Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor members of the military who died in service, and for kids, it is also a day home from school. Keeping kids entertained on their days off can be challenging, so we've compiled a list of 20 crafts that you can create with your kids to make this a Memorial Day that they will never forget.
These American flag bead pins by Rock-A-Bye Parents make it easy for your child to display their patriotic spirit. To create these American flag bead pins, you’ll need 1 large safety pin, 7 medium-sized safety pins, 22 red beads, 18 white beads, and 9 blue beads.
How to Make an American Flag Bead Pin:
Put three blue beads, a white bead, a red bead, another white bead, and then another red bead onto a medium-sized safety pin. Repeat the process with 2 more medium-sized safety pins.
Put a red bead on a medium-sized safety pin, followed by a white bead. Alternate between red and white beads until you have 4 red and 3 white beads on the pin. Repeat this process with 3 more medium-sized safety pins.
Hook the bottoms of the beaded safety pins onto the large safety pin to create an American flag design. Then, pin the large pin to your shirt and wear your American flag bead pin with pride!
This adorable popsicle stick American flags craft by Kid Activities is perfect for young kids. To make popsicle stick American flags, you’ll need 12 jumbo craft sticks, wooden stars, red craft paint, white craft paint, blue craft paint, scissors, sponge brushes, and Mod Podge.
How to Make a Popsicle Stick Flag Banner:
Paint 4 wooden craft sticks with each paint color: red, blue, and white.
Paint the wooden stars white. Once the paint has dried, cut the blue sticks in half.
Use a sponge brush to coat the two unpainted popsicle sticks in Mod Podge, and then line up the red and white painted sticks horizontally across them.
Cover the painted sticks in decoupage, and then place the cut blue sticks into the top left corner of the flag.
Cover the blue square in decoupage, and place the white stars on top of it.
Allow the flag to dry overnight.
Once the flag is dry, trim the unpainted popsicle sticks, so they aren’t visible beneath the flags.
These suncatcher stars by Fun Learning for Kids are a simple craft that you can make using household items. Young kids will love watching the colors mix together as they squirt paint onto the stars. This craft is also an excellent way to practice fine motor skills.
To make suncatcher stars, you’ll need coffee filters, red and blue watercolors, a pencil, tape, scissors, and 2 small droppers or pipettes.
How to Make Suncatcher Stars:
Stack 12 coffee filters and flatten them out.
Draw a star on the top coffee filter with a pencil.
Cut the star out along with the whole stack of coffee filters underneath.
Line a craft tray or other work surface with wax paper.
Put out your paint and two droppers or pipettes.
Use the droppers to squirt paint onto the coffee filter stars, alternating between red and blue.
After the stars have dried, carefully remove them from the wax paper and tape them directly to the window.
This simple popsicle stick Uncle Sam craft by Glued To My Crafts is perfect for Memorial Day. To make a popsicle stick Uncle Sam, you’ll need 7 jumbo popsicle sticks, school glue, a small paper plate, red craft paint, white craft paint, blue craft paint, foam paint brushes, craft scissors, white cardstock paper, pink cardstock paper, 2 large wiggle eyes, and a pen or marker.
How to Make a Popsicle Stick Uncle Sam:
Assemble the base of your Uncle Sam by gluing your popsicle sticks together. Glue 6 popsicle sticks next to each other, with one popsicle stick across the center.
Set the popsicle sticks aside to dry.
Paint the top half of the popsicle sticks. Paint one popsicle stick red, then paint the next popsicle stick white. Repeat until you have painted the tops of all 6 popsicle sticks.
Paint the popsicle stick in the center blue.
Set the popsicle sticks aside to dry.
Trace your child’s hand onto a piece of white cardstock. Cut out the handprint.
Cut out a button nose from the pink cardstock.
Glue the handprint on the popsicle stick frame to look like a beard. Then, glue the eyes and nose in place.
These jar candles by Fantastic Fun and Learning are a great way to honor someone on Memorial Day. To make jar candles, you'll need a glass jar, white glue thinned a bit with water, a paintbrush, and some festive sequins.
How to Make a Memorial Day Jar Candle:
Use a paint brush to spread the glue mixture on the jar.
Sprinkle sequins on the jar until the jar is covered.
Let the jar dry, then drop in a battery-operated tea light.
This patriotic star wreath by The Resourceful Mama is an easy craft that young kids will love. To make a paper plate star wreath, you'll need a paper plate, red paper, blue paper, red, white, and blue ribbon, glue, and scissors.
How to Make a Paper Plate Star Wreath:
Cut out the center of the paper plate.
Cut out stars from the red paper and blue paper.
Glue the stars onto the paper plate, alternating between red and blue.
After gluing on the stars, attach a piece of ribbon to the back of the plate.
