This stylish paper handbag is a great Mother’s Day craft for kids to make. It doubles as both a card and a gift, containing surprise coupons for Mum to exchange whenever she wants! It doesn’t require many materials, and is guaranteed to make for some very happy mothers!
This craft is ideal for 5 – 7 year olds as it gives them the chance to do some writing, although you could leave out the coupons or print some for younger children who can’t yet write. We do also have some other Mother’s Day crafts that are perfectly suited for 3 – 4 year olds – see the end of the post for more!
- 2 A4 or letter size sheets of cardstock in contrasting colours
- Ribbon
- Small index cards
- Envelope
- Velcro dots, or adhesive Velcro tape
- Hole punch (a single hole punch is the best)
- Compass or a plate
- Glue & scissors
- Stapler or sticky tape
How to make the Handbag Card with Coupons - Mother’s Day Craft:
1. Take the sheet of cardstock that will be the main body of the bag and use a compass or a plate to draw a curved line at the top, as shown in the photo. Cut along the line.
2. Fold the curved top down, then fold the bottom up as shown in the photo.
3. Take the other sheet of cardstock and cut it into quarters. Take two of the quarters and fold them in half together. Draw a curved line along the open end and cut. Very young children may find it too difficult to cut both pieces together, in which case fold each quarter separately for them to cut. These are the side pieces of the handbag.
4. Punch holes around the edges of each side piece and along the flap of the handbag.
5. Put glue on one half ONLY of each side piece and stick to the back of the handbag as shown.
6. Cut a length of ribbon about 50 cm long and staple or tape it to the back of the bag.
7. Cut a shorter length of ribbon (about 35 cm long) and thread the ends through the two of the holes in the centre of the flap. Make a bow.
8. Stick a Velcro dot or a small piece of Velcro tape under the flap to make a fastener for the bag.
9. Write a message inside the handbag.
10. Now it’s time to make the coupons using some index cards or rectangles of card. Have the children think of what they would like to offer their Mum for Mother’s Day and write a selection on the board for them to copy. They can decorate their coupons to make them extra special!
11. Place the coupons inside the bag, fold up and fasten it, then tuck it into an envelope ready for Mum to open!
You will need about 45 minutes to complete this craft with a small group.
Some tips:
- It will help if you have more than one hole punch if you’re doing this in a group. If you only have one, you may need to punch the holes in the card yourself to make things quicker. Children can start making the coupons while you are doing this.
- Make sure kids put glue on one half of the side pieces ONLY, otherwise they won’t be able to open up the bag!
- Depending on the age of your kids, they may or may not be able to tie a bow. Even if they can’t, have them thread the ribbon through the holes – it’s all good fine motor skills practice!
