Paper Bag Houses- A Paper Bag Craft to Inspire Play

February 17, 2019 | By [email protected] | Tags: marker, paper bag, three dimensional

A few folds of a paper bag and you get these pop up, three dimensional houses. Making is just the beginning of the fun with this paper bag craft. Now play!

I love art that doesn’t hang on walls. My favorite kind of making is creating beautiful things that get used. This paper bag craft results in adorable paper bag houses that are perfect for playing! Creating your village is just the beginning of the fun!

Making a house from a paper bag…

Okay, are you ready for this supply list? Paper bags and some kind of marking utensil- that’s all you need for this paper bag craft! We used a combination of regular sized lunch bags like these and smaller ones like these. These bags are available in all sizes and colors. They’re inexpensive and easy to find. USe what you have, mix it up, and you won’t be disappointed in the results!

Any medium your kids enjoy will work to add detail and color. Sharpies, washable markers, crayons– use whatever you’ve got handy!

A few simple folds…

All it takes area few simple folds of a flat paper bag to create and awesome, pop-up, paper house. Gently fold the top of the paper bag in half and make a mini crease. This is just to show where the exact middle of the bag is. The fold the corners in to meet that middle fold, creating a triangular top as seen above.

If you want a shorter, squatter house, or just to add some variety, now is the time. Before doing the folds described above you can use scissors to trim a few inches off the top of your bag to make a shorter building, then follow the same folding steps.

Add color to your paper bag craft…

We worked on white paper bags so the color really “pops” but plain brown paper bags are totally acceptable as well. Use any medium your child likes to add color. Encourage your kids to color these while they’re flat. It’s much easier!

Make an entire village of paper bag houses…

The play that is inspired by this finished project may be my favorite part of this paper bag craft, These paper bag houses aren’t art that sits on a shelf but art that gets used. Grab the bucket of Legos or LIttle People or plastic dinosaurs and set your kids free.

There’s no need to be careful as these paper bag houses aren’t made from precious expensive supplies. They’re paper bags! Yay for inexpensive art supplies that aren’t too precious to be fully used and enjoyed!