If you want to use an educational and versatile tool that allows you to collect information as well as being visually attractive, that you can customize and even be an original and nice detail for someone close to you, we tell you what it can be.

Not everything has to be based on technology, but it is clear that a good learning alternative has to be visual and attractive, because in this way it is much more effective to achieve its purpose. A good option is to use a lapbook, here we explain what it is, some ideas for this year and how to create it step by step.

What is a lapbook?

A lapbook is a didactic and interactive resource. It is a mini folding notebook with which children can interact with different contents previously written inside. This notebook is full of tools to discover, for example, hiding places, envelopes with information or surprises, flaps that can be pulled, in short, everything that imagination and space allow.

A lapbook is considered an active learning project, as it is a good way to organize specific information in a different way, but it can also be an original gift for friends or loved ones, as it prints your own personal stamp, since you can decorate it the way you prefer.

Benefits

Using lapbooks is very positive as an educational tool, as it encourages research, creativity and the ability to synthesize by having to put the most relevant information in small spaces. They are a phenomenal way to reinforce concepts and ideas in an organized and easy to visualize way, which enables study. In addition, they present information in a structured and beautiful way.

Key components of a lapbook and materials needed

Lapbooks have some key components that you should take into account. One of them is the materials you use to make them. In addition to the tools you use, for example: flaps, envelopes, buttons, foldouts, information cards, drawings, graphics, stickers, geometric figures, tabs, among others.

And if we are talking about materials, the first thing to do is to buy a cardboard or thick paper of the color you prefer, you must also have glue, colored pencils, markers, scissors and any other material you choose, it can be colored threads, papers of different textures or colors, shirt buttons, photographs, magazine clippings, in short, everything depends on the theme you want to handle.

Examples of lapbooks

If you want some examples of lapbooks here are a few:

For children

You can base it on something they are learning in class, for example, some clues about geography, the history of a country, wild animals, domestic animals, the multiplication tables, the planets of the solar system, or the chemical elements. That is to say, you can almost approach any topic with this resource, the only thing you have to take into account is your creativity to make the book something enjoyable and with many tools to discover, so that it is interactive.

For a gift

You can make a story, for example, the history of your family (genealogical album), if it is an anniversary, remember with phrases, photos or clues how you met. You can also relive important moments by sticking a pass to an important event they have attended or a ticket to something relevant.

If you want to give a personalized gift for someone special, think about their tastes, maybe a literary work, the culture of a country or city, dessert recipes, small works of art (they can be drawings directly made by children important to the recipient of the gift), in short, a whole range of possibilities.

Ideas for lapbooks 2023

Undoubtedly, lapbooks will be in trend this 2023. You can use your imagination and include topics such as music, gastronomy, world cultures, endangered species, ecosystems, technological advances, movies, pets, among others. But if you want to know how to make a lapbook, we tell you step by step.

You can also make different types of lapbooks:

Lapbook for learning

Where you put basic concepts for children (even for older people) and that serve as a tool for learning English, for example, the hours, the seasons of the year, the names of things, among others. You can combine the information with magazine clippings that illustrate the topic you are talking about, small clothespins, buttons, etc. This same model can be used with older children to study more complex topics, such as literature or history.

Remember that if you are interested in having your child learn to tell time, or if you want them to learn to addition and subtraction correctly, also you can offer them games to learn mathematics and you can even count on  Kiddus didactic clocks, it's just a matter of finding the most useful and fun way for your child to learn.

Travel Lapbook

In which you put the map of the place to visit, small reviews of it, a bit of history, in short. It will be great for children to discover while traveling.

Vintage Lapbook for grandparents

A nice souvenir full of photos and meaningful phrases for grandparents, sure to be an unforgettable detail. If you have small objects that you can include and are meaningful to them, it will be great. If you add a touch of fabric you will achieve a very nice effect according to the theme.

Visualization Lapbook

Lately it is very fashionable to positively visualize actions or situations, in order to have a positive impact on our life. A Lapbook is a great alternative to put there visualization elements, such as where you are going in a few years, your dream job, what you want to achieve emotionally or academically and of course a big list of everything you have to be grateful for. This is a very nice and interesting exercise for you, your friends or even to do with children, as it teaches them to have a positive outlook on life. You can decorate with paper coins made by you or the traditional fortune bags, lots of gold color and a language of love and projection.

How to make a lapbook step by step

The first thing to do is to choose a theme, define what you want to make the lapbook about.

Research

 Gather information on the topic you want to address. Try to narrow it down and make a list of the most relevant points that you really want or think are worth incorporating.

Organize the information

Once you have it delimited, organize the sections or subtopics and decide what elements you are going to use to make that information interactive: overlays, buttons, colors? You choose.

Structure the information

Prepare all the elements, cut the cardboard or paper, see what information you are going to put according to each element and select it.

Create interactivity

Remember that all the elements you have can provide you with interactive elements, so get to work decorating the envelopes, using cards made by you, containing photos, maps, graphics or any other element you have defined.

Decorate

 You already have your designs, so use markers, colors, pieces of paper, whatever you consider necessary to prepare your lapbook.

Let it dry

As you will have glued elements, it is best to let it dry so you don't have any last minute surprises that may end up damaging your work. It is possible that if it is fresh, the pieces you put on it may move or the marker or pencil may run off and smudge, so let some time pass before folding it and handing it in. 

Enjoy it

 Enjoy your little work of art and try some more.

Conclusion

Dare to make a lapbook! It can even be a gift for you, you can choose to make a topic that you like and want to remember or keep or a souvenir with little things made by your children. In addition, the lapbook can perfectly fulfill its educational function helping a little to optimize the study of a specific subject, so after these recommendations, take note and let's get to work!

If education is what it's all about, I recommend you continue reading about: graphomotor exercises and teach child how to read