This page you are on is a complete tutorial on how to make this paper castle. Just a little bit down the page it begins.
Here is the paper and cardboard castle that you build in this project.
The picture you see here is the castle in an unpainted form and ready for you to paint.
I do have other free paper castle projects Here is a look. Click on the image if you would like to go to that tutorial. They are complete - with full instructions and all the parts. You print it up, cut the parts out and put it all together.
 
 
I also have more intricate and detailed paper castle projects that are for sale -five dollars each through patreon. Click on the image to go to the Patreon product page.
Note: These projects are now available for free right here on my website!
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Click on the thumbnail to go to that project.)   
- Marginalia Castle - This is a unique twist on the paper castle. It is a marginalia castle taken from authentic medieval drawings and doodles.
- Leon Cathedral - A Paper replica of the actual cathedral in Leon Spain
- Carcassonne Castle - A replica of the Knight's Templar castle in France
Let's Continue with the paper castle project:
There are some unique things about this project and this castle. The whole thing fits on an 81/2 x 11 sheet of paper which makes it a manageable project and not too time consuming.
I give you all the components on paper so you can print them out and cut them out. All you need is a few basic supplies and tools.
A Learning tool: I have included a fact and information sheet about this castle and it points out the major structures and how they work. It's a good tool for learning about the why and how of castles. This model castle follows these learning points perfectly. So a child can learn about castles while it is being built.
Parts and Tools Needed for this Project
- 3 Empty Cereal Boxes
- White Glue or paste
- 4 Bathroom Tissue tubes or 2 Paper towel tubes - if you use paper towel tubes cut them to 4 and a half inches in height so you have four of them (1 for each tower)
- Scissors
- Masking Tape (optional)
- 7 Page printout of the castle design and parts (included here)
Some General tips about making the castle before you begin
About Glue: You should always use the glue very sparingly. If you use a real lot it will distort the paper and the cardboard a bit and make it look a bit wrinkled.
About the Cardboard cereal boxes: You can make this whole project without using any cardboard. You can just cutout, fold, and glue all the different paper parts together but this is very challenging! It takes a deft hand and very minimal glue. Best results are if you use cardboard. It will add stability to your castle.
Coloring the castle parts: You can color all the parts and add designs after you print out the pages and before you build the castle (this is preferred if you are going to be using crayons). Or you can build the castle then color it in after it's done (This is preferred if you are going to be using water colors or paints).
The Castle Base: It would be better (for strength) if you can glue the base of the castle to a thicker corrugated box type cardboard. If you don't have any then cereal box cardboard will be fine.
Extras: Here are some suggestions for making your cardboard and paper castle better.
- Add a blue construction paper moat around it
- Make another building and add it into the model.
- Add small toy figures
- Paint a small garden on the inside of the castle
- Paint the courtyard a dirt or sand color
- I have a teeny tiny catapult project that you can build and storm this castle with!
Let"s Make this Paper Castle!
Here is the learning sheet about castles that goes along with this project Learning about Castles (Microsoft Word doc).If you can't get the word document I also have it here on a webpage for you to print out here. I also have this complete package in a pdf which is easy to download and print PDF of the Paper Castle Project
Here is the 8 page document you can print out that gives you all the parts of the castle Castle Parts (Microsoft Word doc) If you have trouble with the Word document here are the eight pages in a jpg picture form so you can print them:
Step 1: Printout and cut out all the various shapes from the booklet of parts. Glue these parts down onto the cereal box cardboard. Once the glue has dried you can then cut out the cardboard shapes. Leave the paper on! You may want to glue the paper to the colored side of the cardboard. It will hide the color and will make painting the castle easier. I show here that I glued to the plain inside of the boxes.
When gluing the castle parts to the cardboard use a liberal amount of glue all over the cardboard but keep it thin (not big globs or lines) and use a cotton swab stick to spread it around.
Glue the tower walls to your four tower tubes. They should be four and a half inches tall. Cut out circle tower tops and fold them into cone shapes. use a very small amount of glue to do this. Finally, apply glue to the top of the towers and glue the tower cones on top! After you put the cone on top hold your finger on it for a minute to allow the glue to dry. Or put a couple of small pieces of tape to hold it on top while it dries.
Bending Tip: When bending the various sharp edges of your castle use a rule or a piece of wood. It will help you keep all the edges straight and sharp.
