Creating home-made books is a great way to pass a spare afternoon and also promote children's interest in reading. Once the basics are completed, you can help the children to fill their book with pictures, photographs, stories, stickers and whatever else takes their fancy.
Build a book
The first step is to choose the paper and card for your book. You can go for plain white pages and a simple card cover, or you can be a bit more adventurous. How about using sturdy handmade paper or textured corrugated card for the cover? How about pages in a range of pastel shades, or vibrant colours such as orange, lime green and turquoise? Children can be encouraged to choose their own colours and types of paper.
You can also make whatever shape and size of page you want. How about a square book, a circular book or a tall thin book?
Once you have decided on your materials and the shape and size of your book, you need to choose a technique for joining the pages together.
Zig-zag books: This is the easiest and quickest kind of book to make.
Simply fold a strip of paper back and forth to create a concertina shape.
Depending on which way you fold the paper, you can make square or rectangular pages.
Ribbon books: This simple technique uses ribbon to tie separate sheets of paper into a book. With a hole puncher, make holes in the top left-hand corner of the pages. Slip a length of ribbon through the holes and tie a secure double bow. Make sure the pages are not tied too tightly, otherwise they will be difficult to turn. For added strength, stick ring reinforcements around each hole. Don't forget to add a back and front cover.
Sewn books: This technique is much easier than it sounds! Follow these step-by-step instructions and if in doubt, have a practice run before you start work on the final product: * Place the paper in a pile, with the cover sheet on the outside.
* Fold the paper in half to make a book.
* Thread a sharp sturdy needle with strong cotton, such as button thread.
* Starting about halfway down the inside fold, sew horizontally through the pages, leaving a loose end of about 5cm.
* Sew a single stitch running upwards along the outside fold (the spine of the book).
* Push the needle back through the pages, about 1cm from the top.
* Sew a single large stitch running down the entire length of the inside fold.
* Sew back out through the pages, about 1cm from the bottom.
* Sew a single stitch along the outer fold (spine), up to the midway point.
* Sew back through the pages to leave a second loose end on the inner fold.
* You should now have two loose ends at the midway point on the inner fold.
Tie them together to make a secure knot.
Colourful contents
Once you have made your book, you can fill it in whatever way you want. The following are just a few of the possibilities.
Holiday journals: Keep a record of holiday activities. Help the children to collect tickets, brochures, postcards, small flat pebbles, leaves and other bits and pieces from their holiday outings. Older children can add written descriptions of their activities. The ribbon technique makes a good book for a holiday journal because you can easily add extra pages.
Stories: Once they have mastered the art of writing, many older children love producing long stories. The zig-zag book is a good format for a first novel, not least because children can make the book without adult help.
Show them how to write out their story on separate sheets of lined paper, cut to the same size as the pages of the book. Encourage them to intersperse their writing with pictures and remind them to choose a title.
Remind them also to check that the pages are in the right order, before sticking them into the book. If the book is not long enough for their story, they can create Volumes 1, 2, 3 and so on.
'All about me': Make a scrapbook of information about a child. Include photos, drawings, personal histories, likes and dislikes, handprints and locks of hair. Involve the child in choosing the content for each page, arranging it and sticking it on. Create a professional look by selecting beautiful handmade papers and using the sewing technique to make the child's 'all about me' book. The end result can be a lovely present for grandparents or godparents.
