Mother’s Day Light-Up Bookmark

Want a totally unique, handmade gift for Mom? Try this Mother’s Day Light-Up Bookmark. It combines origami with some cool, light-up circuits to make a gift she’ll never forget. It’s perfect for STEM learning at school, in homeschool, and for clubs or scouts.

Make mom a unique gift by crafting this Mother's Day Light-up Bookmark for her. It's a great STEM project to learn about electricity and origami.
Make mom a unique gift by crafting this Mother's Day Light-up Bookmark for her. It's a great STEM project to learn about electricity and origami.
Make mom a unique gift by crafting this Mother's Day Light-up Bookmark for her. It's a great STEM project to learn about electricity and origami.

What are Paper Circuits?

This Mother’s Day bookmark shines thanks to an electric circuit and sticker LED bulb. So what is a circuit? A circuit is a closed path or loop around which an electric current flows. If the circuit is complete, it is called closed and your card will shine. If the path is broken, the circuit is called open and the card will be dark. Paper circuits use something called copper tape instead of wires to conduct electricity. It’s flexible and sticks to paper, even in a bookmark!

Light-Up Mother’s Day Bookmark Supplies Needed

Paper circuits like this Mother’s Day Bookmark need a few specialty items but they can easily be found online. I’ve pulled together a list of my favorites so you grab them easily HERE.

  • White cardstock
  • White copy weight paper
  • Printer
  • Scissors
  • Copper tape
  • CR-2032 coin cell battery
  • Sticker LEDs
  • Clear Tape
  • Glue stick or double-sided tape
  • Corner bookmark template (To have the free template emailed to you, simply fill out the form below.)
Mothers Day Light Up Bookmark 1360x900
Mothers-Day-Light-Up-Bookmark-1500x1500-1

FREE! MOTHER'S DAY
LIGHT-UP BOOKMARK
PRINTABLE TEMPLATE

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Getting Started with a Light-Up Corner Bookmark

  1. First, print out the template. Use a high quality print setting to get the best looking card. The Earth patterned square should be printed on copy weight paper while the sun design ovals should be printed on card stock.


How to Fold a Corner Bookmark

The next step is the fold the corner bookmark. Here are some easy to follow visual instructions. I’ve also pulled together a video for you.

  1. Fold paper in half diagonally.
  2. Place the folded side towards you and fold the right corner up to the top tip. Repeat with the left corner.
  1. Open up the folds from step #2.
  2. Fold down one of the top corners until it meets the middle of the fold lines at the bottom.
  3. Tuck the right corner into the inside. Repeat with the left corner.
  4. Pop onto the corner of your favorite book to mark your page.

How to Build the Light-Up Bookmark Circuit

  1. Place your sticker LED on top of the red heart with the small side facing the same direction as the point of the heart. Notice the + and – signs on the sticker, these are the positive and negative terminals of the LED.
  1. Tape along the circuit line between the LED sticker and the grey battery circle with copper tape leaving a gap where there is a gap in the circuit line.
  2. Place battery on top of grey circle, negative terminal side down. Copper tape from the positive side of the LED sticker to the top of the battery. Secure battery to the oval card with clear tape.
  3. Next, grab the double oval part of the card and flip over. On the back of the side with the “Mom You Light Up My World” saying, place strips of copper tape as shown in the image below.
  1. Grab the double oval piece and attach the circuit piece to the inside of the oval without the writing with a glue stick or double-sided tape. Fold over the top oval over the bottom two ovals and place some glue or tape in the bottom area of the paper. Do not glue over the copper tape as this can weaken the circuit.
  2. Glue or tape completed sun oval to the folded bookmark as shown below. And then light it up by pressing on the sun.
  1. Glue or tape completed sun oval to the folded bookmark as shown below. And then light it up by pressing on the sun.

Troubleshooting Paper Circuits

Paper circuits can be a bit finicky, but that’s the fun of engineering projects! You learn the most from trial and error. Here are a few things to try when the lights just won’t shine:

  • Try flipping the battery over.
  • Is the battery still good? Test it on a bulb you know is good.
  • Is the bulb still good? Test it on a battery you know is good.
  • Is the copper tape a continuous piece for each connection? If not, make sure that there’s enough overlap between each piece. 1” of overlap is typically sufficient.
  • Is the battery securely attached to the circuit? Tape with clear tape if necessary.

Mothers Day Light Up Bookmark 1360x900
Mothers-Day-Light-Up-Bookmark-1500x1500-1

FREE! MOTHER'S DAY
LIGHT-UP BOOKMARK
PRINTABLE TEMPLATE

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More Paper Circuits! More Printable Valentines!

We love paper circuits around here. They’re super fun to make light up and have great STEAM lessons built right in. So I whipped up another light-up corner bookmark that’s out of this world. Hop over HERE to grab this cool rocket bookmark template.

If you love paper crafting and want to add a new challenge to your cards, this ebook will introduce you to the world of paper circuits.

circuit cards paper circuits for kids

The Circuit Cards Paper Circuits for Kids Ebook contains 10+ printable and buildable paper circuits cards for holidays, special occasions, and year-round fun. Each card contains a printable template and circuit diagram, plus easy-to-follow instructions for paper circuit success. Kids will love making a glowing unicorn horn, light-up cupcake cards for their friends’ birthdays, or Star Wars-themed cards, too. After working through some of the basics of how to build a circuit with a handy circuit lesson plan, they’ll love crafting their own ideas, too.

what's inside paper circuits for kids

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