Christmas pop-up card
Two snips in the fold of a card, and when you open it a tree or present pops up in 3D: magical for seasonal greetings.
Age : age 6+, or younger with a grown-up's help
Materials
- Two A4 sheets of thick paper in different colours : One for the inside, one for the cover.
- Scissors, ruler, pencil
- Glue stick
- Green and coloured paper : For the tree or presents.
- Markers, stickers, glitter
Steps
The mechanism
- Fold the inside sheet in half.
- On the fold, draw two parallel 3 cm lines, 3 cm apart.
- Cut along both lines, through both layers.
- Fold the cut tab forwards, crease it, then fold it back.
- Half-open the card and push the tab inwards: it forms a little step.
The decoration
- Cut a tree (or a present) from coloured paper.
- Glue it to the front of the step, making sure it doesn't stick out when the card is closed.
- Decorate the tree and write your message inside.
- Glue the inside card into the folded cover sheet, with no glue on the step.
Three steps of different sizes side by side: three trees, or a pile of presents.
If it goes wrong
- Tree sticks out when closed : Trim it so it stays inside the closed card.
- Step won't pop out : Push the tab inwards again and crease.
- Card won't close : Only glue the edges of the inside card.
Safety
- The cuts in the fold are easy for a grown-up; guide younger children.