Lapbooking: How to Lapbook + Over 90 Free Lapbook Printables

Have you ever thought about sitting down and creating lapbooks with your kids, but thought it would be too difficult? Nothing is further from the truth! Lapbooks are super easy to make work beautiful with unit studies and are a great way to record everything kids have learned about a subject. So today I’m sharing with you a quick guide to lapbooking. You’ll learn how to make a lapbook, and you’ll find over 90 free lapbook printables for you to use in your homeschool! Plus, download free lapbook templates for DIY lapbooking at the bottom of this post. 

What is a Lapbook?

In order to make a lapbook, kids create small activity books, fold paper, and answer questions to create their books. Then all the activity books are gathered and glued onto manila folders which fit on a child’s lap. Hence the name lapbook.

They’re so easy that even non-crafty moms can make them. All you need are some manila folders, templates, colored pencils or crayons, scissors, and glue.

Lapbooks are Perfect for Visual Learners

Lapbooks are great if you have a visual learner. If your child enjoys creating things like my hands-on, artsy daughter – they will thrive with lapbooking. She loves working with her hands, drawing, cutting, gluing, crafting – all of it. And she really is a visual learner, so lapbooks are the perfect addition to her learning!

Lapbooks are a great way to help children visually see the layout of a book, learn more about an animal, country, and more.

If you have a visual learner like mine, I’m sure they will love putting together lapbooks. And the best part is you can literally make a lapbook for any subject, book, or topic. And all it really takes is some file folders, a printer, scissors, glue, and a pencil.

How to Make a Lapbook

All you need are some templates you can use to create your own, or even some you can type in for multiple kids (to save for the future). But if you’re new to lapbooking, like me, you can find a very helpful series here on Homeschool Share. We have gathered a huge list for you to get started.

All you need to do is download and print the templates and have a pile of manila folders for the children to use. Your children will need colored pencils or crayons, scissors, and glue. Add in a few books so the kids can do some research to answer the questions and you’re good to go.

Your kids will have fun making their lapbooks and showing the books off to grandparents.

90+ Free Lapbook Printables

Here are a bunch of lapbooking printables on many different topics to help you teach your kids. You’ll find lapbooks on language arts, math, history, geography, and more. Your kids will have a great time as they study these topics and create their lapbooks.

Language Arts Lapbooks

Language arts lapbooks are a fun way to teach your children specific skills such as how library catalogs work, parts of speech, or capitalization rules.

Library Skills Lapbook – Kids create their own lapbook as they learn about the history of libraries, the Dewey Decimal System, library catalogs, and more.

Parts of Speech Lapbook – This free lapbook is a creative way for younger kids to learn about the parts of speech.

Poetry for Children Lapbook – This free poetry book is the perfect way for your kids to learn about many different concepts while studying poetry. There are 20 different little booklets for the kids to make.

Writer’s Workshop Helper – This Writer’s Workshop Helper is a great way for younger kids to work on writing. All you need to create this lapbook are some file folders and colored paper to print on.

Phonics Lapbooks – This lapbook has a Montessori twist which allows you to use the lapbook in different ways.

Short and Long Vowels Lapbook – If your child is studying short and long vowels, this is the perfect lapbook for you to make.

Poetry Lapbook – This unit study uses The Random House Book of Poetry as a launching point for the activities and booklets kids make.

Literature Lapbooks

These literature lapbooks can take the place of a book report. They’re also a wonderful way to expand your study of a book into a complete unit study as you look at the culture, geography, and history behind the book. Some literature lapbooks even include units about math and science topics.

Little House on the Prairie Lapbooks

Complete Little House on the Prairie Series Lapbook Set – If you’re reading through the Little House on the Prairie series with your kids, then you need these free lapbooks.

Little House: The First Four Years Story Study Lapbook – This lapbook is a great way to do a study on the book The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Little House on the Prairie Story Study Lapbook – This lapbook walks you through the events in the book Little House on the Prairie. You’ll also find vocabulary words to study such as having the kids look up what a ford is.

Little House in the Big Woods Lapbook – This lapbook walks through The Little House in the Big Woods chapter by chapter.

Little House: These Happy Golden Years Lapbook – If you’re reading These Happy Golden Years, then you’ll want this lapbook to go with your study.

