Fold a small Christmas picture that stands on the table
One folded rectangle can hold a Christmas drawing upright. Test the blank shape first, mark the bottom of each face and add pictures that will stand the right way up.
Choose a place before choosing a size
A small folded picture can stand on the Christmas table without a frame. Let your child choose a tree, parcel or another Christmas detail for the two outside faces. The first step is finding a clear place where the finished picture will fit.
Look at the table before adding food and drinks. Choose a dry spot that leaves room for plates and hands. Make the paper decoration smaller than that space. It should not need to balance on a plate or lean against a glass.
Test the blank paper tent
Cut a wide rectangle from firm, foldable paper. Bring its two long edges together and crease the middle, then open the fold slightly. Set it down with the crease at the top and both long free edges resting on the table. From the side, it looks like an upside-down V.
Spread the feet a little until the blank tent stands. If it collapses, try firmer paper or make the rectangle shorter in height while keeping a broad base. Test again before drawing. Both free edges should rest evenly, without a heavy decoration added to hold them down.
Mark which edges belong at the bottom
While the tent is standing, put a tiny pencil mark near the bottom of each outside face. Open the paper flat again and find those marks. They show where the bottom of each drawing needs to be.
Turn the paper so the bottom mark for the face you are drawing is nearest you. Add one simple Christmas picture above it. Rotate the sheet before drawing the other face, bringing that face's bottom mark nearest you too. This prevents one picture ending up upside down.
Your child can choose a tree on one face and a parcel on the other, or invite someone to draw the second picture. Keep the design within the paper edges. Colouring directly on the paper keeps the tent light.
Stand it up and check both views
Fold along the same crease and place the tent in the dry spot you chose. Look from each side of the table: are both pictures upright and visible? If one is upside down, open the paper and change that drawing before adding anything else.
Move the tent if it gets in the way when you arrange the table. It can stand on a side shelf instead. After the celebration, flatten it along the existing fold for storage. One stable picture tent is enough; your child does not need to decorate every place.
OUR STANDING PICTURE Dry clear place: ______ Blank tent stands: yes / adjust paper Bottom marked on both outside faces: ______ Picture one: ______ Picture two: ______ Both pictures upright after folding: yes / adjust
