The Accordion Card Project

An accordion (or concertina) card is a simple art project that you and your child can do together. It can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be, and your child can do more, or less, depending on her age and skill level. For example, my daughter is only five years old, so I do all the cutting, using an X-Acto knife. And since her drawings tend to be basic shapes and figures, the pop-outs are easy to cut and there are few folds. But as she gets older and her manual skills improve, I can see this card project becoming increasingly intricate.


Materials you’ll need:

• Four sheets of 8 1/2" x 11" construction paper, of any color
• Crayons or markers (or whatever your child prefers to drawn with)
• Craft glue stick
• Metal ruler
• Pencil
• Scissors or X-Acto knife

The paper will be used in landscape format (turned sideways).


Directions:

1) Ask your child to draw a picture on one sheet of paper. Once she is finished with her picture, flip it so that the drawn side faces down. Apply a layer of glue to the back.

2) Take two more sheets of paper and place them side-by-side (in landscape mode), edges touching so that the entire width of the two papers measures 22". This will form the backing of the card.

3) Then take the drawing, flip it over, and place it, centered, on top of the two sheets, glue side down. (Applying the glue can be another step your child can do.) There should be 5 1/2" of exposed backing on either side of the drawing.

4) Take the last sheet of paper and cut it in half lengthwise. Glue each half to the exposed backing, on the left and right sides of the drawing. 

5) On the blank panel to the right of the drawing, ask your child to write a special message or greeting.

6) On the blank panel to the left of the drawing, ask your child to draw a secondary picture.

7) Plan where you will be making the folds and cuts, which will be on the vertical side. Lightly draw a dotted or dashed line through elements of the drawing that you would like to pop out. 

8) Pick out the specific spots on either side of the line that will be cut out. Using your scissors or X-Acto knife, make the cuts. Using your metal ruler, fold the paper along the line, alternating the folds like an accordion, and being careful not to fold the spots that you cut.