By the Shores of Silver Lake Story Study Lapbook – This is another great lapbook unit to use if you’re reading through the Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Little Town on the Prairie Lapbook – This lapbook uses basic materials to cover the events of the book Little Town on the Prairie.

The Long Winter Story Study Lapbook – A lot happened in the book The Long Winter. This lapbook is a great way to cover the events with your kids.

Farmer Boy Lapbook – This is a free literature unit study on the book Farmer Boy.

Chronicles of Narnia Lapbooks

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Story Study Lapbook – This lapbook has you creating mini books for each chapter as you read through the book.

The Magician’s Nephew Story Study Lapbook – You will also create mini books for each chapter of The Magician’s Nephew as you read through the book.

The Horse and His Boy Story Study Lapbook – The Horse and His Boy Lapbook comes as an easy-to-print pdf file for you to use.

More Literature Lapbooks

Tale of Peter Rabbit Lapbook – If you’re reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit with your kids, then this is a great resource for your studies.

Little Bear Literature Lapbook – This is a simple lapbook that covers A Kiss for Little Bear.

The Sorely Trying Day Literature Lapbook – Have you or your kids ever had a trying day? Then you’ll love this lapbook that’s meant to be completed over 4 or 5 days as you read and reread The Sorely Trying Day.

10+ Aesop’s Fables Lapbooks – Aesop’s Fables are a favorite topic in my house. This lapbook helps you teach your kids about Aesop and his fables as you create interactive notebooks from manila folders.

Flat Stanley Lapbook – This Flat Stanley lapbook is a fun unit of study for kids.

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel – These lapbook templates are great study tools as you work through Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. You’ll find studies on science, geography, and language arts to create flap books with your kids.

Dragons Love Tacos Lapbook – This lapbook on Dragons Love Tacos is an 8-page pdf for younger kids.

The Day the Crayons Quit – The Day the Crayons Quit is a great first lapbook for you and your kids to make.

Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books Lapbook – If you’re reading Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books in your home school, then this is a great lapbook for you to use. It doesn’t just cover Lincoln’s life, but also includes language arts and social studies lessons.

The Day of Ahmed’s Secret – The Day of Ahmed’s Secret is a fun unit study to complete with your kids. The interactive notebooks they make will be loved for years.

Faraway Home Lapbook – The Faraway Home lapbook includes lessons on Ethiopia, history, and science.

Free Book Report Lapbook Template (link is in the first paragraph) – Sometimes you don’t want to have to cover a specific book. Instead, this free lapbook template gives you the study tools you need to create a lapbook about any book your child is reading.

Science Lapbooks

Science lapbooks are a great way to teach your children at grade level. There’s no wrong way to complete the topics. Just grab your favorite resources, do some research, and write down what you’ve learned.

Rabbit Lapbook – Do you have a child interested in rabbits? Then you’ll love the free templates that walk you through creating a lapbook about rabbits.

North American Robin Lapbook – This is another specific topic lapbook kids love. Your kids will learn all about the life cycle, habitat, and geography of the North American Robin.

Botany Lapbook – The Botany lapbook includes flap books you can create about various botany topics.

Ants Unit Study and Lapbook – If your child is looking to study a particular topic like ants, then this is the unit study and lapbook for you. The lessons include fascinating topics and activities such as creating a small booklet about the types of ants.

Animal Classification Lapbook – Creating this animal classification lapbook from Homeschool Share is a great way to study animal classification with your kids.

Free Shark Lapbook – Get the study tools you need for a unit study about sharks. You’ll use a manila folder to create various booklets about sharks’ anatomy, diet, senses, and more.

Free Spider Lapbook – This spider lapbook is a great resource for learning all about spiders with your children.

Bears Lapbook – Do you have a kid who loves bears? Then they’ll love this lapbook project pack that covers bears from all over the world.

Dolphin Unit Study & Lapbook – Learn fascinating facts about dolphins with your kids. Find out if dolphins are whales, how dolphins behave, and what is a dolphin pad. This planning guide will walk you through the unit study with your kids.

Frog Unit Study and Lapbook Printables – This unit of study covers frogs. All you’ll need to complete it are some basic materials like glue sticks, a manila folder, and the lapbook templates.

