Build a paper Christmas village that folds flat
Three folded cards can become a little street. Draw the buildings on the fronts, stand them up together and flatten them when you are finished.
A miniature village does not have to begin with a complicated template. Fold three pieces of paper into standing cards and draw a building on the front of each. The houses are drawings on folded paper, rather than fully enclosed models. That makes the scene easy to change and simple to put away.
Make one standing card first
Use a piece of ordinary paper or card you already have. Fold it in half, bring the opposite edges together and press the fold. Open it slightly and place it on the table with the fold at the top, like a small tent. Adjust the angle until it stands. If thin paper keeps slipping, try a smaller piece or firmer card.
Lay it flat again and identify the panel that will face the street. Draw a large door, two windows and a roof outline on that panel. The roof can stay inside the rectangle; there is no need to cut a pointed top or open real windows. Stand the card again to check the drawing is the right way up.
Add only two more buildings
Choose a different purpose for each: perhaps a house, a place to meet and somewhere to collect an imaginary parcel. A child can invent names without needing to spell them. The buildings may be quite different sizes, provided each card stands on its own.
On a larger sheet, draw one road with room for the three cards beside it. Try their positions before adding gardens or paths. Leave the buildings loose so you can move them. Glue is not required to complete this version.
Give the street one small story
Here is a proposed fictional scene: an invitation travels from the house at one end of the street to the meeting place at the other. Move a large paper invitation along the drawn road, stopping at each building. Ask its maker what happens there. The street supplies the setting; it does not need a long performance or a script.
If a building falls over during play, reset its fold or lay it down temporarily and continue the story. Do not add more structures just to fill the entire sheet. Three buildings already give you places to leave, visit and return to.
Check the flat-pack ending
Lift the cards from the street and close each fold. Put them inside the road sheet, folded once around them, or store everything in a folder. Before adding permanent decorations, check they will still fit. Next time, stand the same cards on a newly drawn road and decide whether the village has changed.
Building 1: Building 2: Building 3: Where our road begins: One thing that happens on the street: Where the folded cards will live:
