Making Zines Art Project for Kids

If you want to see the awesome zines my students made, check out my Kids Zine blog post by clicking here. If you are looking for my blank zine template, it is here.

If you are interested in an All About Me zine art project with 3 different prompted zine templates, check out this All About Me Zines resource.

Yesterday I went to a really fun event called the Madison Print and Resist Zinefest. I have been to this before and it has always had loads of really interesting zines. I was on a mission this time though. I decided I am going to do a zine project with my classes and I wanted to find lots of interesting and unique “kid-friendy” zines.

A collection of zines displayed on a table, featuring titles like "emotions," "For Art's Sake," "mini zine magic," and illustrated booklets, makes for a fun art project for kids.

What is a zine? A zine is a self-published, small circulation booklet with images or words, usually copied on a xerox machine. A zine can be about anything!

I will show you some pictures of the many zines that I picked up for your inspiration. I also took some videos of myself flipping through and unfolding the zines. (You may have to hop on over to the actual blog post to see the videos if you are reading this through an email subscription.)

A display of six zines and comics on a striped fabric surface, including "A Simple Guide for Making Friends," "Life as an Axolotl," and others with various illustrations and text, showcases a creative art project for kids interested in making zines.

Here is a simple 8 page zine that can be folded from one piece of paper.

A zine titled "Neighbor Dogs" by Emily Rosenthal, featuring black and white sketches and brief descriptions of five dogs: Zorro, Clover, Funny, Raja, and Barley. Positioned on a blue and white striped surface, this art project makes a delightful addition to any zines collection.

Here is a free printable template to make your own 8 page zine from one piece of paper. The high quality PDF version is available here.

A blank, six-panel booklet template displayed in landscape orientation. The panels are labeled from left to right as "Back Cover," "Front Cover," "1," "2," "3," and "4" with fold lines indicated. This versatile template is ideal for zines or a fun kids' art project.
This video from Tate gives a brief introduction to zines, shows how to make a zine from one piece of paper and shows examples of the subject matter that can be included in zines.

These examples below show some zines that were all made by using the one-piece of paper method.

Five zines laid out on a gray plaid surface showcase titles like "Some Wildlife in My Neighborhood," "Pixel Art," "The How to Make a Zine," "Drawing Worlds," "Neighbor Dogs Part 1," and "How to Make Monsters." Perfect for a kids' art project or anyone diving into the whimsical world of zines.

These two zines below were made by a non-verbal autistic man who tells about his life experiences.

Two zines on a grey checked tablecloth. Left zine with blue and white cover titled "The Clear Blue Sky of My Good Mind", right zine with yellow cover titled "Communication Makes or Breaks a Life". An intriguing art project for kids and adults alike.

This mini zine below had an unusual shape!

A hexagonal folded card with illustrations of bees and flowers on a striped fabric background, containing handwritten messages inside hexagons linked together in a circular shape. This art project for kids resembles a mini zine, making it both creative and educational.

This is an exploding pop-up circle book!

A zine titled "Team Work Makes the Dream Work" by Beth Hetland and Kyle O'Connell, featuring a pizza slice illustration on a striped tablecloth. It's an ideal art project for kids interested in making zines.
A hand holds an intricately folded, multi-layered paper structure with colorful sketches and handwritten notes on each fold, placed on a striped fabric surface.

Below is a video to show you how to make the exploding pop-up circle book.

And this is another folded booklet from one piece of paper.

A handmade comic on green paper about coffee-making mistakes, featuring illustrations of people preparing coffee with comments on their errors. This zine art project has a gray-striped fabric background.
For more information on zines, check out this book (Amazon Affiliate link used).
Cover of the book "Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine?" by Mark Todd and Esther Pearl Watson, which explores zines and mini-comics with contributions from over 20 indie creators. A great art project for kids to get creative!

Have you made zines with your students? I’d love to see them!

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