Elephants Animal Study and Lapbook – Study elephants with this fun lapbook project pack. Learn where elephants live, what they eat, and how they use their trunks.

Desert Animals Unit Study and Lapbook – This lapbook about desert animals is a fun one to make with your children. Kids will learn a little bit about several different animals such as coyotes, roadrunners, scorpions, and rattlesnakes.

Giant Panda Lapbook – Learn about giant pandas while you create this lapbook for kids.

Butterfly Lapbook – If you’re studying butterflies then you and your children will love completing this lapbook about butterflies.

Periodic Table Lapbook – If you have a kid studying chemistry, then this lapbook is perfect for your kid. They’ll learn about the different elements, complete experiments, and record the information.

Space Lapbook – Learn all about stars, comets, and satellites with this interactive space lapbook.

Chicken Lapbook – This chicken lapbook is a great lapbook for young kids doing lapbooks for the first time. They’ll learn all about eggs, chicken breeds, and the lifespan of a chicken.

Free Human Body Lapbook and Unit Study – This fun lapbook and unit study is a great way to learn all about the senses, organs, and systems of the human body.

History Lapbooks

If you’re looking for study tools to help your children learn about history, then lapbooks are what you need. These lapbooks will walk you through specific topics in history such as the Pony Express, the Civil War, and Ancient Egypt.

Pony Express Lapbook – The Pony Express is a popular subject in American history, especially with kids. So, download this lapbook to learn all about the Pony Express.

United States Flag Lapbook – Have you wanted to learn about the United States flag? Then this is the lapbook for you!

U.S. Constitution Lapbook – The U.S. Constitution lapbook is a great unit study to complete with kids of all ages. You’ll learn about the framers of the constitution, the Bill of Rights, amendments, and more.

Ancient Egypt Lapbook – This lapbook on Ancient Egypt is a 16-page pdf download filled with fun mini-books to complete. Plus, the lapbook folds into a 3D pyramid-shaped folder!

Free Ancient China Lapbook – This lapbook allows you to study fun facts about Ancient China such as the different dynasties and all about the terracotta soldiers.

Benjamin Franklin Lapbook – If you’re studying Benjamin Franklin then you need this lapbook that walks you through the life of this great man.

Civil War Lapbook – This Civil War lapbook contains projects for your kids to create, information about the war, and a timeline for the kids to complete.

Boston Tea Party Lapbook – The Boston Tea Party Lapbook is a great addition to your study of the American Revolution. Plus, it’s created for kids from grades 3 to grade 8.

Amelia Earhart Lapbook – Learn all about Amelia Earhart’s life with this fun lapbook. You’ll study her youth, her jobs, as well as her first flight across the Atlantic.

Parliamentary Procedure Lapbook – Do your kids need to know about the parliamentary procedure? Then this is the lapbook for you! Kids will learn about Robert’s Rules of Order and how to use them in a meeting.

Robin Hood Unit Study and Lapbook Printables – Robin Hood is a fun topic for kids to study in history. With this lapbook you’ll learn about the legend of Robin Hood, the history behind him, as well as the science of surviving in a forest.

Geography Lapbooks

Geography lapbooks are a great way to learn about the geography of the world. Kids can write down what they’ve learned about various continents, countries, and states. Here are a few lapbooks to get you started.

United States Lapbook – This geography lapbook walks you through the geography of the entire United States. You’ll learn not only where the states are located but also about the state capitols, flowers, and birds.

Brazil Country Lapbook – This is a great lapbook with the main topic being Brazil. You and your kids will study sports and entertainment, the population, animals, and more.

Morocco Country Lapbook – Learn about the country of Morocco when you complete this fun lapbook.

Ghana Unit & Lapbook – Curious about Ghana? Then download this lapbook to find out about the religion, food, and government of Ghana.

Kenya Country Lapbook – This lapbook comes with all the templates you need to learn about the country of Kenya.

Australia Country Lapbook – If you have a child interested in Australia, you’ll want to grab this lapbook. You’ll learn about the time zones, animals, flags, and population as you complete the unit study.

Ecuador Country Lapbook – Ecuador is another fun country to learn about. This lapbook introduces you to the geography, cities, climate, and agriculture of the country.