Make a bow out of the ribbon and attach it to the top of the wreath.
7. Spirit Wands
These spirit wands by Buggy and Buddy are a fun way for kids of all ages to display their patriotism. These spirit wands are perfect for Memorial Day parades and other patriotic events. To make a spirit wand, you'll need a wooden dowel, a screw eye, red, white, and blue ribbons, and optionally, a star garland.
How to Make Spirit Wands:
Screw the screw eye into the top of the dowel.
Cut some ribbons of any length.
Thread the ribbons, one at a time, through the loop and double knot it.
Tie as many ribbons as you’d like. You can also add a star garland to give the spirit wand extra sparkle!
After a long day of celebrations and recollection, light up the night with these tin can luminaries by Days of a Domestic Dad. To make tin can luminaries, you'll need an empty tin can, red, white, and blue paint (or colors of your choice), a paintbrush, tea light candles, a hammer, and a nail.
How to Make Tin Can Luminaries:
Empty and rinse out the tin can.
Peel all labels from the empty can and dispose of the lid.
Place the can on a steady surface.
Use the hammer and nail to gently punch holes in the side of the can.
Paint your desired design on the can. Let the paint dry completely.
Carefully Pplace a tea light candle carefully atinto the bottom of the can.
Light the candle.
Your kids will love decorating and playing with this stars-and-stripes paper bag kite by Fun Loving Families. This craft is a great toy for a windy summer day or your Memorial Day barbecue. To make a stars-and-stripes paper bag kite, you'll need white star stickers, blue paper bags, craft sticks, red and white crepe streamers, and yarn or string.
How to Make aA Stars-and-Stripes Paper Bag Kite:
Put star stickers all over your paper bag,
Cut a small hole in the center of the bottom of your bag.
Insert one end of your yarn through the hole in the bag, and tie it securely to a craft stick on the other end.
Tie another craft stick to the opposite end of the yarn. Wrap the yarn around the craft stick to make the handle for the kite.
Glue your streamers all around the top of the inside of the bag.
Fly your kite!
These shaving cream fireworks by I Can Teach My Child are a messy sensory experience that is great for young kids. To make shaving cream fireworks, you'll need shaving cream, red and blue paint or food coloring, toothpicks, paper, a pan with low sides, and stiff paper or cardboard.
How to Make Shaving Cream Fireworks:
Start by filling up the pan with shaving cream.
Use stiff paper or cardboard to smooth out the shaving cream. Try to get the shaving cream somewhat level so that the paint or food coloring stays in a circle and doesn't run.
Drop dots of red and blue paint all over the shaving cream.
Use a toothpick to draw lines straight from the center of each paint dot to the edge, so each paint dot looks like a sun. Then, use one drop of the opposite color in the middle of each dot to create a two-toned firework.
Lay the paper on the shaving cream and pat very gently to make a print. Let the paint soak into the paper for a minute, then gently peel the paper off the shaving cream.
Use the stiff paper or cardboard to scrape the excess shaving cream from the paper. You now have a beautiful fireworks painting!
This patriotic paper plate windcatcher by Crafty Morning is a simple craft that you can use to decorate outdoors on Memorial Day. This festive craft is a great way for young kids to practice their scissor skills. To make a patriotic paper plate windcatcher, you'll need paper plates, a paintbrush, scissors, a hole punch, glue, red, white, and blue paint, and ribbon or string.
How to Make a Patriotic Paper Plate Windcatcher:
Cut a star out of one of the paper plates & paint it blue. Next, paint red stripes onto the front & back of another plate.
Cut the plate into a spiral.
Punch a hole into the biggest part of the spiral and the top and bottom of the star.
Tie the spiral to the bottom of the star.
Tie a piece of string to the top of the star and hang your patriotic paper plate wind catcher outside.
This American flag collage by Meaningful Mama offers a great opportunity to talk to children about the importance of the American flag and the values that it represents. To make an American flag collage, you'll need old magazines, scissors, poster board, blue stock paper, or blue construction paper, glue sticks, a star-shaped paper punch, and 18-inch long white paper.
How to Make an American Flag Collage:
Look through old magazines and cut out any picture that has red, white, or blue.
Cut out an 18-inch by 13-inch piece of poster board. Draw stripes on the poster board. Each stripe should measure one inch thick.
Cut out an 8-inch by 7-inch rectangle of blue construction paper or stock paper.
Cut out an 18-inch by 6-inch piece of white paper.
Fill the blue square with all the blue images you cut from the magazines. Trim the edges to keep the images square.
Glue your red images to the poster board on the space drawn for the red stripes. It is okay if the images flow over the edges, and that is okay.
Create the white collage on the 18-inch by 6-inch paper. Once your images are glued down, cut the paper into six 18-inch by 1-inch strips. These white collage strips will be glued down between the red strips on the poster board.
