10 Red, White, and Blue Crafts for Children
With the Olympics on the horizon, you might be looking for ways to make their arrival both educational and entertaining for you and your children. If you're feeling patriotic, these red, white, and blue crafts are ideal for kids of all ages.
1. Flag prints
Use red construction paper and white paint as the base for this red, white, and blue craft, perfect for waving in the air as you cheer on Team USA during the London Olympics. Keep your child's hand and fingers closed as you place it sideways on the paper. Use red paint to complete the stripes out your child's fingers, and make blue fingerprint stars.
2. Popsicle frames
Let the kids paint popsicle sticks red, white, and blue. Then, glue them together and create frames you can use to show off pictures of them in their Independence Day gear!
3. Stars and stripes banners
Once your children are old enough to manage scissors, creating a banner of red, white, and blue stars and stripes to decorate around the television during the Olympics is a great idea! All you need are construction paper, scissors, and tape.
4. Patriotic flowers
Get out the tissue paper and teach the kids how to fold the paper into small rectangles and triangles and create tissue paper flowers by combining them with pipe cleaner stems. Be sure to use a vase to show off their handy work!
5. Foam cozies
Purchase red, white, and blue foam sheets from your local craft store. Cut them just wide enough to fit around a soda can and crazy glue them together into this cylinder shape. Let the kids cut out other shapes and use permanent markers to decorate their own foam cozies to keep their drinks cold while they watch the 2012 Olympics.
6. Team USA tie-dye
Get out your die-dye kit and prepare to tie-dye those red, white, and blue t-shirts with the kids. Teach the kids the art of rubber banding your t-shirt to get a swirl effect and the importance of letting the color soak into the shirt to get a darker, richer color.
7. Red, white, and blue pops
This fun craft/snack is a special treat for the entire family! Fill ice-cube trays full of red, white, and blue juice and then stick straws or Popsicle sticks into them. Freeze and pull out to snack on during a hot summer day!
8. Patriotic friendship bracelets
Now is the time to teach your elementary school-aged children the joy of friendship bracelets! You and the kids alike can show your team spirit during the London Olympics while sporting these fashionable, homemade accessories. Simply purchase embroidery thread in red, white, and blue, and teach your children to knot and braid the thread into their own works of art.
9. Olympic Chalk Village
Get out your red, white, and blue chalk and clear the cars from the driveway. Create your own Olympic Village, complete with houses for the athletes, arenas, swimming pools, and everything else the London athletes will need. When it washes away in the rain, start creating again tomorrow!
10. Team USA medals
You might not have been an Olympian, but you are an Olympic supporter, and that counts, too! Create your own Olympic medals to wear during the Olympic Closing Ceremonies. Use aluminum foil to create your medal. Then, use red, white, and blue ribbons to add some USA pride to your medals. Were you a silver medalist in the women's all-around gymnastics and a gold medalist in the men's beach volleyball? Make a medal for each and let your kids pretend to be their favorite Olympic champions!
Content by Kelly Herdrich.
