Patriotic Crafts for Kids

With Memorial Day right around the corner, it feels like we are hitting patriotic crafting season in the United States. We happen to have lots of patriotic holidays during the summer, so anything red, white and blue fits right in. Of course these colors are used by a lot of countries, so just because you’re not American doesn’t mean you can’t use some of these patriotic crafts or adapt them for the colors and symbols of your nation.

This patriotic window decoration from Kinder Craze is a great example. If your flag has a star you can change up the colors, or even just do it with stripes if your flag only has solid colors.

Speaking of stars, this red white and blue star fingerprint craft from Our Kid Things was made for Memorial Day, but it’s great to make any time in the patriotic holiday season. If you’re in a different country and stars aren’t part of your flag, you can just make a fun star craft that isn’t necessarily patriotic.

The red white and blue spinner craft from Crafty Morning is made out of a paper plate and could of course be made in any colors and even with a different shape instead of the star. So cute and a great way to practice scissors skills!

Buggy and Buddy has a cute idea for patriotic wands you can make with leftover ribbons and things if you have the right colors in the house. This version uses a wooden dowel with a screw eye, but you could also just tie the ribbons to a stick if you don’t have a screw eye handy.

Kids can help roll the tubes for this paper wreath craft from Home Talk, but it uses a lot of hot glue so an adult or older kid should be in charge of the assembly. Or practice fine motor skills by making a red, white and blue clothespin wreath, like this one from Kippi at Home.

You can also keep it classic and make a paper chain to use as decor for all your cookouts and patriotic holidays. This one from A Pumpkin and a Princess used striped scrapbook paper and star stickers, but you could do it with just red, white and blue construction paper as well.

Make Straw Rockets for an Easy 4th of July Activity

Handprint Flag for 4th of July

Simple 4th of July Shaker

Easy Kids Crafts for Fourth of July

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Learning about Flag Day for Kids

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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