How to make a cube out of paper - a few simple tips. How to make a cube from paper or cardboard: methods and diagrams Cube template for gluing print A4

Sometimes children's toys break, and sometimes they remain intact, but are no longer of any interest to the child.

The same happened with our cubes. The pictures on many of them were torn and faded, and children stopped playing with them.

So I decided to give old cubes a new life and make them into an entertaining puzzle: a transforming cube.

DIY transforming cube

To make a transforming cube you will need:

  • 8 unnecessary dice
  • 8 square pictures measuring 79x79 mm and 2 rectangular pictures measuring 79x159 mm (these are the sizes of my cubes, yours may be different)
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Pen or pencil
  • Glue stick
  • 1 hour free time
  • Good mood

To create a transforming cube you need:

  • Clear cubes from old pictures

  • Make a square out of 4 cubes and measure it

  • Cut 8 square pictures and 2 rectangular pictures (consisting of two squares) to your size.

  • Then take two square pictures and cut them in a special way
  • You should end up with 4 pairs of pictures: 2 pictures consisting of two rectangles

  • Two pictures consisting of one rectangle and two squares, and two exactly the same, only mirrored first

  • And two pictures cut into 4 squares

  • To make it more convenient, it is better to draw the cutting lines in advance

  • Cut the rectangular pictures in the same way as in the photo (you should get 4 small identical rectangles in each picture)

  • All the resulting rectangles (two small squares each) must be folded in half so that there are folds the size of the smallest cube

Now we glue the first four pictures - squares, after making a cube of 8 small cubes. To make it more clear, I will make it from multi-colored squares and rectangles.

  • Glue the first picture to any side of the cube, in the same way as shown in the picture on the table (my first four squares are already pasted)

Practicing applied arts is a fascinating process. Three-dimensional figures made from such familiar materials as plain paper or cardboard are fascinating. Having seen the work of origami or Yoshimoto masters at least once, it is impossible to fight the desire to understand the basics of this art and create your own masterpiece. Let's remember our childhood, but let's take the basics of craftsmanship seriously and learn how to make a cube out of paper or cardboard.

If someone doesn’t remember school geometry, then we are talking about a hexagon with equal sides. What size it will be depends on your imagination and the size of the sheet of paper. For the figure you will need:

  • paper or cardboard;
  • ruler;
  • triangle;
  • pencil;
  • scissors;
  • glue.

In order for the end result to be a beautiful product without flaws, it is necessary to pedantically and meticulously complete the first stage - draw the correct diagram of a cube from paper. The geometry of the corners and lines depends on the accuracy of the pattern.

Let's look at a diagram of how to make a paper cube in the simplest way. The development of the future three-dimensional product is built on paper or cardboard using a regular ruler. For clarity and ease of calculation, we will draw a drawing for a cube with an edge of 10 cm.

On a sheet of paper, draw a rectangle with sides 10x40 cm. Divide the long sides into four equal segments and put small marks. We connect them in pairs using a ruler so that all lines are parallel to the short side of the rectangle and perpendicular to the long side. It turns out four identical squares with a side of 10 cm . Let's number them from left to right square. 1, apt. 2, apt. 3 and sq. 4.

Before the full development, two more squares should be drawn. Let's move on to the drawing. Mark 2 points to the right and left of the corners of the square. 2 perpendicular to the long side of the previously drawn rectangle. We carefully connect the marks and get a cube scan, consisting of four fields horizontally and three vertically, visually reminiscent of a cross in which the square. 2 acts as a crosshair. Let's denote the new figures as square. 5 and apt. 6.

We fill in the allowances on which the glue is applied. The width depends on the size of the cube. In our case, it is enough to make 0.5 cm. We draw allowances on three sides of squares 5 and 6 and on one side of square 1 (the top of the stylized cross). Be sure to draw the corners at an angle of 45°.

We cut out the blank and bend all the drawn edges. All that remains is to glue the product. We apply PVA to the allowance fields and assemble the finished cube. You can unwrap:

  • draw with your hands;
  • execute it in a graphic editor and print it on a printer.

The second option is preferable when making themed cubes for the learning or development of children. This product will look neater. You can make a cube out of cardboard using other techniques.

The Japanese technique of turning sheets of paper into intricate figures dates back to the Middle Ages. Temples were decorated with such crafts and were identified with significant events in people’s lives.

Today, origami is a hobby that is passionately pursued by enthusiastic people all over the world. Let's look at how to make a volumetric cube out of paper. The diagram is attached to it.

