How to Make an Accordion Book

Accordion books make for great displays! Children can fill the pages with funny cartoons, fun drawings, or even paste in photos of friends and family. Then stand them up and view all the pages at once!

What You’ll Need:

• White cardstock
• Scissors
• Glue
• 2 pieces of cardboard measuring 3 x 4.5 inches each
  (cereal boxes work great)
• Scrapbook paper, construction paper, or your own artwork

What to Do:

Step 1: Cut a piece of white cardstock in half lengthwise to make two long, skinny rectangles.

Step 2: Fold the cardstock in half widthwise.

Step 3: Fold the top flap in half again, aligning the bottom edge to the top crease.

Step 4: Flip the cardstock over and do the same to the other side. Your cardstock should resemble a W when finished.

Step 5: Make another set so you have 4 W’s total.

Step 6: Glue your W’s together to make an accordion. You may want to press the accordion under something heavy (like another book) for a few minutes.

Step 7:  Take your two pieces of 3” x 4.5” cardboard and cut out two pieces of scrapbook paper a little larger than your cardboard. Glue the cardboard into the center of the scrapbook paper.

Step 8: Cut off the corners of your scrapbook paper.

Step 9: Fold down the flaps of excess paper and glue them into place.

Step 10: If you want to add any embellishments that wrap around the cover, or that stick up from behind it, add these now. I added a ribbon and glued it into place.

Step 11: Glue your covers to each end of the paper accordion. You may need to press your book underneath another book for a few minutes.

All done! Now you have a beautiful book that you can decorate with photos, rhinestones, glitter, markers, ribbon, or anything else you can think of. Turn your cover into a silly face, a collection of leaves, or a smattering of stickers. Make it sparkly, make it colorful, or make it crazy. It’s your book, so have fun and see what you can come up with.