Free Printable Garden Lacing Cards

A Lacing Card Story from 1927

Lacing cards have been around for a very long time. In 1927, my father's school handed out picture cards and yarn for the children to work on when they finished their lessons.

He hated them. Each card came with its own length of yarn, and all the cards ended up jumbled together inside his school desk. The yarn from one card tangled with the yarn from the next, until he had a whole desk full of knotted cards. He didn't have the patience to sort them out, and he remembered just feeling overwhelmed.

I was given the same cards and yarn in grade school in the 1950s, and I loved them. These garden lacing cards are my version, with smooth, easy edges and holes spaced so little fingers can manage them.

How to Make Garden Lacing Cards

1. Choose your cards. Pick from the cards in color, ready to lace, or the color-your-own cards in black and white.
2. Print on cardstock. White 65 lb cardstock is sturdy enough for little hands to pull yarn through again and again. One card prints on each sheet, about 7 inches tall.
3. Color first (black and white cards). Crayons, colored pencils, or markers all work.
4. Cut on the gray line. Each card has one smooth, rounded cut line, so it's quick to cut out.
5. Punch every dot with an ordinary hole punch. A grown-up can do this part ahead of time.
6. Lace with yarn. Tie a knot at one end of the yarn, then sew in and out of the holes all the way around the picture.

What You Need

• White cardstock.
• Scissors and a hole punch.
• Yarn, about an arm's length per card. Raffia works too.
• Or narrow ribbon, about ¼ inch wide. It slips through the holes easily and looks so cute, especially in a bright color with a little bow tied at the end.
• Tape or a plastic lacing needle: wrap the end of the yarn in tape so it pushes through the holes easily, like a shoelace tip.

Tips for Little Hands

• Keep the yarn short. An arm's length is plenty.
• Store each card in its own zipper bag with its yarn, so the cards don't tangle together the way my father's did.
• Two ways to lace: younger children go in and out (a running stitch). Older children can wrap the yarn over the edge into each hole for a whipstitch frame.
• Make them last: cover the card with clear packing tape or laminate it before punching, and the card can be laced again and again.

Lacing Cards Build Fine Motor Skills

Lacing is a favorite fine motor activity for preschool and kindergarten. Pushing yarn through a hole and pulling it out the other side builds the small hand muscles children need for writing, buttoning, and tying shoes.

It's also calm, quiet, hands-on work, just right for a busy-bag, a waiting room, a quiet corner in the classroom, or a rainy afternoon.

From the Garden

Most of these cards come straight from the garden: a sunflower, tulips, carrots, a bean plant, a bee, a watering can, a fall pumpkin, a scarecrow, a basket of apples, and a snowman standing guard over the winter kale.

Talk about the pictures as you lace. What does a bee do for the garden? How tall can a sunflower grow? Then plant a few big seeds together. Sunflowers, beans, and peas are easy for small hands. Our bean in a jar experiment and gardening with children pages have more ideas.

What age are lacing cards for?

Most children can lace from about age 3 with a little help. Older children enjoy coloring the black and white cards first.

Can I use embroidery floss instead of yarn?

For these hole-punched cards, yarn, raffia, or narrow ribbon is easiest. For finer stitching with embroidery floss, see our free printable garden sewing cards.

How many holes does each card have?

About 26 to 37, spaced about ¾ inch apart, so a hole punch reaches every one.

Can I use it on my phone?

It works best on a computer connected to your printer, where you can choose Actual size.

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