How Lapbooks

Help Your Child Learn

Lapbooks are file folders that hold a summary of what your child has learned about subject. The folders make a good hands-on learning tool. It also makes a great way to review what has been learned.

When I first saw a lapbook I thought they looked like a presentation board only smaller. The file folder ends are folded to the center so they look like a shutter. To add more room sometimes place a half of a folder to the top or bottom with tape. Or you can glue two folders together.

Lap-books have booklets or graphic organizers arranged in unique ways. The folders can contain vocabulary words, maps, stories, timelines, or anything that pertains to the topic learned.

Folder games are a type of lap books. It usually has two items that go together such as a monkey and a banana. If you are making a math game write the equations on the monkeys. Glue the monkey to the folder. On the banana write the answers to the bananas. Your child would match the correct banana to with the monkey.

You can make folder games for math, language arts, and geography.

Benefits

Lapbooks are good for visual learners. They are colorful and use shapes that can help children learn. Pictures are usually used to decorate the mini books.

The folders are good for children who like hands-on learning. After finding out information the child makes a mini book to place on the file folder. Have your child add his own drawings. Let him organize the folder.

The folders are good for any age group. Young children can dictate the information while you write on the booklets. They can then glue the booklets on the folder and add their own artwork.

The colors and pictures help children who struggle with learning remember what they studied.

Use the folders for review. You can leave the file folder out. Your child can then explain the information to friends and family that come to visit.

The file folders are easy to store. When your child knows the information you can file it away in a file box.

What Do You Need?

Even if you buy a lap book you will need some supplies. Each child will need file folders. You can use the plain ones or use the colored folders for more color.

You will need hot glue to attach your file folders together. If you are using extensions you will need strong tape.

You will need a printer so that you can print the templates.

Most people use colored printer paper or cardstock to print the templates on.

You will need scissors to cut out your templates.
You will need glue or double backed tape to attach mini books to the folder.

Your child will need crayons, colored pencils or other art supplies for art work that they add.

Where to Find

There are several places on the internet where you can download templates for lapbooks. Most are inexpensive $5.00 or less. Some are even free.

Knowledge Box Central has lap books for $5:00. Here is a short list of what you can find;

• State History Curriculum
  
• Middle Ages and other historical topics
  
• U. S. Government
  
• Biblical Character
  
• Nouns
  
• Math Facts
  

The company also sells copy books and journals for Apologia Science.

Hands of a Child also sell lap books. They have curriculum for;

• Bible
  
• Language arts
  
• History
  
• Science
  
• Geography
  
• Math
  

How to Make Your Own

First decide on a topic that you want to study. Then go to the library or internet to get information. Then decide how to make your lapbook.

After you have collected some information you will need to think about how to organize it. Do you want to use mini books, pockets, or another type of graphic organizer in your folder?

You will also need to decide the size of the folder. Do you want a single, double, or one with an extension? Can't fit all of your booklets on the file folder? Just add another extension.

Decide what colors you want for the folder and the graphic organizers.

Go on the internet to find some pictures about your topic. Add the pictures to the mini books.

The Ultimate Lap book Handbook by Tammy Duby, Cyndy Regeling shows you how to make different types of booklets. There are 50 projects that you can do with your children.

How Lapbooks Help Your Child Learn

By using color, pictures, and shapes your child can better remember what he has learned.

Information is organized in small separate chunks. Your child does not have to go back to the book to find information that you have forgotten.

Your child can be creative. He is interacting with the information not just reading about facts in a book.

The folders are also fun to show to grandma. Each time your child shows the folder to someone he is reinforcing what he has learned about the topic.

Lapbooks are a fun way for children to learn and review what they have learned in school.

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