11 min read
Age: Suitable for ages 6+
11 min read
Age: Suitable for ages 6+
Ready to try a paper boat craft? If you love a nautical look and want to make your own birthday invitations, boats are the perfect motif! With paper or card, a little imagination and our step-by-step guide, you’ll create brilliant invitation cards for young sailors.
Coloured paper
Card in various colours
Cord
Circle template – alternatively, a small glass or the cap of your Pritt Glue Stick
Hole punch pliers or a hole punch
Pencil
Scissors
Wooden stick (20 cm long) – alternatively, a bamboo skewer
Ruler
- Coloured paper
- Card in various colours
- Cord
- Wooden stick (20 cm long) – alternatively, a bamboo skewer
- Pritt Glue Stick
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Circle template – alternatively, a small glass or the cap of your Pritt Glue Stick
- Pencil
- Hole punch pliers or a hole punch
Always supervise children when using sharp tools.
approx. 30 minutes (per invitation)
First up is the boat’s hull. Draw two identical trapezoids on card. Measurements: 12.5 cm (top), 8.5 cm (bottom), 5.5 cm for each side. Use a ruler for accuracy. Or use our handy template (you’ll find it at the end of the guide) and make sturdy cardboard templates for your boat – great for repeating this boat craft activity quickly.
For the sail, draw an isosceles triangle on a different coloured piece of card. Each equal side is 15.5 cm long, the base is 16 cm. You can use our template for this too. The sail will be the writing area of your invitation — perfect for a paper boat craft.
Carefully cut out both trapezoids and the sail. Clean edges make gluing easier later.
Using the circle template, draw circles with a diameter of 2.2 cm on red paper. These will be the portholes for your handmade boat. Instead of a template, you can also use a small glass or the cap of your Pritt Glue Stick (it’s exactly the right size). Cut out the circles carefully.
Using the circle template, draw two circles of different sizes inside each other on white photo cardboard. This will be the lifebuoy for your paper boat. Alternatively, you can also design an anchor as decoration. Cut everything out carefully.
Sketch a wave shape on blue or turquoise paper – either freehand or using our template. Cut out the wave and glue it to your handmade ship.
Tip:
The narrow side of the trapezoid faces down; that’s where you glue the wave. Use your Pritt Glue Stick for a clean, ripple-free finish. This boat craft easy tip is great for kids and beginners.
Glue the red circles on as portholes on one of the boat parts. Use your Pritt Glue Stick here as well.
Fold the cut triangle for the sail in half so the two equal sides meet neatly.
Open the sail triangle again and punch two holes next to the fold: one near the top point, another just above the base. Instead of hole punch pliers, you can use a hole punch.
Punch a hole in the upper left corner of one boat piece. This is where the cord for the bunting will be threaded later.
Cut a piece of cord about 40 cm long. Thread it through the hole and tie it at the back of the boat piece. Leave about 10 cm of cord at the short end — this is where you’ll attach the lifebuoy or anchor to your handmade paper boat. This step is ideal for a supervised boat craft for preschool or kindergarten.
Glue the wooden stick onto one boat piece with your Pritt Glue Stick — this will be the mast. Whether you place it centrally or slightly offset is up to you. Glue the second boat piece on top so both trapezoids align. The mast is now firmly fixed inside the hull.
Write your invitation text on the inside of the paper triangle. Now slide the triangle onto the mast by threading the wooden stick through the two punched holes. Fold the triangle back together — your ship now has its sail!
Tie the free end of the cord to the top of the mast. You can trim any excess.
Tip:
Let the cord hang loosely or pull it a little tighter, depending on how you want your bunting to sit. This simple tweak adds charm to your boat craft idea.
For a decorative finish, cut out a small paper pennant and glue it over the knot at the top of the mast.
Cut small diamonds from coloured paper, fold them in half and glue them along the cord as bunting.
Decorate the lifebuoy with red stripes and tie it — or a small paper anchor — to the loose end of the cord. Your handmade boat-look invitation is finished!