These light up paper circuit cards were much easier to make than I expected and only need a few inexpensive materials.
They're a great way to learn about circuits and electricity. You can make a simple, basic circuit or a more complicated series or parallel circuit. I've created a free template to make the activity as easy as possible.
Electric current is the flow of charge around a circuit, it can only flow if the circuit is complete. This means that if there's a gap in the circuit the LED won't light up.
A battery acts like a pump, pushing the electric charge around the circuit.
Paper Circuit Cards
You'll need
- A4 card
- Button battery - 3V CR2032 works well
- Copper tape - adhesive back tape is easiest to use
- Scissors
- LEDs
- Tape
Use my free card templates or draw your own!
Adult supervision is needed with this activity.
Paper Circuit Card Templates
Instructions
Either print out one of my templates or draw a picture on the outside of a folded piece of A4 card that you can insert a coloured LED into.
LEDs and Batteries
Look at the LED, the long leg is postitive + and the short leg is negative -.
The top of the battery is positive and the bottom is negative.
Plan your circuit
A simple circuit has one battery, one LED and a complete square made with copper tape.
We left a gap in the circuit that is only closed wheh the card is closed. This means the LEDs light up only when the card is closed and the circuit is complete.
When making the cicruit the copper tape attached to the long leg of the LED should lead into the positive side of the battery.
What is my LED doesn't light up?
Check the circuit, try flipping the battery or the LED.
Press down on the copper tape to make sure there are no looose connnections.
Make sure the copper tape isn't touching itself by the LED legs or the battery as this can cause a short circuit.
Once you've mastered a basic circuit, try a parallel circuit with 2 LEDs.
If you enjoyed the activity, don't forget to check out my other easy electricity projects.
Last Updated on December 22, 2025 by Emma Vanstone
Leave a Reply