paper toys

play pack
Print | Make | Play
Paper Toy
Printables
by Ana Dziengel

Projects from Babble Dabble Do

www.babbledabbledo.com
 Projects
5 Paper Tops

7 Flextangles

9 Paper Helicopters
Copyright © 2015 by Ana Dziengel
All rights reserved. This pack or any
11 Op-Art Pinwheels portion thereof may not be reproduced
or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission
13 Paper Houses of the author except for the use of brief
quotations in a review.

Ana Dziengel
17 Decotropes Babble Dabble Do
12345 Ventura Blvd. STE H
Studio City, CA 91604
20 Infinity Tiles www.babbledabbledo.com
How to Use this Play Pack
CARDSTOCK: I recommend that all the projects
in this play pack be printed on 67lb cardstock.
Cardstock is sturdier than regular paper and will
create stiff and more durable paper toys. Cardstock
can be purchased at your local office supply store
but the best price can be found online. See our
materials list below for the type we love!
PRINTING: Save your cardstock for the templates
only. Set your printer as follows:
Print these pages on regular paper: video to be see the video on YouTube.
3-4,5,7,9,11,13,17,20
Print these pages on cardstock:
6,8,10,12,14-16,18-19,21-22
Templates should be printed at 100% scale.
Make sure to uncheck the ”scale to fit” option on
your printer.
TRY IT FIRST! I always recommend that adults
try a project first before bringing it to your kids or
a classroom setting. Be sure to work out the kinks
before you are standing in front of others trying to
demonstrate it!
HYPERLINKS: Many of the projects in this pack
contain hyperlinks to videos on You Tube. Be sure
to visit these links when viewing the PDF from your
computer, iPad, or smartphone. Simply click on the
REPRODUCTION: This play pack is intended for
individual use only. Teachers may reproduce
the play pack for a single classroom.
I ask individual teachers to purchase their own
pack. Thank you for supporting the time and effort
that went into creating this!

Materials List
Materials are hyperlinked to Amazon for
NOTE: All of the materials listed are readily available at your local craft,
office supply, and grocery stores. If you’d rather purchase your supplies

your convenience. online I have provided Amazon links in the supply list.

ALL PROJECTS:
• Cardstock 67lb works best
• Pens, Markers, & Colored Pencils
• Scissors
• Glue See tips page for types
SELECT PROJECTS:
• Tape
• Paper Clips
• Bamboo Skewers
• Hole Punch
• Hot Glue Gun/Glue (Adults only)
• Wood Beads
• Milkshake Straws
OPTIONAL (ADULTS ONLY):
• Xacto Knife
• Straight Edge
• Self Healing Mat

Recommended Age
The projects in this play pack are appropriate for children ages 6+. If you have younger children
you can still make use of these toys; have your child decorate the templates and an adult or older child
construct them. A few projects call for hot glue; I always recommend adults or older children handle a hot
glue gun as they need to be used with care to avoid a burn.
3
Tips Use these tips for the best results!
FOLDING:
For crisp, strong folds, run the back of your
fingernail along a fold after it’s been creased
once. Other tools you can use to create a crisp
fold are the side of a coin, a durable plastic butter
knife, or ruler edge. Paper folding tools are made
for this purpose though they are not necessary.
CUTTING:
Use the sharpest cutting tool you or your child
feels comfortable with.
Dull scissors will tear up paper and create a poor
model. My favorite cutting tool is a pair of sewing
shears OR an Xacto blade (NOTE: both of these
tools are suitable for adults/teens only).
LAMINATING:
When laminating sheets of paper together or to
cardboard, place them under a stack of heavy
books for a couple hours to dry. This will help
them dry flat.
4
GLUE: Here are the types I recommend for this
pack.
PVA Glue: You probably know it as school glue
or Elmer’s, it’s the most versatile glue around.
PVA glue is inexpensive, strong and non-toxic.
The downside is that it dries slowly and can
bubble paper if applied too heavily.
Glue Stick: A glue stick works well for projects
that need to be laminated together. It is well
suited for children and dries quickly. The
downside is that it’s not very strong.
Rubber Cement Rubber cement is strong,
durable, and can be separated if you make a
mistake.
The downside is that rubber cement is poisonous
if inhaled in large quantities. If you do choose to
use rubber cement please do so in a place with
adequate ventilation or better yet,OUTSIDE.
Hot Glue: I use hot glue to secure paper to
other materials like skewers, beads, and straws.
Typically this can be done at the end of a project
by an adult.
paper tops materials
Cardstock
Template
Markers
Bamboo Skewers
Wood Beads
Scissors
Glue
Hot Glue

share yours!
post a pic or video of

get smart
yours on Instagram!
#babbledabbledo

Tops illustrate a scientific concept called angular

momentum, a big term used to describe the
amount of rotation an object has based on its
shape, size, and speed.

