DIY Book Making Kit Idea

Last night Nora says to me, "Mom, I have so many ideas but I don't know how to make a book." This simple statement made me leap for joy because sitting right now in my closet is a book making kit that I'm giving her for Christmas. I can't wait to give it to her and see all the ways she uses it to create. I remember how much interest Henry had in making books around this age and how helpful having all those supplies in one place would have been for him.

If you have a child that is right on the cusp of moving to writing/creating more purposefully with paper and pen, this might be the perfect way to introduce it. 

The kit itself is really pretty simple! I used this simple stacking organizer to collect the materials. A more open divided tray could also work, but I didn't want Gus (and soon Teddy) to be able to easily open or dump the work. Plus with the top, Nora will be able to carry around.


I included some supplies to make and decorate books in the divided. These included:

• Colorful metal brads - These can be used to bind multiple pages together into a book on their own
• Reinforcement Labels - these are those little stickers that protect hole punch holes in paper. These are super cute and look like little donuts. These can be used to decorate or protect books made with a paper punch
• Scrap Ribbons - I found a pack of scrap ribbon (similar to this) at my local craft store. I included a bunch of options for her to use to either thread or tie a book together. 
• Fabric Cord - I also found this at my local craft store (similar to this) and included it to sew books together. 
• Loose leaf rings - I got a small pack at Target because I liked that it came in different sizes and a reasonable amount (this pack was my second choice because I know she would like the colors). These just provide another way to bind books.
• Washi Tape - I included a few of these rolls too for Nora to decorate her books, they could also be used to bind