Tutorial - Making File Folder Games

I know, for many/most of you this is old hat. So don't read this post. But for many new providers, preschool teachers or parents, making a file folder game can be a little intimidating to get started, or frustrating when trying to get it accomplished.

WHY FILE FOLDER GAMES?

• One main reason...SPACE. They fold away and tuck nicely into a file drawer, file crate, and basically anywhere else that is large enough to accommodate them. They also STACK well.

• Secondly, they are the right SIZE. Large enough for children to view and utilize manipulatives that aren't way small.

• Thirdly, SIZE. They also can be expanded with added pages that will still fold up nicely to tuck away.

• Fourth(ly?) FLEXIBILITY. They can go anywhere, easily tucked into a suitcase, spread out on an airport tray or lap tray in the car, and they can cover absolutely ANY subject matter. The layout and functionality are only limited by the creator's imagination.

SUPPLIES

• Standard file folder OR pocket folder
• Scissors
• Paper cutter
• Laminating supplies
• Spray adhesive

My Fave!

HOW TO MAKE A STANDARD FILE FOLDER GAME

A file folder game usually has

• A front label 
• Two game boards
• Manipulatives [the play pieces]

Many games use alternative manipulatives such as candy, theme erasers, plastic bugs, etc. and may not come with pieces, or you may choose to utilize something more interesting that would work.

It is time consuming to make one from scratch. However, if you are a teacher or care provider, a laminated file folder game can last pretty much your entire career if the children are taught to handle it with respect. It is a good investment.

•  Print out the file folder game. Plain paper is fine if it will be laminated [YES!!!] or cardstock if not. If you are a parent and this will be used only a few times by one child, then cardstock MAY work. Just expect that the game will quickly show wear if used by anyone under third grade.

• If there are any instructions included that you feel you'll need, such as game play rules, then those will need to be treated the same as the front label and adhered to either the front under the label or the back for reference. YES, I have come across an old file folder game and had absolutely no clue what the procedures were. And, YES, it was one I had created. [sigh]

• Cut out the manipulatives as necessary. If manipulatives are square cards or can be square cards, then your time is drastically reduced by using a paper cutter. I prefer my manipulatives to have some character to them, so to the irritation of my TPT clients I am sure, most of mine have a lot of cutting necessary. If you plan on doing a lot of file folder games, this a good task to pawn off onto parent volunteers or assistants.

• Laminate. [YES!!!] My laminated file folder games and manipulatives have lasted ten years through toddlers and preschoolers as long as they don't bend them hard. For just a few lamination projects, you can get the self-laminating sheets or use clear contact paper. Smaller manipulatives can even be sealed up in clear packing tape. If doing more though, I strongly recommend a heat laminator. Cheap laminators are available through Harbor Freight, through Amazon and Sam's Club and similar stores at relatively good prices at every price point, and through Office Supply stores at not so good prices. 

• Cut out manipulatives again as necessary from lamination material. Ensure you leave a large enough lamination border that they won't de-laminate with use. Usually that is about 1/8 inch.

• Use spray adhesive on the back of the front label and adhere the label to the front of the file folder. I lay newspapers outside and place the item(s) face down on them. A quick light coat is all that is needed. Use a different piece of newspaper for each spray, as it goes everywhere. 

• Check the fit of the pages into the file folder. Some file folders are smaller and the laminated pages may stick out of where the file cut has been made. Try to keep the glue off of this area. Overlapped post-its can be applied to the area to mask it. Position in folder, mask, and remove prior to using glue.

• Use spray adhesive on the back of the first game board and attach to the inside left of the file folder. POSTITION IT BACK FROM THE CENTER LINE JUST A TAD. If it is right up on it, there will be too much bulk and it will not want to close properly.

• CHECK THE FIT BY PLACING THE SECOND GAME BOARD INSIDE. If it is too tight, you'll need to re-position the one on the left, if possible, or adjust the one on the right accordingly when you adhere it. Use spray adhesive on the back of the second game board and attach to the inside right of the file folder. 

• Decide how you want to store your manipulatives. I store mine in a quart freezer Ziploc that I just place inside the folder for storage. You can attach a clasp envelope to the back of the folder, staple or glue a Ziploc to the folder, or edge glue a piece of cardstock to adhere to the back to act as a pouch. I have found that younger ones will rip apart anything they can't easily get the pieces into and out of, which is why I use a loose Ziploc big enough for them to get their whole hand into...or two hands if there is some contention in partner or group play.

HOW TO MAKE AN EXPANDED 
FILE FOLDER GAME

To add additional pages to a file folder game, I use clear, heavy duty packing tape. The heavier it is, the less likely you are to have it create creases when applied. Also, the less likely it is to rip with use.

Positions for a triple page - you just add the additional page with tape in the direction it runs. If the pages are in landscape, you do the first style, if in portrait, you do the second. To make 6 or 9 pages, you would add to either side.