A paper square is suitable for work. We connect the opposite sides and form a bend strictly in the center of the sheet. We bend the free edges in the opposite direction towards the middle. We get an “accordion”, in origami this blank is considered the initial one and is designated as a “door”.

We unfold the figure and see three horizontal fold stripes on our square.

We bend the upper right and lower left corners inward so that we get isosceles triangles with sides equal to one quarter of the length of the sheet. We return the free sides of the sheet with curved corners to the center.

Now we take the upper left and lower right corners and bend them to the middle of the opposite side of the workpiece. We hide the corners inside the structure, as if in pockets. It turns out to be a rhombus.

Turn the workpiece over to the reverse side.

We bend the sharp left corner of the rhombus to the right, and the right corner to the left, respectively.

As a result, we get a module of one side of the cube with two corners for fastening and corresponding pockets.

The cube is assembled from six modules. There is no need to glue anything.

Assembly diagram:

The Japanese Yoshimoto showed the height of ingenuity. His transforming cube conquered the world, just like the Rubik's cube. The uniqueness of the Japanese miracle lies in the fact that the movable structure, consisting of eight cubes, can be transformed into different shapes: a strip, a snake, or break up into two stars, each of which is also transformed.

You can make a Yoshimoto cube yourself from paper or cardboard. To do this, you need the same kit that we used to create a cube from paper using a pattern, supplemented with tape.

The connection of adjacent elements is done with tape. Be sure to leave a gap of 1.5-2 mm. To gain initial skills, master assembling a simple transforming cube of eight elements.

It doesn’t matter what type of technology you find more interesting and simpler. The main thing is that you will plunge into the wonderful world of creativity and childhood, receive a charge of vivacity and a feeling of delight that disappears with age when you create a miracle with your own hands that also works.

In geometry, a cube is a polyhedral figure, each face of which is a square. This article will present master classes, after reading which it will become clear how to make a paper cube with your own hands.

A selection of video lessons for beginners

This article will offer a selection of videos, each of which will demonstrate algorithms for folding paper cubes.

In addition, methods for making a Yoshimoto cube will be presented. It received this name due to the name of the inventor who modeled it. It is able to transform into other geometric shapes, such as a rhombus. It consists of interconnected moving elements that can be separated, changed and reconnected.

Made from colored paper or thin cardboard

The first master class will present a detailed diagram of folding a cube from colored paper or colored thin cardboard. To work, you will need six sheets of colored paper or cardboard, it is desirable that each sheet be a different color, in which case each face of the cube will turn out to be a different color, and you will also need scissors.

In order to make a multi-colored volumetric cube, first of all you need to cut out six squares with sides of eight centimeters from sheets of colored paper using scissors. Then each sheet should be folded in half, then in half again, folding the edges towards the center. Next, the workpiece must be unfolded so that the fold lines are indicated. Then the upper and lower edges must be folded towards the center line, then the workpiece should be turned over and one of the corners should be folded towards the center. Similarly, but in a mirror way, you need to wrap the second corner.

After this, the corners must be folded to the central part of the workpiece as follows: the lower corner should be pushed to the right, and the upper corner should be pulled to the left. As a result of performing all the above steps, you should get a figure in the form of a rectangular rhombus. Then you need to expand the two corners of the workpiece.

Five more blanks should be folded in a similar way. After all the blanks are ready, they must be assembled into a single product, inserting the edges of each blank under the edges of the adjacent one.

How to make a transforming cube from paper or cardboard

In order to make a transforming cube, you will need a sheet of cardboard, a ruler, a pencil, tape or glue.

First of all, you need to mark eight cubes with sides of three centimeters on a sheet of cardboard. Then each scan should be cut out and cubes made from them. After the cubes are ready, they need to be connected using pieces of tape. The photo below will show where the connections should be located. The cubes must be glued together on both sides.

The cube can be decorated by sticking pictures of the same theme on each side of the cube. Most often, such cubes are used as a calendar, menu or memorable souvenir, for example, for tourists, pasting the cube with images of city attractions.

The most complex and unusual forms of structures, devices, and mechanisms are based on elementary geometric figures: cube, prism, pyramid, ball and others. To begin with, learn how to create the simplest shapes, and then you can easily master more complex shapes.

Many modelers start their journey with paper models. This is due to the availability of the material (finding paper and cardboard is not difficult) and the ease of processing it (no special tools are required).

