Pop Up Cards – Research-Backed At-Home Activities – Bay Area Discovery Museum

Pop-Up Cards

Spread joy and kindness! Transform a piece of paper into a 3-D greeting. Share some love with friends and family with these playful and surprising pop-up cards.

Learning Goals

  • Take Risks and Persist Through Challenges
  • Come Up with Ideas and try Them Out

Materials Required

  • Several pieces of construction paper or cardstock
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Glue or glue sticks
  • Decorative paper or other collage materials
  • Pens or markers
  • Other decorative items, optional

Instructions

You can choose from two different pop-up card styles or make both!

Pop-Up Rectangle Card:

  • Fold a piece of paper in half, making a strong crease.
  • Draw an even number of lines (4 is a good start) going up, starting from the crease, about the length of a finger. Then use scissors to cut along the lines you made.
  • Open the card and pull the cut sections into the inside of the card, making creases so that the sections pop out.
  • Next, use your creativity and imagination and add decorative elements to the pop-up sections and attach them using glue or tape.
  • Glue or tape another piece of folded paper to the outside of the card as an outer layer to keep the pop-up a surprise.

Pop-Up Triangle Card:

  • Fold a piece of paper in half, making a strong crease.
  • Draw one diagonal line (about the length of a finger) starting from the crease. Then use scissors to cut along the line you made.
  • Fold the cut triangle shape back against the card.
  • Open the card and pull the cut triangle into the inside of the card, then crease it so it pops up inside of the card.
  • Use your creativity and imagination and add decorative elements around the pop-up section and attach them using glue or tape. The triangle is a great shape for monsters, bird beaks, or mouths!
  • Glue or tape another piece of folded paper to the outside of the card as an outer layer to keep the pop-up a surprise.

Tips for Adults

  • Encourage Perseverance: If your child is struggling, support their learning without doing it for them: offer suggestions to simply the project or offer to hold the paper while they put glue on it. If the card doesn’t turn out the way they expect the first time, have them try again to see if they can make changes to get it to work.

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