Animate With a Colorful Strip
Make a flip-strip animation using a colorful paper strip, draw sequential frames, secure ends, and animate by flipping to watch movement.
Step-by-step guide to Animate With a Colorful Strip
Step 1
Gather all the materials listed so you are ready to start.
Step 2
Cut a long strip of paper about 2 to 3 inches wide and 12 inches long using scissors.
Step 3
Use the ruler and pencil to draw vertical lines that divide the strip into 8 to 12 equal frames.
Step 4
Pick a simple action to animate like a bouncing ball a walking stick figure or a flapping bird.
Step 5
Lightly sketch the first frame of your action in the first box with your pencil.
Step 6
Draw the rest of the frames one by one changing the object’s position a little in each box so the motion flows.
Step 7
Add details and color to each frame using your coloring materials.
Step 8
Gently erase any extra pencil lines so each frame looks clean and bright.
Step 9
Bring the two ends of the strip together to form a loop and secure them with tape or a stapler.
Step 10
Flip the loop with your thumb to watch your drawings move and try different flip speeds to make the motion smooth.
Step 11
Share your finished flip-strip animation on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have a stapler or clear tape to secure the loop ends?
If you don't have a stapler or clear tape to join the two ends (step 8), use a glue stick along the overlap or hold the loop with two paperclips or a small binder clip instead.
My flip-strip looks jumpy—how can I make the motion smoother?
To fix a jumpy animation, follow step 2 and 4 by increasing to 10–12 frames and making smaller position changes between each pencil sketch so the motion flows when you flip (step 9).
How can I adapt this activity for younger or older kids?
For younger kids (4–6) make the strip wider (about 3 inches), use only 6 big frames and crayons with adult help cutting (step 2 and 6), while older kids can use 12 frames, finer pencil sketches (step 4), and add shading or detailed coloring (step 6).
How can we extend or personalize our flip-strip animation once it's working?
After coloring and cleaning each frame (steps 6–7), personalize by adding a background across frames, combining two loops with tape (step 8) for a longer sequence, or recording the flip on a phone to add sound and share on DIY.org (step 9).
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Facts about animation for kids
✂️ You only need a handful of frames (often 6–12) to show simple actions like a jump or a wag — tiny changes create big motion!
🌈 Bright colors and bold outlines make movement pop — a classic cartooning trick to help the eye follow action.
🎨 Flip-strip and flip-book tricks inspired early filmmakers and are one of the oldest forms of storytelling with moving pictures.
👀 Our brains start to see smooth motion at around 16 frames per second — that’s why flipping pages quickly looks like animation.
🎞️ The first patented flip book was called a 'kineograph' and was patented by John Barnes Linnett in 1868!
How do I make a flip-strip animation with a colorful paper strip?
What materials do I need to create a colorful flip-strip animation?
What ages is the flip-strip animation activity suitable for?
What are the benefits of making flip-strip animations with kids?
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