Positions for a quadruple page -  you add the additional pages as below. If tape shows between the pages due to need for the gap to close properly, add a narrow strip of tape on top to seal. Additional pages would be added to the opposite sides of the file folder, ensuring that the pages read left to right and top to bottom as appropriate.

TO TAPE:

• Cut a strip of tape slightly longer than the page. Lay sticky side UP on a table, easier to do with heavier tape. If you want to ensure it doesn't slip around, cut it longer and tape the tape ends down to a table.

• Ensure that you know exactly which direction each page is to face and which side each piece is to be taped. If necessary, number or note on post-its and add to the back for easy reference.

• Place a page down onto the tape, face up. 

• Place the second page down, face up, leaving a slight gap. OR lay the second page on top of the first and smooth the tape over the edge onto the second page, being careful not to cause wrinkles in the tape, again, the easier the heavier the tape. Although, laminated material will easily release the tape if you need to re-position.

ADHERE AFTER TAPING, folding the side(s) in as you lay it down that are not to receive adhesive spray to keep clean.

To close the file folder game, the outlying pages are folded into the file folder.

I have dozens of these things and love them. The children love them as well. They are wonderful learning tools for independent learning and even group learning. We have a monthly Spanish game that is a fold out game board we use on the floor with all of us sitting around it. 

There are many sources for file folder games. There are books that have them, but they are fairly pricey, and are card stock, so you would still need to laminate them, and they are often relatively...lame. I sell mine on TPT which is a good source and there are some that are free on the internet if you do a search for "free file folder games."

However, you can get creative and make your own. For personal, non-commercial use, there is a ton of free clip-art and free fonts available on the net. Determine what you want to teach your child(ren), check out some examples, and I bet you can come up with some pretty great ones. Even better, take pictures of your children, pets and family wearing different colors, their body parts, holding numbers, etc. and use THEM in the games. It will be even more personal and special for your kiddos.

If anything in this post is not clear to you, please shoot me an email and let me know so I can update this post with a clarification. THANK YOU!

UPDATE: I am now using 2 pocket folders for all my file folder games. Check out the post!

Some of our file folder games in action:

Tags: file, folder, game, manipulative, tutorial, preschool, childcare, daycare, child, care, children, kid,pre-k, kindergarten, homeschool, homeschooling, math, language, counting, alphabet, colors, shapes, counting, center, centers, unit, theme
 kid's, kindergarten, theme, unit, math, center, language, literacy, writing, alphabet, numbers, colors,

Flesh Tone Play Dough Tutorial

• Non-Toxic
• Refrigerate for extended use, up to 6 months  
• Airtight container needed           

We have been having a BLAST with our Pumpkin Pie Play Dough, and have made a dozen colors with our play dough recipe, but no flesh tone ones! As we enter into the Thanksgiving and holiday season, we usually enter into additional discussions about multicultural aspects to our national and world population, and to our own multicultural histories.

Since I was experimenting, and figured most of you would want to have more than one shade, I made only quarter batches and the recipes to match. If you want a larger batch, you can double, triple or quadruple the instructions, or follow the directions for the basic play dough recipe and simply quadruple the color changes.

Our play dough recipe is based upon Koolaid to provide the scent and color, I began with that. However, the store is not currently carrying the true red cherry. I found the watermelon-cherry contained a lot of blue that made the ratio off. However, it did provide a nice pinky peach flesh tone. 

While what was suppose to be brown, equal parts yellow/red/blue came out more of a gray/blue, after I added an additional 1/2 teaspoon of yellow, we can use that for sick or elderly people and discuss why they lack color and may look blue [lack of movement/circulation/blood flow/oxygen in their systems]. I couldn't see any hope for creating brown out of the Koolaid without knowing the ratio of colors within them.

KOOLAID RECIPE-Pinky Peach Color
3/4 C Flour
1/8 C Salt
3/8 teaspoon Yellow Koolaid
1/4 teaspoon Red Koolaid
1/8 teaspoon Blue Koolaid
1/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
*MIX DRY INGREDIENTS WELL BEFORE ADDING WET!!
1/4 C Boiling water
2 t Canola/vegetable oil

Stir to combine well, when cool enough, kneed with hands to smooth and elastic consistency. 

So, I moved on to liquid food coloring. Surprisingly, this was not for sale in my grocery store. I looked because I thought I may run out, and really, I can't ever have too much miscellaneous stuff on hand. I went with the standard ratio for TAN, which came out a good flesh-toned color. I then tried BROWN and it came out very similar, only SLIGHTLY browner and darker. Then I tripled the amount of color for BROWN to see if I could get it darker. Again, I seemed to have too much blue in it, even though I knew the ratio to be correct, so added in some more yellow and red. It went from bluish to greenish, but there are a lot of olive skinned people out there, so I felt pretty happy about that one. It looks brown on its own, it just looks olive next to the other brown ones. I also added in a few drops of peppermint or almond extract to make it smell yummy.