Tops will spin indefinitely on a point until friction

kicks in, causing them to spin slower and slower
tip
Be sure to create
until they wobble and fall. Friction is a force that
bold, dark areas
holds back the movement of an object when it
on your top. They
rubs against something. Friction on a top is caused
stand out as the
by the materials in contact: the tip and the surface
top spins.
it’s spinning on.

more fun
Dip the bead in paint and spin your top on large sheets of
white paper.
Challenge a friend to a spinning contest. See whose top
can spin the longest.
Test different designs out on your tops. Observe the design
your eye sees while the top is spinning. Try designing a
pattern solely based on how it looks when spinning.

watch the
tops in
action on
you tube!

5
paper top template
UE
GL

GLUE

Instructions:
E U

1. Cut along bold, continuous lines. Cut

GL

through centers to black dot.

2. Fold along dashed lines.
3. Glue tabs marked GLUE to matching
faces. Let dry.
4. Pierce center of top with a bamboo
skewer.
5. Add a bead at bottom. Hot glue in
place.
6. Secure skewer to top using a dab of
hot glue.
7. Decorate as desired.
UE
GL

UE
GL

GLUE
© 2015 www.babbledabbledo.com
6
flextangles materials
Cardstock
Template
Pen
Markers
Scissors
Glue
Tape (optional)

share yours!
post a pic or video of yours on Instagram!
#flextangles

helpful hints
Be sure to crease the folds well. Drag the
back of your fingernail along the folds to
make them crisp.

If the end tab pops out, add a small piece of

tape on both sides of the joint.

Make sure the glue is dry before rotating your

Flextangle! The glued joints will be under
stress so they need to be secure.
what is it?
Flexagons are paper models that can be
watch on rotated to reveal hidden faces. They were
you tube! originally created by Princeton student

tip Arthur Stone in 1939 and became a huge

fad when writer Martin Gardner published
Prime your flexagon by them in the magazine, The Scientific
rotating it gently and American, years later. There are many
pushing out unwanted types of flexagons, though most of them
folds. Rotating it a few are flat. The model we have made here is
times will loosen it up. nicknamed a Kaleidocycle because it has a
kaleidoscope effect as it turns.
7
 flextangle template
END TAB END TAB

© 2015 www.babbledabbledo.com
GLUE
GLUE
GLUE

Pattern Guide

A A A A
B B B
C C C C
GLUE

D D D

Instructions:
1. Draw different designs in each row of
triangular sides. Refer to Pattern Guide for
row layout. Be sure to connect the designs
at the tick marks.
2. Cut along bold line.
3. Crease dashed lines face to face. Unfold.
4. Crease diagonal lines back to back.
GLUE

Unfold.
5. Gently fold paper to match dot to dot and
form a tube.
6. Add glue on tabs marked GLUE and press
GLUE

together.
7. Add glue on end tabs and tuck into open
end of tube. Press to seal. Add tape to
secure together if necessary.
D
B
A

8
paper helicopters
materials
Cardstock
Template
Paper clips
Tape
Scissors

tip
If you have a two
story space, drop
the helicopters
down and watch
them spin.

get smart
As a paper helicopter falls, air
presses on each of the blades
with an equal force but in the
opposite direction, causing the
helicopter to spin.

Try switching the direction

of the folds for blades A & B.
Make note of the direction the
helicopter spins this time.

Weight also affects how quickly

the helicopter spins, try adding
additional paper clips and watch
how the helicopter spins faster!
9
paper helicopter template
© 2015 www.babbledabbledo.com
Instructions
1. Cut out template. Cut solid lines only.
2. Fold section D and C along long
D C
dotted lines.
3. Fold Section A along dotted line
towards you.
4. Fold Section B along dotted line away
from you.
5. Fold bottom edge of section C/D
towards you.
6. Tape folded end of C/D.
7. Add a paper clip to the taped end.

To launch your helicopter D C

throw it up and away from
you, similar to flying a paper
airplane.

D C

B A B A B A

10
op art pinwheels
materials
Cardstock
Template
Markers
Scissors
Hole punch
what is op-art?
Bamboo Skewers Op art is a type of art that plays
Wood Beads tricks on the eye, similar to
Milkshake Straws optical illusions. Some op-art
Hot glue utilizes the optical phenomenon
called after-images, seeing
an image even after it’s been
tip removed. As our pinwheels
spin, the image that your eye
share yours! Use milkshake sees is much different than the
post a pic or video of
straws! They are pattern that is drawn. You can
yours on Instagram!
sturdier and more test out the visual effects of
#babbledabbledo
rigid than standard different spinning designs.
straws

more fun
Make a double headed pinwheel! Crease
the end of one straw and insert it into
watch them
the end of another straw. Hold the in action on
pinwheel in the center and run. Watch as you tube!
your double headed pinwheel spins!

