Free Paper Doll Crafts

About Paper Dolls

A paper doll is a flat figure drawn on paper or sturdy cardboard that comes with clothing and accessories you can use to customize the doll’s appearance.

Paper dolls have been around for many years. In fact, the first known manufactured paper doll was the Little Fanny paper doll, produced by S&J Fuller in London, in 1810. However, historians have discovered that an ancient Japanese purification ceremony from A.D. 900 also included the use of a paper figure that vaguely resembled a child’s paper doll.

The Benefits of Playing with Paper Dolls

As a parent, there are several reasons you may want to encourage your child to play with paper dolls:

• Paper dolls are popular toys for children because they are inexpensive, yet encourage creativity and imaginative play.
• Cutting out a paper doll and coordinating accessories helps a child improve her fine motor skills.
• If you encourage your child to write down the stories she acts out with her paper dolls, the activity provides an easy way to help develop language skills.
• Playing with paper dolls that reflect children of various ethnicities provides an opportunity to discuss acceptance of other cultures.

Free Paper Doll Crafts Online

Build your doll’s wardrobe with free paper doll clothes.

Paper dolls may be an old-fashioned concept, but the Internet is full of websites offering free paper doll crafts for children. For example, LoveToKnow Crafts has a printable paper doll, printable teddy bear paper doll, and printable paper doll clothes for kids to print and color.

Here are some other paper doll links you might enjoy:

• Making Friends is a paper doll website with several colorful characters. The dolls represent a variety of cultural backgrounds and their accessories cover sports, seasonal, and spiritual themes.
• Marilee’s Paper Doll Page has a small assortment of original paper dolls, plus links to a variety of paper doll websites.
• Lucinda Durbin’s Paper Dolls have a charming vintage feel. If you played with paper dolls as a child, you’ll enjoy this site as well!
• Bob’s Stuff has basic outlines for boy and girl paper dolls, along with instructions for how to create your own doll clothing and accessories.
• Jan Brett shows kids that paper dolls don’t have to be human to be fun! Her cute hedgehog printables are guaranteed to bring a smile to your child’s face.
• Bernstein Bears paper dolls are great for young fans of this popular storybook series.

Although it’s not entirely free, Billy Bear 4 Kids has a paper doll creation software program that young crafters may enjoy. The program costs $2, but you can use it to design as many paper dolls as you want. If your child is truly interested in paper dolls, it’s a wise investment.

Paper Doll Tips and Tricks

While ordinary paper dolls are certainly fun in their own way, the following tips and tricks can help you jazz up your free paper doll crafts:

• Add sparkle and dimension to your paper dolls using glitter, buttons, ribbons, and other leftover supplies from previous craft projects.
• To make your paper dolls more durable, try laminating them with clear plastic contact paper.
• Create paper doll magnets by printing doll images on magnetic sheets purchased from your nearest office supply store.
• Challenge your child to build a dollhouse for her paper dolls using paper towel rolls, empty shoeboxes, and other miscellaneous items from around your home.
• Turn paper dolls into clever place cards for a birthday party or special dinner.
• Die a string to your paper dolls to make handmade Christmas tree ornaments or a special mobile.
• Incorporate paper dolls into scrapbook pages and handmade greeting cards.