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

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.

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.