Friday, May 27, 2011

Fun In a File Folder

*sung to the tune of "Love In an Elevator" by Aerosmith*

Fun in a file folder,
Spreading the pieces on the ground.
Fun in a file folder,
Smiles on faces can be found.

Fun in a file folder,
Learning new stuff makes Mom so proud.
Fun in a file folder,
Just keep your voices not too loud.

I'll stop now, but you get the point...

Back before my son was born I bought a book of file folder games from a local teacher supply store.  I thought it would be useful for my kids.  I bought a book designed by Frank Schaffer.  Inside I found games about seasons, colors, letters, numbers, shapes, opposites, and matching.  All of the pages were white, single-sided black line masters just waiting to be colored, laminated, and mounted in a file folder.  I bought some fun file folders such as these available at Office Max or these at Staples.  Then I got to work coloring, and coloring, and coloring.  The book had 45 games.  Each game had at least 4 sheets to color.  It took a looooooong, looooooong time to finish.  Then there was the cutting, gluing, and cutting again after the lamination was complete.  The finished games are beautiful (if I do say so myself) and my children love them. 

Alright, I know you want to see some photos.  Here they are...

I had the file folders three-hole drilled before I mounted the games inside to make sure none of the pictures would be damaged.  

The finished games filled three large three-ring binders. 
I mounted the game title on the tab and the directions on the front cover.  Some of the games had a title that I mounted on the front cover as well.  You can see one of those in the upper photo. 

On the back cover I mounted the answer key and a clear plastic CD holder to store each game's pieces. 
Number game

Color game

Matching game


Body part matching game (I colored this so long ago that the Diamondbacks were still wearing turquoise and purple.)

Opposites game
Yeah, the pictures are all well and good, but do the kids enjoy them.  That is all that really matters, right?  Right!  Well, they LOVE them as you will see...

Here is the boy.

Here is the girl.

The boy.

The girl's toes.  They were too cute to pass up. 

Both of them playing together.  They trade games back and forth.

She wanted a carrot close-up.

Easy to take the pieces out. 

Easy to play.

It's a match!

Easy to put away. 

These pieces are the only ones in the whole book that are too large to fit in the CD holder.  Still, they stay in just fine. 
This was a massive project, but I have never regretted doing it.  My kids want to play these games nearly every day.  I can't let them have free reign of the folders.  If I did, the pieces would be one big jumble of pieces.  You know how it is!

Nowadays, you can by a book of games with pre-colored pages.  That takes a big bite out of the time commitment needed to complete a project like this.  So there you have it...you can make file folder games for your own children, grandchildren, or students!  I encourage you to!

Greetings From the Asylum has a page on Facebook.  There is a link on my sidebar, or click HERE! I am also on Pinterest HERE!

If you enjoyed this post, you might like these other posts from Greetings From the Asylum:  Kids Document Keeper, Pencil Bouquet Teacher Gift, and Hide and Seek Bag.

Thanks for visiting!


24 comments:

Just Jaime said...

Looks like it turned out great! These would be great for kids during church! Thanks for sharing

The Atomic Mom said...

Thanks for posting this. I have all the files and a holder purchased for file folder games, but I was at a loss as to what to put in them. I have not found anything on line that I LOVE! Now I know, and there is both Staples and Office Max in Santa Fe.

Theprincessandthetot said...

We love file folder games! I really like how you put these in a binder.

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Wow... this was a really big project and so great! Hours of fun and enjoyment for your children!

Stopping by for the first time. I have perused several of your posts and enjoyed each one :)

Kindly, Lorraine

Jill said...

Great work on those games! Obviously well worth the (mammoth) effort judging by your kids reaction! They look fantastic!

Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a great week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

Kelsey@inspirationthief said...

I love these. I am always looking for ways to teach my kids and keep them entertained.

The Olsen Family said...

As a teacher, I LOVE the creativity and organization of the project!!! Kuddos! :)

Jeanine The Crafting Fiend said...

cute idea!

Unknown said...

wonderful idea! I love when learning is fun!

Thread In Her Hair said...

HAHAHA! I love your song! The file folders are awesome too.

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

I cn see why your kids would love these! Thanks for joining my party.
xo,
Sherry

Nia said...

You can print out free file folder games www.filefolderfarm.com. They are already in color.

Sarah Cope said...

Where did you find your games? I made these same games for my preschool class a few years ago, and now I want to make them for my little girl-- but I can't find the site I got them from.

AsylumTanya said...

Sarah, I bought a book of black line masters of these games from a teacher supply store near my house. I don't think these specific games are available from a website. :)

sunnyd said...

what was the name of the book where you found these games? love them!

sunnyd said...

could you please give me the name of the book that you used for these folder games?

The Jackman Family said...

what is the name of the book that you bought?? I would love to get those file folder games!

Unknown said...

I work in a special ed class and make file folder games non-stop. I have the same basic concept you do, except I print and glue all mine to cardstock and then just three hole punch them instead of putting them on the actual folders. It works great!

Unknown said...

There are tons of free file folder games online. I print everything to cardstock and glue to cardstock and then just three hole punch it instead of putting them on the actual file folders. Same concept you have and works great!

Jolene said...

I scanned my whole book and saved it to my computer. Then I colored all the pieces in with a paint program using the fill tool. The colors are even and pretty. I love the variety of colors I can get with the computer and even textures and patterns. I saved the color pages I made so I can easily replace pieces if needed.

Patty said...

Jolene,
I'm looking for good games/activities for my 2 1/2 yr old grandson who has a speech delay. Do you know the name of the file folder book that you scanned? Thanks so much!

Jolene said...

It was a Carson-Dellosa Pre-K file folder game book.

jessicacope said...

What did you use to put the pieces in on the outside? I can't quite make it out.

AsylumTanya said...

Jessica, I used a clear plastic CD holder with an adhesive back to store the pieces. I found mine at Staples and Office Max.