Make Your Own Paper Dolls

This is the easiest craft you will ever do with your kid.  My daughter posed this picture so the daddies are holding their babies. Awww! 


Age: 
2+

Time: 
As little as 10 minutes.  More dolls = more time.  This was a great craft to do after dinner.

Cleanup: 
Minimal.  Recycle your paper scraps and you're done.

What you need:

• Catalog or magazine (we used the two catalogs that came in the mail that day)
• Scissors
• Tape
• Optional:  glass of wine for parent



Why I like this craft: 
We made these paper dolls about a month ago and my kid still plays with them.  Her friends like to play with them.  I like to play with them.  It was basically free.  You can sureptitiously shop through the catalog and order the clothes you like later.  You get rid of clutter in your house.  What else is there to want?

Step 1:
Pick out a suitable person.  Photos that show the person's entire body are best.
You could easily substitute pictures of animals or monsters or any other thing you can find printed in a magazine or catalog.  My girlie girl just happens to love babies and little girls and daddies. 

These are the "big sisters" for the babies.

Step 2:
Cut around the outline of the person.

This kid has become a master with scissors (thank goodness she stopped cutting her own hair).  You can help if your kid's scissor skills are still developing.

Step 3: 

Profit!  (Just kidding, that was a South Park joke). 

Really, the next step is to fold up a page of your catalog that you don't want to use as a paper doll and tape it to the back of your person to reinforce it.  It makes the doll surprisingly strong. 

Hold it up to a light or a window to make sure you are placing it in the middle.  Trim the top and bottom to match the height of the paper doll. 

Sacrificial tube of catalog page has been taped to the back of the picture before cutting.  You can also add it after cutting, either way works just fine.

Done!

Happy family.

 -Nancy