How to Make a Mini Book

A mini book can be a simple, yet fun way to work on any kind of content.  Use it when you are teaching or learning something new.  Make one to show your knowledge.  Create a mini book and then write a story, a cartoon or show off some drawings.   Make a mini book of poems or song titles and lyrics!

You can even use a mini book like this to integrate SEAL, Social-Emotional Artistic Learning.  For example, put different emotions onto each page and share all the different feelings you can have.  Write or draw out all your worries inside your mini book and then hand the book to someone who can take those worries away from you. 

There are really so many ways to use a mini book and making one is so simple.  Today, I want to show you how!

A mini book just like this one can be a simple, yet fun way to work on any kind of content.  Use it when you are teaching or learning something new.  Make one to show your knowledge.  Create a mini book and then write a story, a cartoon or show off some drawings.   Make a mini book of poems or song titles and lyrics!

You can even use a mini book like this to integrate SEAL, Social-Emotional Artistic Learning.  For example put different emotions onto each page and share all the different feelings you can have.  Write or draw out all your worries inside your mini book and then hand the book to someone who can take those worries away from you.

There are really so many ways to use a mini book and making one is so simple.  Today, I want to show you how!

Materials:

• Blank sheet of paper

• Pencil

• Scissors

Instructions:

1. Fold the blank piece of paper in half length-wise
2. Fold in half again the other direction
3. Fold one more time in the same direction.
4. Open your paper back up and it should be divided into 8 equal parts.
5. Fold your paper once, width-wise
6. With your paper folded, make a cut in the center of the creased side of the paper up to center, intersecting point.
7. Open your paper up again. You should now have a slit in the center of your paper.
8. Fold the paper length-wise.
9. Hold it at either end and push the two ends together. You will see the pages of your mini book starting to take shape.
10. Lay it flat and finish folding it along the creases into the shape of a book!
11. Create the content of your book and share it with someone!

So, there it is.  Pretty simple, right?  I can only imagine how many mini books you are going to go ahead and create!  Do you already have some ideas?

Here are some quick ideas of what you can assign to your students once they can make a mini-book:

• a book of drawings
• a cartoon
• famous quotes
• poems to share
• things they enjoy
• what they are grateful for
• favorite activities
• feelings they have
• worries they have
• math notes
• questions for their classmates
• events in history
• special people
• nature sketches

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The list can really go on and on…

Be sure to share your ideas and pictures of your mini books with me and please share this video with your friends or students so that they can also make a mini book of their own!

I’m Elizabeth Peterson from The Inspired Classroom.  Have fun!

Resources

Download This Free Resource: Remote Teaching Resource Pack

Papers, assignments and ideas that will instill creativity and SEAL into your students’ days of remote learning.  Simply copy the folder into your Google Drive or download it onto your computer.

https://theinspiredclassroom.com/remoteteaching

Download this free resource: Arts Integration in Your Back Pocket – 4 Tried and True Arts Integration Strategies

I have relied on these 4 strategies time and again for a variety of subjects.

Each is complete with ideas for Math, SS, Science, ELA, and SEAL and includes objectives, assessments, and rubrics at your fingertips!

https://theinspiredclassroom.com/backpocket/

Download this free resource: SEAL Starter Kit where you will learn more about what SEAL is, its relationship to the creative process, get 4 SEAL activities to try, 2 SEAL lesson plans, and 1 SEAL Tool you will want to use again and again as you teach SEAL! https://theinspiredclassroom.com/SEALstarterkit

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