Joining materials without sewing
Design & Technology · Key Stage 1 · The School
More ways than just glue
Card and paper can be joined without any glue at all. Tabs and slots. Split pins. Treasury tags. Staples. Each one joins in a different way, and each one is useful for a different kind of job. None of them needs glue.
Split pins let things move
A SPLIT PIN passes through a hole and its two legs fold flat. It holds two pieces together, loosely, so they can still turn. This is perfect for a paper puppet's moving arm, where glue would stop it moving altogether.
Tabs and slots need no extra parts
Cut a tab on one piece. Cut a matching slot on the other. Push the tab through the slot. Nothing extra is needed at all: no glue, no pins, no tape. It holds firmly, and it can often be taken apart again.
Choosing a join for a moving toy
You are making a paper toy with a head, a body, and two arms that need to swing. At the neck, use a tab and slot, because the head does not need to move: firm and permanent. At each shoulder, use a split pin, because the arm DOES need to swing freely, again and again, without ever coming loose. Two different jobs on the very same toy, and two completely different joins, chosen on purpose, not by accident.
Asking the right question first
Before joining anything, ask one simple question. Does this part need to move, or should it stay completely still? A moving part needs a split pin or hinge. A still part can use a tab, a staple, or glue. That one question decides the whole answer.