A Super Easy Way To Begin Lapbooking : The Simplest Lapbook Ever

How to Start Lapbooking

So you've heard about lapbooking and seen pictures of other people's finished lapbooks all over homeschooling blogs. You're intrigued and want to make a lapbook with your own children. But where to start? How can you transform that plain, boring manilla file folder into a beautiful record of your children's learning? This page will get you started, step by step.

Top Five Ways to Make Lapbooking Difficult

surefire ways to ruin your lapbooking experience

Before we get started on our step-by-step, let's explore some of the WORST things to do in relation to lapbooking. These will certainly kill the enthusiasm for lapbooking in your homeschool:

Forget that lapbooking is simply a tool for learning. Instead, let lapbooking take over your homeschool and totally lose sight of your original educational goals.
Become so focused on the finished product that you forget the process of learning and creating. After all, what would Grandma say if this minibook is not perfect?
Become so focused on your own plans for the lapbook that you don't allow your children to express their creativity through this medium. Wear yourself out over planning every detail instead of guiding your children as they create the lapbook.
Immediately buy five or six expensive lapbooking resources before you even find out if this method suits you and your children.
Force lapbooking on a child who hates it. If you think it's fun, then it must be fun. Insist on using lapbooking.

Lapbook Photos

rainforest lapbook open by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Josiah's Very Hungry Caterpillar Lapbook by usedcarspecialist

Space Vocabulary book by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Ireland Lapbook - top flap (close up) by pcjjap

Explorer Lapbook inside Incas book by jimmiehomeschoolmom

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The Top Five Reasons Why Lapbooking is Addictive!

Obviously, not everyone loves lapbooks, but for those who do enjoy their first one, the urge to keep creating them is strong! Before you know it, you'll be evaluating every brochure or magazine with the thought, "This would make a great graphic for a mini-book!"

Why does the lapbooking bug bite so hard? Here are five reasons:

inexpensive materials -- paper, scissors, tape, markers; no need to buy prepacked kits
creates a product to keep for years to come
capitalizes on the creativity of your children
not difficult to do; anyone can learn how
not another boring worksheet. Lapbooks are fun and creative!

STEP ONE

Make Some Mini-books

Visit each of these links. Make two or three of each style of book. Use whatever paper you have on hand -- plain old white or colored, large or small sheets. Don't worry too much about the details right now. Just have fun making the blank mini-books. Get your children involved at this step too!

One Page Book: The simplest of the mini-books. This one is so easy and fun! Be sure to teach your children how to make this type of book. They will LOVE it! Use any piece of paper, any size.
Layered Book: For variety, you can change the widths of the paper, use a duo or trio of colors.
Accordion Book: Back and forth, back and forth. Fold it up like a fan. Voila! An accordion book!

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STEP TWO

Study your regular homeschool currriculum.

This step is SO easy because you were already going to do this, right? Just go about your normal homeschool routine.

You need just a few minutes of preparation. Think about what topics you are studying; take a glance at your plans for the next few weeks. Choose one topic among these for your first lapbook. It can be absolutely anything, but science and history topics are some of the easiest. Choose one that you'll be studying for about two to four weeks. The topic can be very broad.

When you are finished with your regular, daily homeschool lesson, ask your children what they learned today. THAT is what you can put into the mini-book.

Pull out the blank books you made in step one. Let your children choose what type of book they want to use for today's topic. Then make the book! Write text, add drawn pictures, glue in images printed from the internet or cut from magazines.

Remember the back of the book will be attached to the lapbook, so leave it blank. Make an attractive title page on the cover of your book.

Don't worry about doing it "right." As long as you're documenting what you learned, it's RIGHT. Of course, this will vary depending on your child's age and ability. So tailor your expectations accordingly. A preschooler will have mostly drawings. But an intermediate student will have much more text.

Put this mini-book to the side and continue making mini-books each day until all your blank ones are used up. How will you know when you're done? When you've finished studying the topic, you're finished making mini-books.

STEP THREE

Assemble the lapbook.

Once you've finished studying your particular topic, gather all the mini-books you've made.

