What is a Lapbook?
Lapbooks provide a way for your child to record details about what he has learned about a particular topic. What makes lapbooking fun is that the information is recorded in little booklets that your child cuts out and folds. Some booklets require a staple or two or even a brad, but they are all simple booklets that children and adults can do. The booklets are glued inside of file folders that have been refolded to look like shutters. When the lapbook is finished, your child will have a 3-D presentation of all of his work. Your child will enjoy looking at something he has created and will want to show Dad, grandparents, and even friends. As he tells about his lapbook, he is going back through the information he put into it. What a great way to review and your child doesn't even know it!
The usual way of schooling is for the child to read a selection or pages from a book and then answer questions on a worksheet. According to Stephen Camarata Ph.D, in Psychology Today answering worksheets has become a discouraging trend in education. He goes on to say that most worksheets are boring, repetitive, and include a rather shallow level of information, and in fact are a very poor method of instruction.
Lapbooks engage all of a child's senses.
- Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners- lapbooking provides movement.
- Auditory Learners- absorb information as they talk about what they're doing.
- Visual Learners- benefit from the opportunity to see what they and everyone else is creating.
Using tools such as markers, scissors, and glue in lapbooking projects also builds the fine motor skills that children will need to use for functional activities throughout their lives.
- We provide all the mini-booklet templates, reading material, and clear instructions.
- You will need file folders to do lapbooks. We give you instructions on how to fold them. You can use your own folders or purchase them already folded from us.
- We give you the material to read to your child. We call them Study Guides. No need to find reading material yourself! We do have a few lapbooks that have no study guide, however we do note that in the description.
- As your child works through the lapbook, he/she will draw or write what is learned inside the mini-booklets.
- Those mini-booklets are then glued into the file folders.
- When complete, your child will have something to show Dad, grandparents, and friends. Lapbooks look nice in a portfolio to show to the state if your state requires such.
- Every time your child shows and explains the contents in his lapbook, he/she will be continuing to learn the information within it and not even realize it!
- Lapbooks are motivating for the reluctant learner. Beats boring worksheets hands down.
What Sets Our Lapbooks Apart
Once booklet is complete and glued into folder, go to the next page to find another Food Chain study guide and booklet.
What do You Need for Your Lapbook
We give you everything you need. You supply the folders, scissors, glue or double sided tape, brads, stapler, and optional decorating goodies like stickers, markers, colored pencils, and crayons. Our lapbooks can be printed on white or colored paper. Because our graphics are colored, they stand out better on white. Use any weight paper you have on hand.
Types of Lapbooks We Offer
We have colorful, easy to follow, stand-alone lapbooks for all subjects- Bible, History, Geography, Social Studies, Science, Early Learning, Math, Literature, Spanish, Music, and more!
We also have lapbooks for some of the most popular homeschooling curriculum that everyone is using- Classical Conversations, Jeannie Fulbright/Apologia, TruthQuest History, Dr. Jay Wile science, New Leaf Press/Ken Ham, A History of Us, Maestro Classics, Prairie Primer and more.
"How do I Make a Lapbook" Video