Creative Play Ideas - Paper Kingdom

Updated: Jul 31

Another one for my collection of inclusive Creative Play Ideas. These activities have been tried and tested by my 2 Autistic, sensory sensitive/seeking, learning disabled children as well as neurotypicals.

Today we're building a paper kingdom!

This activity is suitable for a cognition level of about age 5 for solo play and perhaps 3 if an adult is present throughout.

There are scissors in use here and a risk of the odd paper cut - so go slowly and be safe.

Approximate preparation time: less than 10 minutes

Senses stimulated: SIGHT, SOUND & TOUCH

It's actually really simple to create a kingdom/town/village using just paper and some masking tape. It's exceptionally low-mess so perfect for the sensory-sensitive ones as well as parents who want to play without an epic clean-up at the end!

What you need:

Rolls of paper - you can use wrapping paper, flip board pad sheets, brown packing paper, unwanted wallpaper etc... Obviously larger rolls will create larger structures, but creating a mini village is really adorable if your hands are able to do a bit of fiddly work!
Scissors
Paper or masking tape (you can use sellotape but paper tape is so much easier to tear and use and you only need low-tack tape for this. Much kinder to the environment too.)
(Optional) fine liner or felt tip pens
(Optional) little toy figures for some interactive play in the buildings

How to play:

Gather sheets of paper and roughly roll into tubes.
Find the innermost corner and gently pull it up (giving the tube a bit of a shake down helps!)
Use a little roll of tape (to create double-sided tape!) to secure the tower in the position you want it.
If you want you can cut tall towers into shorter ones.
If you create a cone shaped tower you can slice the base to create flaps that can be taped to the table/display board.

Create crenellations by slicing two slits downwards from the top of a tube then tearing off the section between. Leave a gap and repeat.
You can add roofs too. First, create a square.
You can make one from a rectangle by folding one corner to its opposite to make a triangle then cutting off the rectangular strip along the side.

Turn the square into a circle by folding it over into a triangle then keep folding it onto itself - like you would for a snowflake - then cut the jagged top in a slight curve.
Open up to reveal a circle with folds.
Use those folds to create a wide cone shape and tape into place.
Choose a tower to balance each cone onto.

Use the folds in the circle to shape it into a wide cone then choose towers to adorn with roofs. You can just balance on top or secure with tape if you prefer.
Finally it's time to add features and colours (if you like!) Use a felt tip or fine liner pen rather than ballpoints or pencils as these are more likely to bend the buildings as you press down; you need markers you can press gently with to preserve the shapes you just built.
Try adding windows, bricks, maybe some climbing plants or mosses etc...
You can also draw then cut out little doors or even a big drawbridge!

Have fun exploring different kinds of paper; ready-coloured or you could prepare some painted paper a previous day and use them for this activity when they're dry!
Little character toys like Lego figures or Playmobile can be great to make the paper kingdom imaginative and interactive.
When the buildings have been played with enough they can simply be recycled. Waste-free play time!
ENJOY!