once the flexagon is being flexed rapidly.

Take it to the table

Materials checklist, the steps and the variations on one Letter page.