However, paper also has a number of characteristic features:

  • capricious, fragile material
  • requires high accuracy, attentiveness, and perseverance when working

For these reasons, paper is a material for both beginners and real masters, and models of varying complexity are created from it.

In this article we will study the simplest geometric shapes that can be made from paper.

You will need the following materials:

  • paper
  • pencil
  • ruler
  • eraser
  • scissors
  • PVA glue or glue stick
  • glue brush, preferably with stiff bristles
  • compass (for some figures)

How to make a cube out of paper?

A cube is a regular polyhedron, each face of which is a square.

Creating a cube consists of two stages: creating a flat pattern and gluing. figures. To create a diagram, you can use a printer by simply printing out the finished diagram. Or you can draw the development yourself using drawing tools.

Drawing a sweep:

  1. We choose the dimensions of the square - one side of our cube. The piece of paper should be at least 3 sides wide of this square and slightly more than 4 sides long.
  2. We draw four squares along the length of our sheet, which will become the sides of the cube. We draw them strictly on the same line, close to each other.
  3. Above and below any of the squares we draw one of the same squares.
  4. We finish drawing the gluing strips, with the help of which the edges will be connected to each other. Every two edges should be connected by one strip.
  5. The cube is ready!

After drawing, the development is cut out with scissors and glued with PVA. Spread a very thin layer of glue evenly with a brush over the gluing surface. We connect the surfaces and fix them in the desired position for a while, using a paper clip or a small weight. The glue takes about 30-40 minutes to set. You can speed up drying by heating, for example, on a radiator. Afterwards we glue the following edges and fix them in the desired position. And so on. This way you will gradually glue all the faces of the cube. Use small amounts of glue!

How to make a cone out of paper?

A cone is a body obtained by combining all rays emanating from one point (the vertex of the cone) and passing through a flat surface.

Drawing a sweep:

  1. Drawing a circle with a compass
  2. We cut out a sector (a part of a circle limited by an arc of a circle and two radii drawn to the ends of this arc) from this circle. The larger the sector you cut, the sharper the end of the cone will be.
  3. Glue the side surface of the cone.
  4. We measure the diameter of the base of the cone. Using a compass, draw a circle on a sheet of paper of the required diameter. We add triangles to glue the base to the side surface. Cut it out.
  5. Glue the base to the side surface.
  6. The cone is ready!

How to make a cylinder out of paper?

A cylinder is a geometric body bounded by a cylindrical surface and two parallel planes intersecting it.

Drawing a sweep:

  1. We draw a rectangle on paper, in which the width is the height of the cylinder, and the length determines the diameter of the future figure. The ratio of the length of the rectangle to the diameter is determined by the expression: L=πD, where L is the length of the rectangle, and D is the diameter of the future cylinder. Substituting the required diameter into the formula, we will find the length of the rectangle that we will draw on paper. We finish drawing small additional triangles that are necessary for gluing the parts.
  2. Draw two circles on paper, the diameter of a cylinder. These will be the top and bottom bases of the cylinder.
  3. We cut out all the details of the future paper cylinder.
  4. Glue the side surface of the cylinder from a rectangle. Let the parts dry. Glue the bottom base. Waiting for it to dry. Glue the top base.
  5. The cylinder is ready!

How to make a parallelepiped from paper?

A parallelepiped is a polyhedron with six faces and each of them is a parallelogram.

Drawing a sweep:

  1. We select the dimensions of the parallelepiped and the angles.
  2. Draw a parallelogram - the base. On each side we draw the sides - parallelograms. From any side we draw the second base. Add strips for gluing. A parallelepiped can be rectangular if the sides are rectangles. If the parallelepiped is not rectangular, then creating a development is a little more difficult. For each parallelogram you need to maintain the required angles.
  3. We cut out the development and glue it together.
  4. The parallelepiped is ready!

How to make a pyramid out of paper?

A pyramid is a polyhedron, the base of which is a polygon, and the remaining faces are triangles having a common vertex.

Drawing a sweep:

  1. We select the dimensions of the pyramid and the number of its faces.
  2. Draw the base - a polyhedron. Depending on the number of faces, it can be a triangle, square, pentagon or other polyhedron.
  3. From one of the sides of the base we draw a triangle, which will be the side. We draw the next triangle so that one side is common with the previous one, and so on. So we draw as many triangles as there are sides in the pyramid. We finish drawing strips for gluing in the right places.
  4. Cut out and glue the shape.
  5. The pyramid is ready!

