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How to make paper weaving placemats

January 29, 2014 by Kate 33 Comments

How to Weave Paper Placemats

I have such great memories of weaving paper placemats when I was young at school. Making them again for this blog post reminded me how fabulous they are as an indoor activity and how few materials it requires. It is also great for developing fine motor skills and creativity.

Age – 3+
(This activity is open to varying degrees of difficulty)

How to make paper weaving placemats

You will need

  • 2 x A3 or A4 paper in different colours
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Laminator and sheets (optional)

Step 1.How to Weave Paper Placemats

Begin by evenly folding one piece of paper in half.

Step 2.
How to make Paper Placemats

This is a great opportunity for your child to develop some measuring skills and learning the importance of accuracy. Instruct older children making these paper placemats to measure and mark lines that will create 2 cm strips. This is a great way to have them learn a formal approach to measuring.

All that too challenging for your little one? 
If you have a child not ready for this stage then feel free to either take over this step or have them conduct the cutting in a less structured and more free hand way, as I found being performed here.

Step 3.
How to make paper placemats craft for kids

Begin cutting along the lines but importantly from the folded edge (see above).

Once you have done this, open it up. It will look like a piece of paper with a frame and sliced lines through it.

Step 4.

How to make paper placemats

Next, using the other coloured piece of paper, simply cut lots of 2 cm paper strips.
Again, your child may wish to simply attempt to make similar sized strips of paper, without measuring.

Step 5. 

Australia Day how to make a paper placemat craft for kids

And now the weaving process begins. Those individual strips of paper can then be woven through the first paper we started with and before you know it you have some amazing paper placemats, which you can laminate for longevity.
_______________________________

This type of craft activity is fabulous for developing fine motor skills in children. It can also provide opportunities for children to use authentic tools for measuring.  Learning aside, these paper placemats would jazz up any special birthday party or celebration. The paper placemat you see above we used for Australia Day.

How to make paper placemats

Of course this type of activity can be made more challenging by cutting zigzags into the first piece of paper and again cutting simple strips in the other paper for weaving (see photo).

How to weave paper craft

Weaving through the zigzags increases its difficulty and puts those fine motor skills to the test.

How to make paper placemats
Want another idea? How about cutting the first piece of paper into waves?

How to make paper placemats

However your child goes about making these paper placemats, once they are complete they will certainly be a talking point at the table. Here is another example. Personally, I found these paper placemats were just as much fun as I had remembered. Of course you may decide to laminate each piece to ensure they survive any spills and spots created over dinner.

Did you ever make paper placemats as a child? 

More ideas that will interest you

  • Tugging Box
  • Colour Matching
  • Paper Lanterns

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Filed Under: 3 - 5 years, 5 - 10 years, Art & Craft, Fine Motor, Making, Party, Uncategorized Tagged With: activity, children, craft, fine motor, kids, paper, party, placemats, threading, weaving

Comments

  1. Kelly says

    January 30, 2014 at 9:58 pm

    Wow, I’ve never seen these before, they look really great! And fun 🙂

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 30, 2014 at 11:27 pm

      Oh I’m so pleased I could introduce you to these Kelly. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Bek {Just For Daisy} says

    January 30, 2014 at 10:01 pm

    These are fabulous Kate!! I LOVE the zig zag and wavy lines!!! We’re going to have to try this!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 30, 2014 at 11:26 pm

      Thanks Bekka! They turned out really well. Hubby said he was looking forward to the blog post so he could make some himself! LOL

      Reply
  3. JDaniel4's Mom says

    January 30, 2014 at 11:30 pm

    I love all the different mat weaving patterns! What cool mats!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 31, 2014 at 11:49 pm

      It was so fun JDaniel4’s Mom. Thank you so kindly for your comment. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Karyn says

    January 31, 2014 at 8:25 am

    Love the wavy & zig-zag ones! Also… your site looks wonderful!!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 31, 2014 at 11:45 pm

      Thank you so kindly lovely Karyn. I hope all is going well with you and your new little one.

