When lapbooks first hit the press (so to speak) they were very simple and easy to make. And although they are still fairly easy to make they have come a long way from being simple. There have (since the first lapbook) been some extremely creative and fun lapbook ideas that have come out since the first (not to discredit those genuine first lapbooks). With so many different themes and topics to choose from you can virtually create any kind of lapbook you choose or can think of. Here are some fun lapbook ideas and themes to use when making some of your own lapbooks.
1. ABC Theme- This idea works especially good with young children that are between preschool and first grade. Learning the ABCs is crucial for children as it sparks an interest in reading and writing and teachers love it when kids enter kindergarten knowing their letters and sounds. You can use one lapbook for all of the letters of the alphabet, or you can use one book for each letter focusing on different objects and other things that begin with a particular letter you are working on. Think of how much fun this could be for a young learner as they learn their ABCs and have fun cutting, pasting and become a young scientist.
2. Ancient Civilizations- This obviously would be for older children as young learners have not quite grasped the concept of the entire world let alone their own city or state. Using a lapbook to experience learning about Ancient Civilizations is a great way to make the learning fun and a lot more enjoyable. You can really be creative with foods they used to eat, what they lived in and wore, and what kinds of entertainment they got into. The possibilities are endless.
3. Insects and Bugs- You can’t go wrong with science when it comes to learning more about insects and bugs. Even the girls will get into these creepy crawlies and there are so many things you can do with your own lapbook. Each page in your lapbook can show what you have learned about a different insect or you can have several different lapbooks for different insects or bugs you have talked about. They can place photos, actual bugs, information, and games to go along with their theme. Along with insects and bugs you could study all sorts of different animals from farm animals, animals that live in the zoo, and even explore sea animals.
4. The Four Seasons- This is something that every child needs to learn so why not make it a little more interesting by using lapbooks to help them remember the important parts about each season. For example, a fun idea to represent the season is using an apple tree. An apple tree looks different during each season of the year and could be used as part of their lapbook as a picture, or cutting out and pasting what a tree looks like in each of the four seasons. You could also have children cut out articles of clothing to represent each season. There are thousands of ideas out there for this fun theme.
5. Biblical Stories- If you want your children to learn and remember the stories from the bible using a lapbook is the perfect way to do it. You could have a biblical character for each page in your lapbook with different objects and things that represent them and what the story was. With just a quick look at the picture from their lapbook they would probably be able to re-tell you the story easily.
This small list of themes and fun lapbook ideas is just the tip of the iceberg. There are thousands of ideas out there that have already been done and thousands more waiting to be done. So get in touch with your creative side and ask your kids what they’re interested in. Then go and learn.