Art and Craft Projects for Memorial Day

Craft Stick Flags | Craft Stick Coaster | Fireworks Painting |
Patriotic Paper Chains | Paper Tube Sparklers |
Red, White, and Blue Collage | Shimmering Stars

Craft Stick Flags

Materials Needed

• Wooden craft sticks (4 1/2" x 3/8")(10 per child)
• 3 x 5 index cards
• Wood glue
• Red, white, and blue paint
• Paintbrushes
• Small star stamp (optional)
• White pigmented ink (optional)
• Protective sealant (optional)
• Paint smocks
• Newspaper

Cover work area with newspaper. Give each child a paint smock, a paintbrush, and10 craft sticks. Instruct children to count out five craft sticks and paint them red. Count out four more and paint them white. Set the remaining stick aside temporarily.

Allow painted craft sticks to dry thoroughly. Glue painted craft sticks to an index card in alternating red-white-red order. (Be sure to begin and end with red.)

Allow glue to dry. Trim off card excess. Then, paint a blue rectangle (approximately 1.5" -- 4 sticks -- tall by 2" wide) in the upper left-hand corner of the flag shape. Allow blue paint to dry.

Use tiny star stamp to stamp white stars onto blue paint. If you cannot find very small star stamps, simply use paint and the handle of the paintbrush to make white dots. Allow these to to dry.

Spray protective sealant onto flag if desired. Finally, glue unpainted craft stick vertically along left edge of flag. This will serve as the flag pole.

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Craft Stick Coasters

Materials Needed

Cover work area with newspaper. Give each child a paint smock, a paintbrush, and 15 craft sticks. Instruct children to paint six sticks blue, paint six sticks red, and leave three sticks unpainted.

Allow painted sticks to dry. Place unpainted sticks vertically on newspaper with approximately 1 1/2" between them. Lay painted sticks horizontally across the top in alternating blue-red pattern and glue them in place.

Allow glue to dry. Use white paint to paint stars, hearts, or other designs on top. After white designs dry, coat surface with waterproof sealant and allow to dry overnight.

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Fireworks Painting

Materials Needed

• Black construction paper
• Box lid
• Red, white, and blue paint
• Marbles
• Glitter (optional)

Place sheet of paper inside box lid. (A paper box lid is ideal.) Dip marble in first color of paint. Drop marble into box lid on top of paper and roll around. Repeat with other colors (multiple times, if desired). For extra fireworks sparkle, sprinkle still-wet paint with glitter, dust off excess, and allow painting to dry.

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Patriotic Paper Chains

Materials Needed

• Red, white, and blue construction paper
• Ruler
• Pencils
• Scissors
• Tape, glue or stapler

Place construction paper on flat surface. Use ruler to cut paper into strips of even widths. For tighter chains, cut paper into sixteen 9" x 3/4" strips. For looser chains, cut paper into nine 12" x 1" strips.

Fold the first strip into a circle and glue, tape, or staple closed. Loop the second strip through the first strip, secure, and continue with third strip.

Younger children may wish to experiment with various color patterns -- ABC, AABBCC, ABCCBA, etc.

For very young children or to save time, you may use a paper cutter to pre-cut strips.

For added interest, shimmering stars may be hung from paper chains at regular intervals.

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Paper Tube Sparklers

Materials Needed

• Newspapers
• Craft Smocks
• Empty toilet paper rolls
• Red or blue paint
• Paintbrushes
• Star stickers
• Glitter glue (optional)
• Metallic silver, blue and/or red shredded paper (craft paper shred)
• Tape
• Stapler

Cover work area with newspaper. Give each child a craft smock, a paintbrush, and an empty toilet paper roll. Have children paint toilet paper rolls red or blue and set them aside to dry.

While rolls are drying, give each child a large handful of metallic paper shreds. Instruct children to count out 20 strips, tape around the base of them, and set them aside. Repeat process five more times (creating a total of six bunches).

Once toilet paper rolls are dry, tape or staple the bunches of shreds in even intervals around the top. Finally, return sparklers to children, and encourage children to further decorate them with stickers and/or glitter glue.

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Red, White, and Blue Collage

Materials Needed

• Black construction paper
• Red, white, and blue tissue paper
• Glue

Give each child a sheet of black construction paper, along with red, white, and blue tissue paper. Show children how to tear tissue paper into tiny pieces. Instruct them to use the colored pieces to create a picture of their choosing.

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Shimmering Stars

Materials Needed

• Newspaper
• Craft smocks
• Star patterns (pre-cut from heavy cardboard; one for every 4-5 children)
• Cardstock
• Pencils
• Scissors
• Red or blue paint
• Paintbrushes
• Salt

Cover work area with newspaper. Divide children into groups of four or five, and supply each group with star patterns, paint, and a styrofoam tray of salft. Give each child a craft smock, a piece of cardstock, a pencil, and scissors. Show children how to trace star onto cardstock and cut it out. Allow time for all children to trace and cut their stars.

Next, collect pencils and scissors and give each child a paintbrush. Instruct children to paint their star red or blue, then dip it into the tray of salt while the paint is still wet. As the paint/salt combination dries, the salt will give the star a shimmering, sparkling appearance.

Finished stars may be hole-punched and hung from the ceiling, added into patriotic paper chains, or displayed on a bulletin board as desired.

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Links to Other Resources:

Arts and Crafts for Veterans Day -- A collection of related art and craft activities.

Five-Pointed Star in One Snip -- Follow the directions on this page to make five-pointed stars the same way they were made for America's first flag.

Patriotic Preschool Activities and Crafts -- Craft templates and printable coloring pages for younger children.