When exams are around the corner, they take over everything. Your table fills up with notes, your mind keeps circling dates, topics, lessons and results. But sometimes, the best way to deal with that pressure isn’t to push harder, it’s to take a small break and do something a little different.

So, in the middle of all this exam chaos, I thought, why not make something useful — but with a twist! This is not just any bookmark, but a snake bookmark. A tiny, playful companion that slips into your notes or books and “bites” exactly where you want it to.

Things you need:

1. Sketch pad or paper
2. Scissors/paper cutter
3. Ruler
4. Black cardboard
5. Glue stick
6. Pencil
7. Black and red markers

Directions:

1. If you can draw a snake, that’s the best option as it makes the whole process more creative. However, if you don’t want to draw, you can download a stencil from the internet, print it and cut it out on any coloured paper.

I enjoy drawing, so I sketched my snake according to how it would slither along the page of a book; picture

2. Make sure the width of the snake is more than 1 cm, and at curls make it a bit wider. Then fill it with colour. I chose red, pictures 3 and 4.

3. Use a black marker for the outline and add a simple pattern on the snake. You can create any design you like, picture 5.

4. This part needs a bit of care. Cut the snake out from the sketch paper. Because of the curls, cutting can be tricky, but the result is worth it, see pictures 6 and 7.

5. To make the bookmark sturdy, cut the same snake shape out of cardboard. I used black, but you can choose any colour.

6. Then paste the coloured snake on top of the cardboard sheet. This makes it firm, pictures 8 and 9.

Your bookmark is ready — a fun and interesting touch to your exam prep!

The writer can be contacted at ithecraftman@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 25th, 2026