      Reply
  5. Jo (down to eath mother) says

    January 31, 2014 at 10:37 am

    I never did this as a kid! It looks like great fun, although Mr4 will want to cut out the strips, so I can’t guarantee mine will look as good as your do! Thanks for the fun activity 🙂

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 31, 2014 at 11:45 pm

      Thanks for your comment lovely Jo. If you felt comfortable with Mr4 using starter plastic scissors and cutting strips then it will still work out. The strips don’t have to have exact measurements. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Marie says

    January 31, 2014 at 11:35 am

    Love the zig-zag and the waves. So cute!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 31, 2014 at 11:42 pm

      Thanks Marie. They turned out really well. 🙂

      Reply
  7. Jode says

    January 31, 2014 at 9:05 pm

    I used to love making these and making everyone use them too hehe! The curvy lines are such a fantastic idea and I think my girls would really love to give these a try. Am so in love with that gorgeous pic of Daddy and daughter…too sweet!!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      January 31, 2014 at 11:41 pm

      Thank you Jodie. I adore that picture too. LOL

      Reply
  8. Kylie @ Octavia and Vicky says

    February 1, 2014 at 12:19 pm

    I remember making these as a child, but ours were never wavy. Cool! Pinned it 🙂

    Reply
  9. Dalia says

    August 19, 2014 at 7:42 pm

    I love making placemats because of all the possiblities!! And the way you explained it makes sooo much simpler..thank you!

    Reply
    • Kate says

      August 19, 2014 at 10:39 pm

      Thank you so kindly Dalia! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Norah says

    August 1, 2019 at 3:03 am

    This really helps .I have done it before but not as cool as the wavy ones so as the zigzag.love your picture.thanks slot

    Reply
  11. Norah says

    August 1, 2019 at 3:07 am

    This really helps .I have done it before but not as cool as the wavy ones so as the zigzag.love your picture.thanks alot

    Reply
    • Kate says

      August 13, 2019 at 11:26 am

      You’re so welcome Norah.

      Reply
  12. Alex K Bischof says

    October 9, 2019 at 8:31 pm

    Cute! Will have to make some placemats for my 2 year old granddaughter!

    Reply

Trackbacks

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    January 22, 2015 at 10:06 am

    […] Paper Weaving Placemats (Laughing Kids Learn) […]

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    June 6, 2015 at 11:16 am

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  3. How To Make Placemats For Kids | To Make says:
    July 17, 2016 at 1:24 am

    […] How to make paper weaving placemats … – Instructions to learn how to make paper weaving placemats, which is a fun craft for children to do as a simple indoor and mess free activity kids will love. […]

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  4. 12 Holiday Crafts for Kids - Baby Gizmo Company says:
    December 5, 2016 at 4:06 pm

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  5. Australia Unit Study Ideas says:
    April 24, 2017 at 11:37 pm

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  6. 10 Unique Weaving Activities for Kids | There's Just One Mommy says:
    April 3, 2018 at 5:49 am

    […] Paper Weaving Placemats — This classic activity is a fun way for your child to help make the table special for the holidays (or any day really).  You can even jazz them up a bit by making zig-zag cuts. […]

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  7. Family God Time: JESUS WELCOMES CHILDREN: Mark 9:33-37 | Family God Time says:
    September 21, 2018 at 4:30 am

    […] placemats that we include on the table when we have visitors.  I found the instructions here:  https://laughingkidslearn.com/how-to-make-paper-weaving-placemats/ (I used leftover colored cardstock from other projects.  We did not glue them together.  We did […]

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  10. 45 Paper Arts And Crafts Projects And Ideas That’ll Keep You Busy For Hours – Beeblebuy says:
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  12. Construction Paper Crafts for Kids to Make - How Wee Learn says:
    July 26, 2020 at 2:42 am

    […] Paper Weave Place Mats by Laughing Kids Learn.  These paper weave place mats are simple enough for a three year old to make. Kids can also change the way the weave looks by cutting wavy lines, zigzags or lines are varying thickness into the construction paper. […]

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Hello and welcome!
My name is Kate and I am a mum to two little girls, Possum and Boo. We have lots of fun together learning with play at home and are pleased to share some of what we do with you.
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