Create Your Own Matchbox Books

I saw these Matchbox Books in the Nurture Store and it inspired me to create one of these with my kids. While we’re not so crafty, I had my kids decide how they wanted to decorate their boxes, and they decided to use my new stash of washi tape.

If you need more activities for your kids for spring, you must see this list of fun Felt Craft Projects.

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Matchbox Book Supplies

Matchboxes
Paper
Decorative tape
Construction or decorative paper
Glue
Optional: Beads, buttons

Party Favors Plus 50 Plain White Cover Wooden Matches Box Matches Crayola Construction Paper 9 Aleene’s Clear Gel Tacky Glue 4oz WAPETASHI Cute Washi Tape Set – 24 Rolls Kawaii Animals Gold Foil Decorative Masking Tape for Journaling, Scrapbooking, Kids DIY Crafts, Gift Wrapping, Aesthetic Supplies, Planners, Bullet Journal 60 Rolls Glitter Washi Tape Set, Washi Masking Decorative Tapes for Christmas DIY Decor Planners Scrapbooking Adhesive School/Party Supplies 10 Rolls Waterproof Plastic Tape Cute 15mm Wide Self-Adhesive Tape Butterfly and Fruits Pattern Masking Clear Printed Sticker Lovely Gift for Scrapbook, Bullet Journal, Planner, Arts & Crafts-65.6 Ft

Integrate literacy with art and have your child create their own matchbox books. I know any child can write their own stories but the added fun of creating a mini book and then decorating the box is even more special. When my kids created their own books, they had to plan what would go onto each page to ensure that it was filled out and that it made sense to the reader.

For our matchbox book, my son drew one of his favorite animals in the center of the open page. The book then folds up, and he wrote 3 clues for the reader to see if they can guess what animal was inside.

Recommended Arts and Crafts Kits for Kids

Arts and Crafts Set

Your kids will definitely squeal with excitement once you bring in this big briefcase of crafts set to them. Not only could they use this to decorate their matchbox books, but they could also use this for their future arts and crafts.

Animal Stickers Set

Kids can also stick these cute animal stickers on their craft to personalize it. They can also use these stickers to stick their other artworks on their own walls, as long as they have your permission!

Make it a game

We talked about how the clues should give a good hint but not be too obvious either. That they would have to use all of the clues to guess which animal it was.

My 4 year old daughter did not want to follow our format but instead decided to draw on each of the pages her own story. It included a dinosaur being ridden around by her and her brother. She filled each space of her book with a drawing since she saw her brother working so hard on it.

We folded our paper using a French fold (see the video here). As the page is open, I had my son draw his animal inside, he did this in secret and wouldn’t let me see. Then we folded it up so it was in a booklet and then there were 3 pages in the book so he had to come up with 3 clues.

He wrote that his animal had a long neck, lived in the sea and was not small. It was a plesiosaur. I guessed it right away only because he asked me if the animal had to be living so I know my dinosaur lover was going to choose a prehistoric animal.

You can change this up and have them guess a plant or favorite toy, food, place, book or movie character. There are so many ways you can add this activity to your home.