Write a story
Make a mini-book from one sheet of paper
Print one page, fold it, make one cut, and a child has a real 8-page book to fill with their own story. Takes about three minutes to fold, and works from age four up.
Print single-sided on letter paper, landscape. Half the pages print upside down on purpose: they turn the right way up when you fold.
You need
- The printed template (or any sheet of paper)
- Scissors (a grown-up can do the one cut)
- Pencils, crayons or markers
Story ideas for a mini-book
- A story about a character you drew from a free drawing lesson
- One of the story starters, a page for each part
- “All about me”: a book about the author
- A counting book (Alexis and the T-Rexes started with Count to Ten)
- A comic: one panel per page
Tips for grown-ups
- For ages 4–5, have the child draw one picture per page and tell you the words.
- Older kids can plan on the Story Mountain sheet first.
- Finish with the author certificate.
How to fold the mini-book
- Fold in half the long wayFold the sheet in half from top to bottom, crease it, then open it again.
- Fold in half the short wayFold it in half from side to side, crease, and open it again.
- Fold the ends to the middleFold each end in to the middle crease, crease well, and open it flat again. You now have eight boxes.
- Cut the middle slitFold it in half the short way again. From the folded edge, cut along the middle line to the next crease, and stop there.
- Push it into a plus shapeOpen it, fold it the long way, then push the two ends together so the slit opens into a diamond and then a plus shape.
- Fold it into a bookFlatten the plus into a book with the front cover on the outside. Crease the spine and start drawing!
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12 printable story writing pages (comic strips, a character file, a villain planner, a story map, a choose-your-path planner and an author certificate) sent with your welcome email. After that, new free pages and book news.