Three Ways to Bind a Handmade Book

Use one of these three techniques for bookbinding to make children’s and teens’ multi-page texts easier to keep, share, and display.

How to Use This Printout

More Ideas to Try

 

How to Use This Printout

When children and teens create their own texts, their hard work and ingenuity are reinforced if they are able to turn their texts into books, making them look more artistic and professional. After children or teens have created an original multi-page text, they can choose one of these three techniques to bind it.

• For young children who will need supervision and some assistance, you may choose to start them off with Yarn/Ribbon Binding or Tape Binding, as these are simpler than the Hand Sewn Binding, which requires the use of a needle.
• To complete Technique #1 (Hand Sewn Binding), you will need the following materials: a ruler, pencil, sturdy needle, thin string or thread, and a piece of thick cork like that from a bottle.
• To complete Technique #2 (Yarn/Ribbon Binding), you will need a ruler, pencil, a small hole-puncher (a regular sized hole-puncher will work if you don’t have a small one or if children want to use thick yarn or ribbon), and the child’s desired color and texture of yarn, ribbon, or both.
• To complete Technique #3 (Tape Binding), you will need a ruler, tape (duct, electrical, or cloth tape at least one inch wide), and scissors.

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More Ideas to Try

• Use the Book Cover Creator to make a cover before binding the book. Encourage children and teens to illustrate the front cover and write a “blurb” for the back cover, giving a synopsis of what readers will find inside.
• Find new materials to use on your book. For example, instead of thread or yarn, you might try wire, jute, or pipe cleaners. Consider using found materials to decorate the outside of the book such as postcards, stamps, photos, magazines, or movie tickets.

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