Paper Teepee
Make and decorate a three-dimensional paper teepee or tipi while learning about Native American culture. Printable teepee templates are available for easy crafting.
Featured Crafts
Supplies Needed
- Brown A4 or Letter size cardstock
- Colored pencils, crayons, or markers
- Scissors
- Glue
- Ruler
- Three sticks, bamboo skewers, or twigs
- Rubber band
- Transparent tape
- Scoring tool (e.g. blunt plastic knife, spent ballpoint pen)
STEPS
1Print out the template.
Print out any of these teepee templates on brown A4 or Letter size cardstock. Pick the plain template if you want to decorate your own teepee.
2Decorate the teepee.
Decorate the teepee using colored pencils, crayons, or markers. Decorate as you like or draw inspiration from how the Native American people decorated their teepees. Check out these resources for some useful info:
Bottom - the bottom part of the teepee represents the earth. It is typically decorated with a dark-colored band. Curved mounds springing from the top edge of the band represent hills while pointed ones are mountains.
Top - the top section represents the sky. It is often filled with round-shaped stars.
Middle - animals are usually found in the teepee's middle area. These are said to be the teepee owner's spirit helpers.
For animal drawing ideas, you can search online for Native American animal symbols or check out these two resources:
3Score both sides of the door.
This step is necessary if you printed out the template in heavy or thick cardstock. Scoring makes folding the door a lot easier. Find a scoring tool such as a blunt plastic knife or a spent ballpoint pen. Place the edge of a ruler on one side of the teepee's triangular door. With the ruler to guide the tool, score along the entire line. Do not score too hard as this may tear the paper. Repeat with the door's opposite side.
4Cut a slit.
Cut a slit following the straight line at the middle of the door.
5Fold out the door flaps.
Fold out the door flaps along the pair of scored lines.
6Apply glue on the tab.
Apply glue on the entire tab area.
7Form the template into a cone.
Glue the tab behind the teepee's opposite edge, forming a cone shape. Press on the seams for several seconds to glue in place.
8Prepare three sticks.
Cut three sticks, bamboo skewers, or twigs to a length of about 6 to 7 inches.
9Bind the sticks on one end.
Bind the sticks together loosely with a rubber band about an inch from one end.
10Put the sticks inside the teepee.
Place the sticks inside the teepee, with the bound end peeking through the teepee's top hole.
11Tape the bottom ends.
Tape the bottom end of each stick onto the inside wall of the teepee.
12Enjoy the teepee!
That's it! If you wish to make some Native American figures to live in the teepee, you can draw them on cardstock or construction paper. Color and cut them out and glue an L-shaped cardboard tab at the back of the figure to help it stand upright.
More Ideas
Use patterned cardstock.
You can make teepees as charming décor. Print out the template on patterned cardstock. Use drinking straws instead of sticks. Craft and assemble as described above.