Guatemala Country Lapbook – Have you ever wondered what time it is in Guatemala? This lapbook is a great way to find out! Plus you’ll learn about the currency, population, clothing, and more as you complete this unit of study.

Ireland Country Lapbook – Study the beautiful country of Ireland with this fun Ireland Country Lapbook.

Japan Country Lapbook – This lapbook includes learning information about the animals, language, and clothing of Japan along with other fun facts.

Geography Lapbook – This is a great lapbook to introduce your children to the basic terminology of geography. Kids will learn about a compass rose, longitude, latitude, continents, oceans, and more.

Any Country Lapbook Template – If you’re working through the countries of the world, this is a great lapbook to have. The basic template includes creating a map of the country, studying the flag, adding quick facts, and more.

Any State Lapbook Template – This is a basic template to study any state in the United States. Kids create various maps, draw the flag, discover what other states border it, create a quick facts list, and more.

Yellowstone National Park Lapbook – Have you wanted to study Yellowstone National Park with your kids? Then this is the lapbook for you!

Math Lapbooks

Lapbooks can also be used to help your kids’ study math. These lapbooks include interactive activities that will encourage your kids to master their multiplication facts, learn Roman numerals, and more.

Multiplication Facts Lapbook – Kids create an interactive multiplication lapbook that will help them learn their multiplication facts.

Discovering Money Lapbook – Help your young kids learn about pennies, dimes, quarters, and dollars with this interactive money lapbook.

Metric System Lapbook – This is a fun metric system lapbook for elementary kids that’s a marvelous way to learn and master the metric system.

Money Lapbook – This lapbook is for older kids. It walks them through investing in stocks, taxes, how to write checks, and more.

Roman Numerals Lapbook – Teach your kids all about Roman numerals with this fun and free lapbook. They’ll not only learn the symbols, but they’ll also learn how to count and match Roman numerals to Arabic numerals.

Shapes Lapbook – Are you studying shapes with your preschool or kindergarten-age child? Then you’ll love this Shapes Lapbook.

Other Lapbooks

The best part about lapbooks is that they can work for many different topics, not just math, history, and literature. Here are a bunch of fun lapbooks on various topics you can complete with your kids.

Free The Lion King Lapbook – If your kids love The Lion King, they’ll adore this free lapbook. You’ll study the story as well as some of the various animals seen in the movie.

Cinderella Unit and Lapbook Printables – Make a complete unit study around the story of Cinderella. It includes botany, social studies, math, and more!

Camping Lapbook – If you’re going camping this summer, then you’ll love this camping lapbook. It walks through various skills such as lighting a fire, being prepared, observing birds, and more.

Detectives Lapbook – Kids are fascinated by detectives. This lapbook is a great introduction to detectives and the work they do.

Maple Syrup Lapbook – Learn all about maple trees, tapping sap, and how to make maple syrup with this amazing lapbook.

Months of the Year Lapbook – Are you tired of endlessly reciting the months of the year with your kids? Then make this lapbook instead.

Pirates Multi-book Theme Unit – Learn all about pirates, the Jolly Roger, and Blackbeard with this fascinating multi-book theme unit study.

Soccer Unit and Lapbook – Does your child love to play soccer? Then they’ll adore this soccer lapbook. Not only will kids learn about goalkeepers, rules, and moves, but they’ll also learn about the history of soccer.

Trains Lapbook and Printables – This train lapbook is perfect for younger children. Kids will make rhymes, learn train words that begin with T, recite Philippians 4:13, and sing train songs.

Transportation Lapbook Printables – This preschool transportation lapbook includes fun activities such as learning about shapes, colors, and the alphabet.

Weather Lapbook and Printables – Are your kids curious about the weather? Then this is the perfect lapbook for you. You’ll learn about lightning, thunder, wind words, rain words, and more.

More Free Lapbooks for Every Subject

If you are looking for more free lapbooks for every subject, Heart and Soul Homeschooling has a big list!

DIY Lapbooking Templates

Help your kids make their homeschool lessons fun and creative with these lapbooking templates. Use them inside manila folders, spiral notebooks, or on construction paper. Make colorful lapbooks by printing on colored printer paper. The possibilities are almost endless!

Instant Download: Free Lapbook Templates PDF Printables