Three unicorn bookmarks to color & keep

From our worktable · Free

Your paper starting point

Three original cut-and-color bookmarks. All sheets have a matching A4 and Letter PDF. No account or email needed.

Three original cut-and-color bookmarks

A4 PDF ↓Letter PDF ↓SVG ↓

Print the matching paper size at 100%. Adults can adapt the activity and help with cutting. Use permissions.

A small project with a real job

A bookmark needs to fit comfortably between pages and stay dry and flat. These three designs keep the drawing inside a simple rectangle, with no long horn or ear sticking out past the edge. The first step is to choose the PDF that matches the paper in your printer.

You need one printed sheet, crayons or colored pencils, and scissors for adult preparation. If using thicker paper, check your printer’s paper limits first. Do not force craft card through a printer that is not intended to take it.

Make the set

1. Print one test sheet. Use the matching A4 or Letter PDF. Check the full bottom edge before printing a stack. The printing guide explains what to change if the page is clipped.
2. Color the whole sheet. Keeping the rectangles together gives you more paper to hold. Keep pencil or crayon layers light enough that the bookmark does not shed onto book pages.
3. Let any wet medium dry completely. Pencils and crayons are the simpler option. A damp marker or paint layer can transfer to a book.
4. Cut the dashed rectangles. An adult can do the cutting. The lines define the bookmark edges; the decorative stars and character details stay inside.
5. Try it in a book. Let a short part of the rectangle show above the pages so it is easy to find. Do not force it tightly into the binding.

One sheet provides three bookmarks. For eight people to take one each, three sheets provide nine bookmarks with one spare. You do not need eight whole sheets unless you want everyone to have a complete set of three.

Choose a design, then give it a meaning

The three captions are “One more page,” “A place to return” and “A small adventure.” They are original short invitations, not quotations attributed to an author. Choose one that matches what you want the object to do: remind you where you stopped or invite you back to a story.

On the blank back, write a fictional place you would like to read about. You can also draw a small symbol for the next chapter’s mood. No real name, school or reading log is needed to use the bookmark.

A five-minute activity after reading

Before closing the book, point to one detail you want to remember. Sketch it on scrap paper rather than on the book itself. Next time, use the picture to tell someone where the story had reached. This is a suggested conversation, not a promise that a bookmark improves reading ability.

For people who would rather draw their own face, the portrait lesson shows how the related character is built. Start on plain paper, then copy the face into a homemade narrow rectangle.

If the bookmark bends or the color rubs off

A bent corner can be flattened under a closed book after the color is dry. If color transfers, use a fresh copy with a lighter pencil layer instead of sealing wet color into plastic. Replace a badly torn bookmark; a small paper project does not need an elaborate repair.

For a group gathering, bookmark making is a quiet table option. Add time for drying and adult cutting outside the drawing block in your activity plan.