Make a Cardboard Violin for Toddlers! Free Template

Red-headed toddler in a red dress smiling and playing a cardboard violin with a chopstick as a bow

This template is provided as a free service for personal use. All I wish is that you kindly consider Fiddleheads when you're in the market to buy an instrument or any violin-related accessories.

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Make a Cardboard Violin for Toddlers! Free Template

Instructions

You will need: Computer Printer and letter sized paper - cardstock or cereal box - corrugated cardboard - scissors - exacto-knife or razor blade - craft or white glue - wooden stick or dowel

1. Print this page to letter size (8.5” x 11”) paper. Colour printing is best.

2. Using white or craft glue, attach this sheet front-facing to cardstock or thin cardboard (cereal boxes work well) that is easy to cut with scissors. Make sure the material is large enough for the entire image.

3. Following the dotted lines around the violin image, carefully cut the cardboard or cardstock using scissors. Let the glue dry. The result from this step will be your template for use in Step 4 and the final layer in Step 6.

4. Place the template created in Step 3 on a piece of thick corrugated cardboard and trace the violin shape in pencil. Remove the template and, using an exacto-knife or razor blade, *cut along your tracing line.

*You may need to do this on a protected surface and please be careful not to cut yourself — kids, get an adult's help with this step. Be sure to let the glue dry between layers or they can slide around.

5. Repeat Step 4 several more times. The more layers, the thicker and more durable the violin will be. We recommend at least seven layers for a properly proportioned violin.

6. Finish by gluing the many cardboard layers together as a laminate (like a stack of pancakes) and finish by gluing the violin template layer on the very top with the image facing out. Your violin is done!

7. For the bow, cut a length of sanded (splinter-tree) dowel or a smooth stick to approximately 12" long. A ruler or chopstick can work well too. It's all about making this fun and safe, so be creative!

Send your pics of your completed project to info@fiddleheads.com

This design creates a toddler-sized mock violin approximately 11.5" long. Obviously, it's not intended to replace an actual violin for making music, but will surely be a fun first step and provide many hours of pretend play! We hope when the time comes to purchase a real violin, Fiddleheads will earn your business.

Download the Template

I hope that when the time comes to purchase your child's first violin Fiddleheads will earn your business. I will be happy to match you to the ideal instrument for your budget and needs

 

 

Feedback

Cardboard violin with a wooden dowel for a bow

Toddler with a fake violin and her older brother playing a violin

Thank you for the great idea. We will definitely look you up when the time is right for our daughter's first REAL violin.

- Tony, Albuquerque, New Mexico

 

My daughter loves her new cardboard violin!!! She is so happy to have one like her big brother and was quick to copy then join him in practice.

We use several coats of mod podge gloss finish to make it shiny and the surface more kid proof, trimmed layers 6 & 7 to only a violin body to make it a bit more realistic, and gave her a chopstick for a bow.

Thank you for the amazing idea and free template. I hope these pictures and the video link bring a smile to your face. Thanks again!

- Brent & Jenny

 

We've also made a cardboard violin for our 2-year old, using the instructions on your website. Thanks for that great idea, and also your help us choose a 1/2 size violin.

- Peter, Yellowknife, NT

 

Your website is amazing! Thank you for sharing all this info as it has really been helpful. We have downloaded and crafted the paper "my first violin" to play with. It turned out very nice and... she put on an imaginary concert. It was a delight to watch as she is only 5 years old.

I have bookmarked your website and will refer to it often.

- Paul, Memphis, TN