Action photo bookmarks for Mother’s Day

Need a last minute idea to make with your child (or children) for Mother’s Day? A one of a kind gift? I saw this idea in a copy of FamilyFun magazine – and thought this would make a great Mother’s Day gift for Mom’s, Grandma’s, Aunt’s … and anyone who loves to read! This does require some adult effort and supervision, but there are some additional ways to involve the child in the process of making these so they can add their personal touch!

First, take a photo of your child (or children in your class) in a pose that looks like they are climbing or dangling from a rope – get the whole body shot. Allow the children to get really creative, and is a good pretend play activity. “What would it look like if you were climbing a mountain?” “How would it look if you were flying a kite?” “What would it look like if you were hanging from a rope?”.

Next, have the photos printed (I printed the ones here in a 5×7 size). The bigger size makes it easier to silhouette cut around the image, and makes for a good sized bookmark.

Now, cut away the background from the photo by just cutting out the child. If you have older children, they can do this themselves (this would be too difficult for preschoolers). Glue cutout onto cardstock (for durability) – and then cut around that as well.

You can then have the child personalize the back of the bookmark by writing their name, drawing a picture or design on the cardstock.

Next, laminate the cutout using a laminator, laminating sheets or clear contact paper. Cut around the laminated image one last time and then use a hole punch to cut out a hole where the child’s hands are.

Make tassels out of yarn (see link for instructions) – you can have young children help you by cutting pieces of yarn. They can also personalize this by stringing some beads onto the yarn before tying these to the end of the bookmark where the hole is. These are so cute and fun! I did find that my daughter now wants one of herself for her own use … so I guess this would make a good gift for a child as well!