Easy 4th of July Flag Kids Craft

The craft stores are lined with expensive craft supplies. My own shelves are lines with expensive craft supplies for that matter. But when it comes to kids crafts, the best ones are made with simple materials — like this one. In fact, this craft is made with “trash.”

Upcycled Materials

A couple of years ago, my daughter and I made an Upcycled Easter Egg. That craft remains one of my favorites, and it comes out every year with the Easter decorations.This year, I decided to make a 4th of July version — a flag.

Sure. You can use new materials for this craft. But if you are able to reuse materials it is a great way to teach kids about upcycling and reusing what they already have. 

I never buy tissue paper — ever. Instead, I save every piece of tissue paper that comes in a gift (unless it is totally ripped up, of course.) I store it in a plastic box, and because I have been saving it for years I literally have every color of the rainbow. It is perfect for projects, and I am always ready to wrap a gift. Not to mention that I avoid excess waste!

So for this project I was able to reuse red, white and blue tissue paper.

Now you can make this project on paper, but because of how much glue is needed a stiffer cardboard is better. Another thing I frequently salvage are nice, sturdy pieces of cardboard that come in packages. My favorite ones are the ones that come in men’s dress shirts. I can’t remember where this handy piece came from, but I knew it would be good for something so I saved it. I was able to make two flags and another small project with it.

Back to the project…

Materials

• Red, White & Blue Tissue Paper
• Cardboard or construction paper

Print the Flag Template as a guide and copy it onto your cardboard or free hand your own flag. I didn’t bother with the stars, just the basic outline.

Cut your tissue paper into approximately one-inch squares. It does not need to be exact, and older kids can help with this. Tip – I fold the tissue paper and cut strips, then I cut squares from the strips.

Crumble your squares into little balls (great for little ones to practice fine motor skills). 

Spread a line of glue onto your first flag stripe and fill it with red tissue balls. Repeat all the way down the flag.

For the blue area, spread glue all over the rectangle and fill in sparingly with blue tissue. Then fill in with white.

Allow your flag to dry and display.