04 Nov A Practical Guide to Your First Year of Paper Sloyd

Many people find the idea of paper sloyd crafting in their homeschool intimidating. Even as a “crafty” person, I initially found paper sloyd to be too complicated and overwhelming to navigate. Once I did some research, however, I was eventually able to wrap my brain around it all, and realized that it doesn’t have to be complicated. With a few simple supplies and some straightforward instructions, I am going to give you a practical guide to your first year of paper sloyd. It will show you how to easily incorporate paper sloyd into your homeschool curriculum.

My children and I have come up with a very simple system to save the homeschool mom plenty of time, while we do the teaching for you. You don’t have to be crafty, you don’t have to make the paper sloyd models – just leave it to us and we’ll guide your children through each project. It’s what we love to do!

What is Paper Sloyd?

Paper sloyd is a method of paper folding that originated in Sweden. It focuses on the use of simple geometric shapes to create a variety of useful and beautiful objects. People use paper sloyd to make common items such as envelopes, boxes, and books. The beauty of paper sloyd is that it can be adapted to any age group and skill level. Younger children can learn basic skills and folds while older children and adults can create more intricate designs. And because the supplies are so basic, it’s a very inexpensive way to craft!

Why Should You Do Paper Sloyd in Your Homeschool?

A major reason for my delay in getting started with paper sloyd in our homeschool was that I didn’t understand it’s purpose. On the surface, it simply appeared to be paper crafting or origami. That would be fine for a day or two, but my children weren’t going to stay engaged with paper folding for months. It turns out, paper sloyd is not so much about the craft, as it is about the skills that you develop while making the end product. To learn about the specific skills that sloyd can develop, be sure to read my previous post, What is Sloyd? And Why is it a Valuable Tool in Home Education?

The Happy Handicrafts Video Series

Our family loves crafting, so when we started with paper sloyd in our homeschool, it became an obsession! As we heard of other homeschool families’ difficulties with handicrafts, we decided that we’d like to help. So we began to video our paper sloyd projects. By the end of our first term, we had a nice collection of videos, each designed to help homeschool families with their paper sloyd projects. We share these with you in our Happy Handicraft series. I have linked the individual models below. We encourage you to start at the beginning and work through, as there is a progression of skills.

If you are a homeschool mom, these are especially for you! We made the videos with you in mind. If you’ve ever missed a handicraft lesson because you were too busy, too tired, or just couldn’t – this is for you. If you can grab the materials needed and set your child up with the video, we’ll take care of the rest. Each model is done by my own children, with careful instruction. They are not rushed or edited, so your child can work alongside us, and achieve their own success.

1. Envelope

2: Wall Pocket

3: Picture Frame

4: Pinwheel

5: Scissors Case

6: Tray

7: Bookmark

8: Basket with Handle

9: Pencil Box

10: Fan

11: Bonbon Box

12: Book Cover

13: Book Sheets

14: Spool Basket

You can divide these projects up however you like throughout your year, or term. Each model should be done several times. You will find each child and each age will take a different amount of time in achieving their success. Give them the time that they need, but don’t allow them to get bored with it. Since my children are pre-teens, I found one week was sufficient for each model.

I hope this practical guide to your first year of paper sloyd is useful to you. This first year of paper sloyd has brought us more enjoyment than I had imagined, as well as some great new skills that will serve us for a lifetime!