Paper boats are fun, look great at parties, and can even be used for good old-fashioned boat races… but how do you make them? If you’re currently wondering how to make them yourself, then you’re in the right place!
Paper boats are a craft that has been around for centuries. They are usually made from paper or cardboard and decorated with colorful ribbons. The idea behind paper boats is to float them down a river or stream for a fun race that can be enjoyed by adults and children, alike.
You can make a paper boat out of almost anything. For example, you can cut out a circle shape using a cookie cutter and then fold it over. Then, you can decorate it with stickers or paint.
To make sure that you’re able to make your own paper boats like a pro, we’re going to be talking you through a simple method below. Let’s jump right in!
How To Make A Paper Boat
First things first: what size should your paper boat be? This will depend on where you want to use it. If you want to put it into the water, then you’ll need something larger than if you just want to play around with it on land.
If you want to make a small paper boat, then you’ll probably want to go with something between 5-10 inches across. Anything bigger than this will be too big to fit in most rivers and streams.
Now that you know what size you want your paper boat to be, let’s get started making one. Check out the following steps to make your very own paper boat:
Step 1 – Cut Out A Circle Shape
To start off, you’ll need to find a piece of card stock or construction paper that is about 10″ in diameter. You can either buy this pre-cut or you can cut it out yourself. Either way works fine.
Once you’ve found your perfect piece of paper, take a pair of scissors and carefully cut out a circle shape from it. Once you have done so, you’ll notice that there is an inner circle and an outer circle. It might help to think of these as two halves of a circle.
Once you have cut out your circles, you’ll need to decide which half you want to use. You’ll want to keep the inside part of the circle (the inner circle) because this will be the bottom of your boat. So, flip your paper over and remove the other half.
Step 2 – Fold Over
Fold the paper in half along its longest side. Now, fold the paper back up again. This time, fold it in half diagonally.
Fold the paper in half once more. This time, fold the paper in half vertically.
Folding the paper in half twice gives you four layers of paper.
Step 3 – Decorate Your Paper Boat
Decorating your paper boat is really up to you. You can choose any design you’d like. To give you some inspiration on how to decorate your paper boat, here are a few suggestions that are simply sure to make your paper boat stand out from the crowd.
- Stickers: Decorate your paper boat with stickers. Sticker designs include animals, shapes, colors, patterns, etc.
- Paint: Decorate your paper boat with paints. Paint designs include letters, numbers, pictures, etc.
- Glue: Glue designs onto your paper boat. Glues used for this purpose include glue sticks, double sided tape, and even hot glue guns.
- Ribbon: Ribbons come in many different types. Some ribbons are flat while others are rolled up. There are also ribbon strips that are folded in half. Ribbon can be used to decorate your paper boat.
- Letters: Decorate your paper boats with words. Letters can be written directly onto your paper boat or they can be glued onto a piece of paper and then attached to your paper boat.
- Paper Flowers: You can also create flowers by cutting pieces of paper into petals. These can then be glued onto your paper boat.
Step 4 – Add Details
After you have finished decorating your paper boat, you can then go ahead and add a few finishing touches if you’d like Add details to your paper boat such as buttons, eyes, or anything else you’d like. The sky’s the limit!
Step 5 – Make Sure Everything Is Dry
Before you add any finishing touches, make sure everything is completely dry. Otherwise, you could end up with water damage.
Step 6 – Attach Your Paper Boat To A Stick
Attach your paper boat to a stick using duct tape. Duct tape is strong enough to hold the weight of your paper boat.
If you’re planning on putting your paper boat on display, you may want to attach it to something sturdy. For example, if you plan on displaying your paper boat at school, you might want to attach it to a wall. If you plan on displaying your boat at home, you might want to hang it from a tree branch.
Step 7 – Enjoy!
Now that you have completed making your own paper boat, you should be ready to enjoy it. Of course, you don’t have to just sit around and watch your paper boat float away. You can do lots of fun things with it.
Wrapping Up
Making your own paper boat is easy, and now you know how to do it yourself! It’s a great way to practice folding skills and an even more fun way to spend a few hours getting creative – no matter whether you’re with a group of friends or making one by yourself.
Plus, you get to customize your boat however you’d like – you can even try out some of the ideas we have shared with you above. Have fun creating your own paper boat today! Thanks for reading.
