Lapbook Template
Make the minibooks for a lapbook with your own titles and labels already printed on them. Choose from 6 minibooks: a layer book, a flap book, an accordion, a pocket with word cards, a turning wheel and a tab book. Type a title and the labels for each flap, layer, panel, card, section or tab, and every piece prints with solid cut lines, dashed valley folds, dash-dot mountain folds and grey glue areas. Choose small, medium or large and US Letter or A4, then add the file folder layout page: it draws a letter-size file folder opened flat in a shutter fold, with each folded minibook placed on the left flap, the inside or the right flap, and says if something does not fit. Everything is checked before you download it: folds meet the edges, flaps and tabs do not overlap and cards fit their pocket. Download a PDF, 300 DPI PNG or SVG. Nothing is uploaded.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Print at 100% (Actual size). Solid lines are cuts, dashed blue lines valley folds (fold toward you), dash-dot red lines mountain folds (fold away from you). Grey areas take glue.
Lapbook
Minibooks
Runs in your browser with our own code and drawings: nothing is uploaded and nothing is saved. Every minibook is checked before you download it: folds meet the edges, flaps and tabs do not overlap, and cards fit their pocket. The designs are our own drawings: you may use them and anything you make with them, including things you sell, with no credit needed.
How to make a lapbook
- Type your lapbook title and choose US Letter or A4 and a minibook size.
- Tick the minibooks you want and type a title and labels for each, separated by commas.
- Keep the file folder layout page ticked to see where each minibook goes.
- Download the PDF and print at 100% (Actual size), on coloured paper or card if you like.
- Cut on the solid lines, fold on the dashed and dash-dot lines, and glue each minibook into a shutter-folded file folder as the plan shows.
What you can use it for
- A unit study or book report for homeschool
- A science topic such as the water cycle or the parts of a plant
- A history timeline in an accordion book
- Vocabulary words in a pocket with cards
- A review folder before a test
- An interactive notebook page for a classroom
Minibooks and their folded sizes
| Minibook | Folded size: small / medium / large |
|---|---|
| Layer book | 72 × 62 mm / 90 × 78 mm / 113 × 98 mm |
| Flap book | 80 × 32 mm / 100 × 40 mm / 125 × 50 mm |
| Accordion book | 32 × 45 mm / 40 × 56 mm / 50 × 70 mm |
| Pocket with cards | 64 × 55 mm / 80 × 69 mm / 100 × 86 mm |
| Wheel | 72 × 72 mm / 90 × 90 mm / 113 × 113 mm |
| Tab book | 66 × 72 mm / 82 × 90 mm / 103 × 113 mm |
Sizes are the folded footprint, the space each minibook takes in the folder. Layer, accordion and tab books grow with the number of labels; these sizes are for 4 layers, 5 accordion panels and 3 tabs.
Pieces and labels
| Minibook | Pieces to cut (medium) | Labels |
|---|---|---|
| Layer book | 5 | 2 to 5 + title |
| Flap book | 1 | 2 to 6 |
| Accordion book | 2 | 2 to 7 + title |
| Pocket with cards | 4 | 2 to 5 |
| Wheel | 2 | 4 to 8 |
| Tab book | 4 | 2 to 5 + title |
An accordion longer than the paper continues on a second strip that starts with a glue tab; glue the tab under the last panel of the first strip.
Pages for all six minibooks
| Paper | Small | Medium | Large |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Letter | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| A4 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
Pieces are packed onto as few pages as they fit, each with a small caption saying which minibook it belongs to. The file folder layout adds one page.
File folder layout
| Measure | Letter-size file folder |
|---|---|
| Folder width | 298 mm (11.75 in) |
| Front flap height (from the fold) | 219 mm (8⅝ in) |
| Opened flat | 438 × 298 mm |
| Each side flap in a shutter fold | 110 mm wide |
| Middle panel | 219 mm wide |
Sizes from the US National Archives specification for letter-size file folders. Folders differ a little by maker, so measure yours and type its size if the plan looks tight.
Fold and cut key
| Line | What to do |
|---|---|
| Solid black | Cut |
| Dashed blue | Valley fold: fold toward you |
| Dash-dot red | Mountain fold: fold away from you |
| Grey area | Put glue here |
| Small cross | Staple here (tab book) |
| Small circle | Push a paper fastener through here (wheel) |
Lapbook ideas
| Topic | Minibooks that suit it |
|---|---|
| Water cycle | Layer book for the four stages, wheel to turn through them |
| Parts of a plant | Flap book with roots, stem, leaves and flower |
| A period of history | Accordion timeline, pocket of key people |
| A novel or book report | Tab book for characters, setting, problem and solution |
| Spelling or vocabulary | Pocket with word cards |
| Seasons or months | Wheel with a window |
More printables for lessons
Fold a one-sheet booklet with the Zine Template, add a puzzle from the Word Search Maker, print writing pages with Lined Paper or make a pocket from the Envelope Template.
More free tools
Planning a hands-on lesson?
Printable templates for classrooms and homeschool that run privately in your browser, with no sign-up and no watermark.
Frequently asked questions
What is a lapbook?
A lapbook is a file folder filled with small folded books, flaps and pockets about one topic. Children write and draw inside each minibook, so the folder becomes a hands-on summary of what they learned that opens on their lap.
How do I make a lapbook?
Open a file folder flat and fold both sides in to the centre crease, so it closes like shutters. Print the minibooks, cut and fold them, write inside them, and glue them in where the file folder layout page shows. Add a title to the front.
What minibooks can I print?
A layer book (strips folded and nested so each shows a tab), a flap book (flaps to lift), an accordion (panels that fold back and forth), a pocket with word cards, a wheel with a window that turns to each section, and a tab book with stepped tabs down the side.
How big is a file folder for a lapbook?
A letter-size file folder is 298 mm (11.75 in) wide, and its front flap is 8⅝ in (219 mm) tall from the fold (US National Archives folder specification). Opened flat that is about 438 × 298 mm; in a shutter fold the side flaps are each a quarter of that and the middle half. You can type your own folder size.
How do I fold a file folder for a lapbook?
Open the folder flat with the inside facing up. Fold the left side in so its edge meets the centre crease, then the right side the same way. Crease both folds firmly. The two flaps close like shutters over the middle.
What do the different lines mean?
Solid lines are cut lines. Dashed blue lines are valley folds: fold the paper toward you so the line sinks into a valley. Dash-dot red lines are mountain folds: fold the paper away from you so the line becomes a ridge. Grey areas are where the glue goes.
How many labels can each minibook take?
A layer book takes 2 to 5 labels, a flap book 2 to 6, an accordion 2 to 7, a pocket 2 to 5 cards, a wheel 4 to 8 sections and a tab book 2 to 5 tabs. Separate the labels with commas.
What do I need to put a wheel together?
Cut out both circles and the window in the top circle, then push a paper fastener (a brad) through both centre dots and open its legs at the back. Turn the top circle to show each section through the window.
Can I print lapbook templates for my class?
Yes. The minibooks and the layout are ours, so you may print them for a class, a co-op or a homeschool group, and use them in things you sell. The note under the tool gives the full terms.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Everything is drawn by JavaScript in your browser and never leaves your device, and nothing is saved when you close the page.