A geometric cube is a regular and simple figure. Without touching on geometry, cube-shaped boxes are used for packaging goods and gifts. If you need to give a beautifully wrapped gift or teach your child, there is no need to buy store-bought boxes, because you can easily make them yourself using cardboard for this purpose. Read the article below on how to make a cube out of cardboard.

Children's stores are now filled with various toys, including educational ones. In stores you can find the toy that you need at the appropriate price for you and for different ages. These are the cubes, hard to find for children.

Fascinating toys that are good for developing a child's coordination, imagination, arm muscle mass and fine motor skills. Store-bought cubes are made from different materials, but we suggest learning how to make a cube from cardboard.

Using a cube you can make it for playing with dolls. And adding to the figure, we get the tower of a real castle. On the finished cubes you can draw or paste images of animals from magazines and newspapers, write beautiful letters and numbers. Regardless of what is depicted on the cube, the products will greatly facilitate the child’s preparatory activities for school. You can learn the alphabet, animal names and numbers.


Packaging is no less popular. Cardboard boxes in the form of a cube are also used for packaging goods. And in the manufactured and decorated version of the cube, you can put a gift and present it for the upcoming celebration of friends or family.

Making a cube

  • download or make a template;
  • print it out;
  • cut out the diagram along the lines;
  • exactly transfer it onto the cardboard;
  • cut out a blank from cardboard;
  • fold the cube along the lines;
  • glue the product.

We recommend using a utility knife when folding cardboard into a cube. If you cut a bend, the material bends more easily, and the cube will look more presentable and aesthetically pleasing. If you use this advice, then the cuts should be from the inside of the product. So, the corners will be smooth, not convex.

After gluing, you can draw numbers or images of animals on the sides. Now you know how to make a cube out of cardboard and you can start teaching your child. If you make a lot of these cubes, of different sizes and colors, you can make a whole alphabet for a child. The cube can be made in case of loss of the game cube on which the points for the game were set. In this case, you need to draw numbers on the sides.

Packaging cube

Making a cube out of cardboard is not difficult at all. If you are thinking of making gift wrapping in the shape of a cube, then there are some things to consider.

We make gift wrapping:

  1. We measure the selected item. You need to know the width and height of the gift. Having received the result, we take the largest value and add a few centimeters to it so that the gift lies freely in the box.
  2. We take cardboard of a suitable size. We draw a cube scan on the material. First of all, draw a square with sides of the obtained dimensions. To the square we add four more squares of the same size. For any of the squares we add another square of identical size.
    If the cube is not pasted over, but the color of cardboard, then the pencil lines should be thin, for this we do not press the pencil, but simply draw the lines.
    When you plan to make packaging and cover it with wrapping paper, it is better to draw the pattern more boldly so that all the lines are clearly visible.
  3. To assemble a cube, special valves are needed; with their help, gluing the cube together is much easier, and the final version will have an aesthetic appearance. To make such valves, you need to draw stripes on the sides of the drawn squares. The width of such strips depends on the size of the cube, and the strips must stick together well.
  4. Having drawn a template for cutting out a cube, use a ruler or the blunt side of a stationery knife to draw along all the fold lines, while pressing slightly on the cardboard. You need to cut the workpiece along the contour. At this stage it is important not to cut off the valves, otherwise you will have to redo your work.
  5. We bend the workpiece along the lines inside the figure. You will get even corners on the packaging.
  6. We arm ourselves with glue. Apply a thin layer of glue to the manufactured valves, glue one pair of squares and connect all other sides. If glue leaks out of the cracks, it must be carefully removed from the surface.

Let us remind you that if you are making gift wrapping, then one of the sides of the cube does not need to be sealed. In this case, on the side that will be the lid of the package, you need to make a long semicircular valve, approximately in the middle of the square. Make a notch on the closing side. Once the gift is placed, the tab is inserted into the recess to create a sealed package that is easy to open without damaging it.

You know how to make a cube out of cardboard and have decided to make a large version of the packaging, but one sheet of cardboard is not enough, then the workpiece needs to be divided into several parts. On these parts, you need to additionally draw connecting valves.

But you shouldn’t divide the cube by edges. Dividing along the edges, the cube will end up with visible connections and will have an unpresentable appearance. If a very large cube is needed, it must be made using six separate squares with valves. Finally, the squares are glued together into a large cube.