11
op-art pinwheel template
B A
A

B
B A
A

© 2015 www.babbledabbledo.com
Instructions: Pattern Guide
1. Print and cut out the template. Cut along the solid lines making sure to stop Front
short of the center as shown.
A
2. Decorate the triangular areas labeled “A” as defined by dashed lines and shown
on the pattern guide A
3. Turn over and decorate the areas shown as “B on the pattern guide.
A
4. Punch a hole though the black “B” circles and one through the center of the
A
pinwheel.
5. Trim your skewer to be 2 1/2” long. Pierce the straw about 3/4” from the top,
Back
leaving about ¼” visible on the back side of the straw.
6. Place a wood bead on the skewer. B
A

7. Thread the pinwheel onto the skewer through the center hole with sides “A” B
facing up. Gently fold and thread each “B” flap through the skewer.
8. Thread a bead onto the end of the skewer and secure in place with hot glue. The B
bead should be at the end of the skewer leaving plenty of room for the pinwheel to B
rotate.
12
paper houses

materials
Cardstock
Template
Scissors
Tape and/or glue stick
Colored pencils/pens

more fun
Make a village! Cut out
strips of black paper to
make streets and green
paper to make grass. Add
some miniature cars and
trees and create your own
small world.

tip
Make a sample model
first so you can
understand what each
surface is. Use that
as a reference when
decorating your own
house.

13
paper house template
1-Story House

Instructions:
1. Print out your templates.
2. Decorate the house while the
template is uncut and flat.
3. Using scissors, cut your
template along the solid lines
4.(OPTIONAL) Adults can cut out
the solid black areas (windows)
with an Xacto knife.
5. Fold your template along the
dotted lines
6. Tape or glue the tabs to the
model. I suggest taping for a
quicker and more painless build!

14
paper house template
2-Story House

15
 paper house
template
Modern House

16
decotropes
Optical Illusion Toy
materials
Cardstock
Template
Colorful pens
Bamboo skewers
Tape
Glue
Scissors

tip
Be sure to let the
glue dry before
taking these for a
spin. If you don’t
the glue will go
flying!

what is it? watch on

A thaumatrope is a classic optical illusion toy you tube!
consisting of a card with two different pictures on
each side; when spun rapidly the pictures appear
to combine. Because we are playing with pattern
rather than a picture I gave our optical illusion toy
its own name: Decotropes. Trope is the part of
the word that means “turning around” and Deco
stands for “decorative.”

get smart
Thaumatropes are an example of what scientists
call persistence of vision. This is a phrase used
to describe how our brain combines multiple
images together when they are rapidly flashed
in front of the eyes. Movies are based on this
phenomenon. All movies are simply long strings
of still images flashed quickly in front of the eyes.
Most movies are played at 24 frames per second,
meaning there are 24 still images per second
flashing in front of you. The brain perceives
anything from upwards of 10 frames per second
share yours! as motion. This is about as fast as you can thumb
post a pic or video of yours on Instagram!
through a flip book.
#decotropes
17
decotrope Instructions:
1. Print out the template. 4. Cut out each decotrope while folded. Open.
templates 2. Decorate/color the circular areas.
3. Fold along center dotted line.
5. Tape skewer along inside at center line.
6. Glue inside faces together. Let dry.

Fold

Fold
© 2015 www.babbledabbledo.com 18
 Instructions:
1. Print out the template. 4. Cut out each decotrope while folded. Open.
2. Decorate/color the circular areas. 5. Tape skewer along inside at center line.
3. Fold along center dotted line. 6. Glue inside faces together. Let dry.

Fold

design your own! Fold

19
Infinity tiles
Math Art Game
materials
Cardstock
Template
Colorful pens
Cardboard

tip Glue Stick

Scissors
Laminating the tiles
to cardboard makes
them stiffer and
how it works
prevents the ends Infinity Tiles show how simple
from curling up. geometry can be combined to
form extremely complex, never
ending patterns. On our tiles,
the lines connect at the same
point on each tile edge, creating
a continuous design.

game ideas
MAZE: Lay the tiles out in a square and adjust
their positions until you can trace a continuous line
from one side to the other, like a maze. Challenge a
friend to find the path in your maze.
BLOCKADE: Two players. Split your tiles into
equal numbers, each player receives the same
number of tiles. Pick a starting corner point. The
watch on first player lays down a tile and the second player
you tube! tries to block them from creating a continuous path
by laying down a dead end tile on one of the two
OPEN sides. Continue until all tiles are placed. If a
continuous path can be drawn from the starting tile
to the other side of the last row of tiles, the first
player wins. If not, the second player wins.

share yours!
post a pic or video of yours
on Instagram! #infinitytiles

Blockade
20
infinity tiles template

Instructions: Pattern Guide

1. Print out the template.
2. Color template with two colors using the Pattern Guide.
3. Glue your template to a piece of cardboard. Let dry.
4. Cut out individual tiles.

© 2015 www.babbledabbledo.com
21
Infinity tiles BLANK template

Instructions:
1. Print out the template.
2. Sketch your own designs on the tiles making sure to connect the designs at the tick
marks. Each tick mark should only connect to one other tick mark! See Pattern guide
for pre-designed template to understand how designs should work.
3. Color template with two colors.
4. Glue your template to a piece of cardboard. Let dry.
5. Cut out individual tiles.

© 2015 www.babbledabbledo.com
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