Take your file folder and fold it as instructed at Homeschool Helper. Design your cover. You can use coloring pages printed free from the Internet or cut color photos from old magazines. Don't worry if your image crosses the opening in the center front. Go ahead and glue it on. Then go back and cut it open along the file folder edges.

Next play around with the layout of your minibooks inside. Once you're happy with your layout, affix the mini-books into the file folder base. I prefer to use double-sided tape. But use whatever you have on hand.

Now your first lapbook is complete! Show it off! As your children show it to visitors in your home, they are reviewing all they learned.

Other Lapbooking Helps

When you're ready for more details, visit these other lapbooking resources.

Rainforest Lapbook

The tropical rainforest is a fascinating topic for a homeschool unit study! Just the botany and zoology alone could take months to cover. But there are also the history of the rainforest, the indigenous peoples of the rainforest, and the economy of...

Space Lapbook

Take advantage of children's natural fascination with outer space and space travel with this science unit study! What child doesn't like to pretend he's an astronaut, flying a spaceship to a distant planet or yet to be discovered galaxy? Channe...

Penguin Lapbook

The penguin makes a great unit study and topic for a lapbook. There is the biology involved in the study of the animal itself. You can also add the earth science and geography of the penguin's habitat. Then there are great living books about pe...

Classical Music Lapbook

Music is one of those topics that we homeschool moms know we should teach our children. But whether it's because of our own lack of knowledge, a tight homeschool budget, or just a crowded schedule, music study often gets pushed to the back burner. Th...

Lapbooking

Lapbooking can be done by any learner-- from preschoolers to adults. With this educational method, you make mini-books covering details that you've studied. After making a variety of mini-books about a larger topic, all the books are put together in...

Reproducible Mini-books

Easy Make & Learn Projects: Human Body (Grades 2-4)

by Donald M. Silver, Patricia J. Wynne

Amazon Price: $8.76 (as of 05/17/2008)
Used Price: $6.74

25 Read & Write Mini-Books That Teach Word Families

by Nancy Sanders, Anne Kennedy

Amazon Price: $8.76 (as of 05/17/2008)
Used Price: $5.98

Theme Pockets - November (Theme Pockets)

by Michelle Barnett

Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 05/17/2008)
Used Price: $4.49

26 Interactive Alphabet Mini-Books (Grades PreK-1)

by Mary Beth Spann

Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 05/17/2008)
Used Price: $3.84

Bookmaking Resources

Easy Bookmaking (Grades K...

Making Books That Fly, Fo...

Making Books Across the C...

So, was this helpful?

Was this step by step tutorial beneficial to you?
Are you more confident to jump in and start lapbooking?
What did your children make?
Feel free to contact me (see link at top right of page) with specific questions.

Anyone can comment.

SnowWhite (Jennifer C)

What a great intro to lapbooking! You have given me the courage to actually try it.

Posted May 12, 2008

Donna

Thank you for the great insight on the "how to's" of lapbooking. I just discovered them and love the idea. Just wasn't sure how to get to the final product. This was very helpful and I intend to keep it as a reference tool in the future.

Posted May 08, 2008

Michelle

This was a great post. Thanks for helping me to understand lapbooks.

Posted April 03, 2008

ReeCee

I just started my first lapbook with my three year old daughter today after watching some homeschool lapbook videos and reading sites like these for the last week. We had a great time! My daughter can't wait to do more. Thanks for making getting started so easy!

Posted February 02, 2008

Kathy

Thank you for your site. I'm new to lapbooking and this really helps. This is my first year homeschooling. Can you direct me or have suggestions for using lapbook themes as curriculum for ADHD child in third grade? I'd like to get away from "school at home" routine. We're bored with it. THANKS!

Posted December 20, 2007

Nineuh

Thank you! This is a great help and I can't wait to start tomorrow. We can't afford to purchase our next set of books so I am trying to make use of several different sources-all the while wondering how to pull it all together. BINGO! The kids are going to love this.

Posted December 16, 2007

Susan52

Very nice resources, very helpful. Our boys have already graduated - we homeschooled all the way through. I'll make lapbooks for my future grandchildren - can't wait!

Posted November 10, 2007