Open a manilla file folder. Fold the right and left edges over to meet the center. Press the newly-created folds flat on either side of the folder. This will enable the folder to open at the center.
Cut out eight, 3-by-6-inch rectangles with scissors out of construction paper. Fold each rectangle in half, lengthwise.
Open the folder and apply glue to one side of one of the folded rectangles, then press the glued side onto the inside of the folder. This will become a flap that your child can write a poem or draw a picture onto. Allow the glue to dry for 10 minutes.
Add as many flaps as you prefer to the inside of the folder. Each flap can contain new information.
Close the file folder, then draw a picture onto the folded front with colored pencils. Create an illustration that is symbolic of the topic you are creating the lapbook about.