Activity Introduction

Act as both architect, builder and interior designer of your dream home, for a fraction of the cost of a real house! Fold paper into a 3D object and decorate with your own custom-designed furniture.

Safety advice: Keep safe with scissors. Ask for help if you need it and never run with scissors in your hand.

This activity is a great one to do together as a family.

Younger children will need support to complete this activity.

Ideal for: Lower & Middle Primary Ages 5 – 9

Themes:

  • be creative (art and craft)

Time required: 30 minutes

Curriculum connections: Mathematics, Visual Arts, Critical and Creative Thinking

Tips for Parents and Carers

This is a fun activity to do as a family. Most kids will work positively with one another to create the house together.

Younger kids’ fine motor skills will be challenged with precision folding and cutting. It’s best to demonstrate on your own version and allow your child to try to fold their own.

Kids in years 3 and 4 can use this activity to begin to form an understanding of how 3D shapes are formed from flat nets of 2D shapes. Ask questions such as: 

  • If I wanted a roof and two more walls, how many squares would I need? 
  • Can you make a net that can be folded up into a cube without cutting and gluing it anywhere?
  • What if I wanted to make an Egyptian pyramid house? What shapes would I need to use? How many?

Lesson & Curriculum Details

Curriculum codes:

Resources Required

  • Art supplies: markers, coloured pencils, paint
  • Glue stick
  • Scissors
  • A4 paper

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[email protected] resources are designed for parents and teachers to use with children in the home environment. They can be used as stand-alone activities or built into existing curriculum-aligned learning programs. Our [email protected] series includes two types of resources. The first are fun and challenging real-world activities for all ages, the second are self-directed lessons for upper primary and secondary students. These lessons support independent learning in remote or school settings.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Student Worksheet

Simple Paper Model House - Activity Instructions

Act as both architect, builder and interior designer of your dream home, for a fraction of the cost of a real house! Fold paper into a 3D object and decorate with your own custom-designed furniture.

Step 1. Start by making your rectangle of paper (A4) a square by folding so one corner touches the opposite edge. Then cut off the remaining rectangle.

Step 2. Divide your square of paper into four smaller squares by folding it in half twice.

Step 3. There are three sections to each room in the house, two walls and the floor (see picture). Don’t put the glue on the remaining section yet, but you can cut up the dotted line (between the glue section and the floor section) to the centre. 

Step 4. Decorate your room while it’s still flat. We’ve decided to draw a kitchen, with a dining table, sink, microwave and lino floor.

Make sure you coordinate with your friends/family so that you don’t make a house with four of the same rooms

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