How to Make a Paper Loom

As part of our home school adventure I taught the children to make these fun paper looms so that the kids could experiment with colors and designs. It was also an opportunity for them to practice eye-hand coordination.

A paper loom is a demonstration of how fibers (like clothing) are constructed. By making one out of paper you won't need any heavy equipment or unusual tools. You can make your paper loom completely out of construction paper or whatever other sort of paper you have on hand. Scraps of leftover wallpaper, wrapping paper, and even colorful strips of leftover newspaper can be used for this project.

To begin your loom you will need one complete sheet of paper. We used standard construction paper, which is about nine inches by twelve inches. Start by folding that piece of paper in half so that the short edges touch each other.

Using scissors, cut a row of slits beginning at the folded edge of your rectangle. Your slits should begin at the folded edge and extend to about 1 inch short of the opposite edge. Be sure not to cut all the way through to the opposite edge. When you are finished, you should have a series of cuts, each around half and inch apart.

You can vary that amount making them larger or smaller depending on the skill level of you child. Younger children may find it more difficult to make those cuts very close together. In any event make sure the last piece of paper on each edge is at least half an inch wide. Making it any more narrow than that will make it too easy for your paper loom to tear.

Once you have all your slits cut, unfold your piece of paper. You should have a series of slits running from on inch short of each edge, all the way across the paper, like the rungs of a ladder. Turn your paper so that those cut lines are running up and down instead of from side to side. It will be easier to work with in that position.

Next you will cut a series of strips of paper to weave onto you paper loom. Your strips of paper will need to be the same length as whatever the shorter dimension of your rectangle was. Since we were using construction paper that was nine by twelve inches our strips of paper were all nine inches long.

We started out with those nine-inch strips being half an inch wide. Later we altered the width, making some thicker and some thinner to change the design. You can make all of your strips the same color or you can choose a variety of colors. What colors you choose will effect what your final design looks like.

Start by weaving your first strip so that it goes below one of the strips showing between your cuts and above the one next to it. Continue that process all the way across your paper. Above, below, above below, etc until you reach the other side.

Pull your strip even with both sides so that it lays flush with the edges and push it towards the top of the loom so that there is no space where there isn't any color. You'll need to snug up each strip as you weave it in. It's easier to weave them in down low where you have more space and then skooch them up, than to try to put them up near the top to begin with.

Continue adding strips of color until you reach the bottom of your slits. With older children you may also like to use other materials, for instance yarn instead of strips of paper. They are smaller, so older children will be more able to use yarn than younger children might, but they are also very narrow, meaning you can make more complex designs.

This project is a great opportunity to work with manual dexterity skills, as well as explore color relationships and how different sizes of paper tend to change the overall design. It is a fun project that you can do over and over because the strips aren't solidly in place, you can always slide them out and choose another design anytime you like.

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