Kids Paper Mache House

A Paper Mache House is simple to make and fun for kids to paint and to play with.  It's also a great project for kids who need to spend time in a hospital or clinic or are confined to bed rest.   Kids can use their own little character toys, they can display and store little treasures, or they can create characters and furniture for their house out of paper, cardboard or clay.  House can be made any size from tiny to quite large, but our house is about 16" high by 12" wide. Kids can help with the paper mache part or an adult can make the basic house and let the child paint it any way they choose. 
Materials required for house include a box the size of the basic house without the roof or some corregated cardboard to make a basic square or rectangle shape house.  You will also need some  cardboard pieces for the inside part of the house and the roof.  Our house is not too deep, only about 2.5 inches but this can vary.  Because the house is not too deep, a base was added to make sure it was stable. You will also need masking tape, sharp scissors, or a knife, liquid starch and newspaper strips for paper mache (use any paper mache recipe you like but I prefer liquid starch), Gesso or any white acrylic paint for undercoat, assortment of acrylic paints,  clear acrylic gloss top coat.

Cut cardboard pieces to make a roof and  inside of house (make rooms any size you like) and use lots of masking tape to secure pieces to house box base.  Don't worry about tape showing, it will be covered with paper mache.  Draw and cut 2 tree shapes for the side of the house if you like.  Our tree is just a straight trunk with a broccoli shape top.

Cover house with paper mache (torn newspaper strips dipped in starch, squeegeed with fingers)  making it as smooth as possible.  Corners can be tricky so use a pencil or stick to push paper mache pieces gently into the corners. Typically just one layer is fine as long as you make it nice and smooth.  You can do 2 layers but if you do it is best to wait until the first layer dries before applying the second, otherwise it can get too wrinkled and lumpy. 

When paper mache is dry, paint a coat of Gesso and when that is dry, paint with acrylic paints any colors you choose.  You can leave rooms plain or you can paint patterns and designs in the rooms...anything goes.  Encourage kids to have fun and paint their house any way they like.  To make house shiny and a little stronger, when dry add a coat of a clear acrylic top coat.  If your house is a little crooked here and there, don't worry, that is part of the beauty of paper mache.  It's not a plastic house from a factory!