Make a Flower Pop-up Card for Mom

What You Need:

• Two pieces of cardstock paper, 8 ½” x 11”, one pastel and one white
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Colored markers
• Glue stick

What You Do:

1. Start by folding each piece of cardstock paper in half to make two cards, 5½” x 8 ½”. Put the pastel piece aside—you’ll use it later for your front cover.
2. Take the white piece and hold it down with the fold on the left. Use the pencil to trace the shape of half a flower in a pot. (Downloadable Template) Now have your child start at the top of the flower and cut only to the base, leaving the “pot” attached at the bottom, as shown below. (Note: parents, it’s always tempting to do the cutting yourself, but do resist the temptation! Scissor skills strengthen little hands and build crucial eye-hand coordination. Let your kid explore them as much as possible.) Here's how it looks:
3. When you open the card, pull the flower gently toward you, and make sure the center fold flexes. Close the card and open again—you’ve made a “pop-up” flower!
4. Invite your child to use bright markers to color the flower and its pot.  Underneath, make sure she practices those early writing skills with her best kid handwriting and the most detailed message she can muster.
5. To complete the card, pull out the first, pastel piece. Glue the edges of the white paper inside the folded pastel card, so that the pastel makes a sort of “jacket” for the pop-up insert. Do make sure, however, that you don’t glue down the flower itself—this should still pop right out!
6. On the front of the pastel paper, have your child write “Happy Mother’s Day,” along with a picture of Mom. You can expect bright smiles from this card, both from your proud artist, and from Mom herself.