How to Create Your Own Flap Books

Hello, friends! Today, I decided to share with you something that I am doing with my girlies to create opportunities of review as well as to give creative ways to learn new material. To do this, all you need is a box of plain manilla file folders! Let me show you an example:

This past week, my girls were learning about five categories of animals (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates.) So I decided to have them create an interactive chart of each group, their characteristics, and examples. Since there were five groups, I simply opened the file folder and cut the top cover into five equal sections. (Be sure to stop cutting at the fold!) That was all of the preparation required for us to get started.

Next, I handed each girl a folder. Now there are many ways you can do your titles (print them on your computer or buy cute packs) but I really wanted my girls to practice the spelling of each category. To do this, I handed them a pack of markers and gave them liberty to decorate their labels as they wanted they just had to ensure that each word was spelled correctly.

Lastly, the girls opened each flap to write the characteristics of each category and draw an example of an animal in that category. Here are a few examples of what my girls came up with: (I love the lizard and frog!)

A couple of notes

• It is easiest to lift one flap at a time to write in the information so you can ensure all of the information stays in its section.
• You might want to use crayons or test your markers before finishing the project.  Sharpies and some markers will bleed through the cover making it impossible to write on the back of the flap. Next time, I will have them use different markers so they can draw their example on the back of the flap to save space.

The best part of foldables is the fact that you can make these for any subject and any topic! If you have something that you want your child to remember, create a foldable that they can use to study to prepare for an exam or review.

So what do you do with the foldables when they are completed? We will be filing each foldable in our Knowledge Bank, a file box that will show what we have learned throughout the year. As they are manila folders, I use the little tab at the top to label the foldable. I can then file these by subject in our Knowledge Bank. They will have times throughout the semester to review what is on our Knowledge Bank and then take a review quiz on the information that is filed there. This will ensure that they are retaining the knowledge rather than learning it for a test before forgetting it.

So, next time you have some information that you want your kiddos to remember, grab a box of manila folders! Who knew that such a phenomenal tool was sitting in your supply closet? :) Have a fantastic weekend everyone!