Now cut out the tower keep, tower keep roof, and the gatehouse. Fold them up and glue them. Glue the roof of the keep into the tower keep. I folded the keep but didn't glue it closed, I then glued three edges of the roof into place and finally glued the tower closed.
Now you are ready to glue all your parts to the base of the castle. You should have a keep tower (biggest) a gatehouse, 4 round towers, and 6 tower wall sections.
For the best looking results you should glue the parts to the base in a linear sequence something like I have shown here. Glue the tower labeled 1 down first. Then glue the wall section (2) to it. Then glue the gatehouse, then section 4. Continue all the way around until you are done. Doing it in sequence like this will give you the best results in look.
Finally, Cut the tips off the tower tops and glue a toothpick or trimmed cotton swap stick into it. These are the flag poles. Finally glue your flags onto the poles. (Paint or color the flags first!)
Where Do we go from Here? Have some fun painting and decorating your paper medieval castle. You can also glue lots of things to it like string, yard, glitter or even macaroni!
More Castle Projects Coming: I am currently beginning work on two more cardboard castle projects. The second one is table top sized but larger, more complex and based on a real castle. And the third one is a very large floor model that will be between six and eight feet in size so you can climb right into it! Check back again to this page or the home page here. Have Fun with your castle and share it with your friends!
New: Make a castle out of a cardboard box
One box is all you need to make this castle. You get the doube benefit of making it and using it for play. Great looking and easy to make castle. Make a castle out of a cardboard box.
The Paper Blacksmith Shop
This project is available to my Patrons as a thankyou for supporting me. It is completely designed by me. Patrons can download it, print it, and put it together. Learn more about this blacksmith shop and how to become a patron right here ( Note that you can also purchase the kit if you prefer; through paypal or etsy.)
The Paper Wine Cellar
This project is availabe to my Patrons as a thankyou for supporting me. It is completely designed by me. Patrons can download it, print it, and put it together. Learn more about this wine cellar how to become a patron here how to become my Patron right here ( Note that you can also purchase it if you prefer; through paypal or etsy.)
 Usborne Make a Medieval Castle - Complete kit with parts and instructions.
Printed on stiff card, this book contains templates to cut out and construct a superb model of a 14th century castle crammed with authentic detail. The model includes miniature characters for re-creating castle life, including market stalls and jousting knights as well as a portcullis that lifts and falls. The base of the model measures 59 x 46cm.
Clever Paper Knight's Castle with Figures
- Skill Level: 2
- All pieces have a 3D texture finish for an authentic appearance
- Includes two squads with fifty-three figures with foam stands to bring your castle to life
- Historically accurate to complete your Medieval city
- Easy assembly: no glue or scissors required
Cut & Assemble a Medieval Castle: A Full-Color Model of Caernarvon Castle in Wales
Make This Medieval Village (Cut Outs)
Easy-to-Make Castle (Models & Toys)
I have lots more Paper Castles kits right here including the fantastic Schreiber Bogen castles.
The Medieval Port - Fun project that is a little different than the typical castle build. Layout the city and its kind of fun. The Medieval Port
The Wizard's Castle - This is a fun little paper castle you can buy and put together. I did it, and show you pictures and a little video. The Wizard's Castle
Want to see another paper castle build? This is the easy paper castle. Suitable for kids 8 and up. The Easy Paper Castle
Want to make a castle out of foam and plaster? A web vistitor (Michael) has sent in pictures of his castles and how he makes them: How to Make a foam and Plaster Castle
A Tatebanko Castle: Tatebanko is the almost lost art of Japanese Paper Dioramas. This is a complete kit that you download, print up and make. It is a castle scene inside a box. Easy to make and should take about an hour. You just need the basics like scissors, glue and a cereal box or two. Make a Tatebanko Castle
Caernarvon Castle Paper Diorama
I bought a paper castle project, put it together, and added some scenery. A whole lot of fun for ten dollars worth of stuff. Inluded with this tutorial is a video and a stop motion animation.
Paper Castle Diorama Project
Can you build your own paper castle? Sure you can! Here is a great paper castle built by a web visitor. You can see more pics here
Here is another great castle built by a couple of web visitors ( Poppy and Dylan from Wales, UK ). It came out terrific, with some great colored turrets, a nice flag and a dragon atop the main tower! It too has a moat! And of course a drawbridge - which is a great idea you might want to do with your castle. Thanks to Poppy and Dylan for making this great castle! If you want to see a larger picture I have one here: Poppy and Dylan's Castle
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