FOOD COLORING RECIPE
3/4 C Flour
1/8 C Salt
1/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
Mix.
1/4 C Boiling water
2 teaspoons Canola/vegetable oil
Food Coloring [color combinations below]
4 drops of clear extract: peppermint, almond, lemon, strawberry, etc.

Stir to combine well, when cool enough, kneed with hands to smooth and elastic consistency. 

*ADD FOOD COLORING TO WATER AND MIX WELL BEFORE ADDING TO OTHER INGREDIENTS!

TAN: 3 drops yellow, 2 drops red, 1 drop blue
BROWN [darker tan]: 3 drops EACH yellow, red, blue
OLIVE/BROWN: 10 drops yellow, 8 drops red, 6 drops blue

So then I moved on to the spices. I have made a cinnamon salt dough every Christmas to make ornaments for gifts, smells DIVINE on the tree, but never play dough. While in the spice cabinet, I decided we needed some red-tinged Native Americans and maybe some copper skinned Hispanics. The spices seemed to absorb the water more, so I had to up that amount for these.

SPICE PLAY DOUGH
5/8 C Flour
1/8 C Spice
1/8 C Salt
1/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
*MIX DRY INGREDIENTS WELL BEFORE ADDING WET!!
1/4 C + 2 teaspoons Boiling Water
2 teaspoons Canola/vegetable oil

Stir to combine well, when cool enough, kneed with hands to smooth and elastic consistency. 

*Some children may have skin sensitivity to some spices, 

including chili pepper and cinnamon. 

Watch out for that!

The cocoa came out a rich dark brown, the cinnamon a slightly lighter brown, the chili powder ended up more for freckly sunburned red-heads rather than Native Americans, which works, and the taco seasoning came out pretty good for those with a more red/orange cast to their complexion. 

My mind continued to race, and I contemplated food!! 

One time use only! 

Whirling up some animal crackers in my Magic Bullet and using them for a tan, or graham crackers. 1/8 C Applesauce for some of the liquid, 1/8 C peanut butter for some of the dry and reduce the liquid by a teaspoon, ketchup/mustard & blue food coloring in the TAN ratio above, dark balsamic vinegar or salad dressing in place of the liquid, brown sugar in the spice recipe, molasses in place of some liquid and reduce the dry some, pumpkin puree, BBQ sauce, terriyaki sauce...

But I'm out of time. Japanese festival to get to with the family. Those will have to wait for another day...

NOTES: 

• It is SUPER IMPORTANT to mix wet and dry colorants with their counterparts before adding to the other. It's not that they won't be incorporated and color, but it will take a TON of kneeding on your part to get the color consistent throughout. 
• The result should have the consistency of...PLAY DOH! Seriously, if you make this a few times you'll just begin to KNOW when it is perfect. The recipe is pretty fool proof if followed exactly, but once you start messing around with it, then some tweeking may be needed. It should be soft, squishy, not sticky, not crumbly. It should easily roll into a smooth ball, and when that ball is flattened, the edges should stay smooth and not crumble or separate. If too sticky, add a little more flour and if too dry, add a little more water, and kneed it in WELL before adding any more. 
• If you want to tweek the color of a finished batch using Koolaid, mix together the ratio of colors you want, add just enough water to liquify and kneed into play dough a little at a time until satisfied. If necessary, add additional flour as needed.
• If you want to tweek the color of a finished batch using liquid colors, mix the colors together first and kneed into the playdough, add additional flour as needed.
• I just use the 1/4 C measuring cup rather than my liquid measuring cup for the water. The recipe comes out fine and it's just easier for me.
• For a blush color, stick a toothpick into red food coloring and swirl into the water to just tinge it to your desired tone, or use just an 1/8 teaspoon of red Koolaid.

For Tags: play, dough, play doh, flesh, tone, tones, koolaid, spice, home made, home, made, no cook, sensory, mat, multicultural, skin, brown, tan, peach, play dough, flesh tone play dough, flesh tone play doh, playdoh, making, craft, art, tutorial, daycare, care, child, preschool, kindergarten, lesson, smell, scent, color, coloring, theme, unit

Making Pom Poms

I made these Autumn/Fall poms specifically to act as apple trees in the sensory bin. They are four inches across, i.e. tied at 2 inches, and not excessively full so that the green, yellow and red "apples" could easily be snuggled within them. The pom poms stick very well to the yarn and hold on with no problem. They also sit on the toilet paper tubes easily.

This bin is usually used by 3-4 children at a time, so I made 4. I wrap around the back of one of my bar stools. It's 16 inches across, which will give me (4) 4 inch poms. The yarn slips easily off these chair backs for tying and cutting. After cutting, I just give them a little hair cut to even everything up. I save the bits of yarn for another sensory bin filler.

They turned out really cute and the children really liked playing with them.

Tags: pom pom, pom, autumn, fall, big, large, yarn, sensory, childcare, child, care, kid, daycare, preschool