Making and crafts
Weave paper strips
Weave colored paper strips over and under a card base that the helper has already slit.
Who might enjoy it: People who enjoy weaving, basketry or any repeated over-and-under task with a clear rhythm. Good for someone who likes steady, predictable steps with a visible result.
- Setup
- About 15 minutes
- Activity
- 15–30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Mess
- Little mess
- Where
- At a table, seated-friendly, bedside
- Help
- Someone nearby
Materials: 4 everyday things, listed below
What you need
- A sheet of thick card, about letter size, with parallel slits cut by the helper about one inch apart, stopping one inch short of the top and bottom edges
- Colored paper or thin card in two or three colors, cut by the helper into strips about one inch wide
- Scissors and a ruler for the helper
- A glue stick or low-tack tape
No need to buy anything special
- No colored paper? Use strips of old magazine pages, wrapping paper or colored paper bags.
- No card base? Use the flat side of a cardboard box, slit in the same way.
What to do
- Lay the slit card on the table, with the slits running up and down and the strips within reach.
- Choose the first strip together. Any color is fine.
- Start at the bottom and push the strip over the first upright strip of card, then under the next, and so on across.
- Pull the strip gently so it lies flat, but not so tight that the card bends.
- For the next row, start the opposite way: under the first upright, then over the next.
- Push each new row up against the last one, so the card is covered.
- When a strip runs out, tape its end to the back of the card and start a new strip.
- Stop when the card is covered, then tape down the loose ends on the back.
It is okay to stop or change it
It is fine to stop after one row. Leave the card on the table with the strips in place, and carry on another time, or just enjoy the colors.
Make it easier or different
- Make it easier
- Weave with one color and wide strips, and work only the middle row together.
- In bed or an armchair
- Use a clipboard on a lap tray, with the strips already cut and a few rows woven together.
- For low vision
- Use high-contrast strips on a dark card base, and describe each over and under aloud.
- Without words
- Place a strip in their hand and guide it gently over and under, pausing to see if they want to go on.
- With children
- A child cuts the strips in advance, and the two take turns on each row.
Safety
- Scissors are for the helper only. The person weaves with their hands alone.
- Check the slit edges for sharp corners, and round them off with the helper before weaving.
- Use a glue stick or low-tack tape, and keep small pieces away from the mouth.
These are practical suggestions, not medical advice. You know the person best.
Weaving is a repeating, tactile task where each row is visible as it grows. The over-and-under rhythm is simple to learn after two or three strips, and the finished piece makes a useful card or place mat.