Father's Day Keepsake Craft: Pop-Up Card

Let Dad know he's fin-tastic by creating this sweet keepsake pop-up craft for him. 

Little ones will work on scissor skills, hand-strengthening, fine-motor skills, pre-writing skills, painting, hand-eye coordination, collaboration, focus and concentration while creating a beautiful, colorful card that Dad will love! 

What you'll need:

  • 2 pieces of card-stock paper
  • scissors
  • glue
  • 2 colors of paint (blue and a favorite color)
  • 1 paintbrush
  • 1 cup/bowl of water
  • 1 clean-up rag/paper towel
  • 1 sponge, piece of bubble wrap or paper towel (optional for adding texture)
  • 2 markers or crayons

Instructions:

1. Fold card-stock paper in half.

Fold paper in half

2. Cut 6 slits along folded side of paper. Each pair of slits should line up to form a rectangular pop-up. The pairs of slits can be cut at different lengths to add interest. Fold/crease these slits inward, in your card, to form 3 pop-ups.

Cut 6 slits into folded edge of paper
Crease/fold rectangular slats inward

3. Use a paintbrush to paint a blue ocean background inside your folded card-stock. 

Paint ocean background inside folded card
Use blue paint to paint ocean bakground

4. Use a paper towel, sponge or piece of bubble wrap to blotch over the painted water and create texture.

Use paper towel, bubble wrap or sponge to add texture

5. While your painted ocean background dries, use your favorite paint color and clean paintbrush to paint the inside of 1 hand.

Paint the inside of your hand
Cover your hand with paint

6. Stamp your handprint on a second piece of card-stock paper. While your handprint dries, use a couple of markers or crayons to draw coral and seaweed. 

Stamp your handprint on a 2nd piece of cardstock

7. To add visual interest, draw these with varying heights and widths, and or use complementary colors, such as red and green, blue and orange, and purple and yellow.

Use marker or crayon to draw a coral and seaweed
Add visual interest by drawing coral and seaweed with varying heights & in colors that pop

8. Use scissors to cut coral, seaweed and your dry handprint out.

Cut drawn shapes and handprint out
Use scissors to cut shapes out

9. Add peel and stick googly eyes to the palm side of your handprint to turn it into a fish print.

Attach googly eye to handprint
Attach googly eye to handprint fish

10. Use a marker to add scales, a smile and other details to your fish.

Use a marker to draw scales, a smile and other details on your fish print

11. Add glue to each of the pop-up slats of your card.  Hold your card in open position and glue your coral and seaweed to the outer slats, and your fish to the middle slat.

Use glue to attach your coral, seaweed and fish to the card slats

12. Write a sweet message like "Happy Father's Day!" or "You're a fin-tastic dad!" 

Write on your card
Your Father's Day Keepsake is complete!
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