Punch out 50 white stars using the star paper punch to glue down to the blue collage square. If you do not have a star paper punch, you can use shiny star stickers. Then, glue the blue square onto the poster board flag.
These American flag craft roll rockets by The Crafting Chicks are fun for kids of all ages. To make American flag craft roll rockets, you'll need craft rolls, red and blue paint, glue, and ribbon.
How To Make American Flag Craft Roll Rockets:
Paint the craft rolls with red and blue acrylic paint.
Use a glass to trace 2 circles onto white card stock paper. Cut out each circle and cut a small triangle from each circle.
Decorate the circles with red and blue markers.
Wrap each decorated circle around itself and glue or tape it together to create a cone. This will be the top of the rocket.
Hot glue the rocket top to the craft roll.
Glue red, white, and blue satin ribbons to the inside of the craft roll.
Decorate your rocket.
Celebrate Memorial Day with a bang with these American flag confetti poppers by Happiness Is Homemade. These confetti poppers are a fun craft for kids of all ages. To make confetti poppers, you'll need 9-inch balloons, empty toilet paper tubes, packing tape, fringe scissors, patterned paper, stickers, glitter, metallic tissue paper, gift bag filler, or pre-made patriotic confetti.
How to Make American Flag Confetti Poppers:
Knot the balloon, and cut off the tip. Stretch the balloon tightly around the toilet paper tube, and secure it with a strip of packing tape.
Use patterned paper, stickers, markers, and glitter to decorate the tubes.
If you don't have pre-made confetti, you can make homemade confetti by cutting gift bag filler into small pieces with fringe scissors.
Add at least 3 tablespoons of confetti to each tube. Use a funnel or a rolled piece of paper to help guide the confetti into the tube if necessary.
To launch the confetti, pull down on the bottom knot of the balloon and let go! The confetti will shoot high up into the air with a loud "Pop!"
These pompom bald eagles by The Soccer Mom Blog are an adorable Memorial Day craft for young kids. To make pompom bald eagles, you'll need 1-inch white pompoms, 2-inch brown pompoms, orange craft felt, googly eyes, craft glue, brown craft foam, and yellow craft foam.
How to Make Pompom Bald Eagles:
Fold the orange craft foam sheet in half. Cut out feet for your eagle on the crease.
Glue the large brown pompom onto your orange foam feet using the hot glue gun.
Glue the white pompom onto the top of your brown pompom.
Cut out a small triangle of yellow craft foam for the beak and glue it to the center of the white pom pom.
Glue two googly eyes above the yellow triangle beak.
This simple patriotic paper windsock by Kids Activities makes a great outdoor decoration. To make a patriotic paper windsock, you'll need 12 by 18-inch white construction paper, red, white, and blue star stickers, red, white, and blue crepe paper cut into 12-inch strips, white ribbon, and tape.
How to Make a Patriotic Paper Windsock:
Decorate the construction paper with markers or star stickers.
Flip the paper over, then tape the red, white, and blue streamers to the back.
Pull the paper into a cylinder shape with the stars facing the outside. Tape down the “seam” of the windsock, reinforcing the edges with extra tape.
Create a handle by taping a ribbon to the inside of the paper windsock.
This fireworks marble painting by Kids Activities is a great Memorial Day craft for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners. To make a fireworks marble painting, you'll need marbles, washable paint, paper, and a cookie sheet.
How tTo Make aA Fireworks Marble Painting:
Place your white paper inside the cookie sheet.
Place a tiny squirt of paint in the pan.
Roll the marbles around in the pan.
Let the painting dry.
These festive fireworks pompoms by The Suburban Mom are a simple craft that makes a great Memorial Day decoration. Your kids can also wave these pompoms as they watch the fireworks. To make fireworks pompoms, you'll need newspaper, food coloring, dried-up markers or watercolors, coffee filters, paintbrushes, a straw, and tape.
How to Make Fireworks Pompoms:
How To Make Fireworks Pompoms:
Lay down a thick layer of newspaper to protect your work surface.
Mix food coloring and water to create the paint for your coffee filters. If you want more vibrant colors, use a pair of pliers to remove the inner core from the dried-up markers and add them to the colored water.
Paint the coffee filters.
Lay your coffee filters out to dry.
After the filters are dry, fold a coffee filter in eighths. Make two cuts in the folded coffee filter about 3/4 of the way up. Then cut along each of the folds to about the same height. Unfold the filter, and you will have fringed edges.
Gather the center of three filters and tape them around the top of a straw.
Fluff the fringed filters to create the hand-held fireworks.
This rocking paper plate Uncle Sam by Red Ted Art is an easy Memorial Day craft for preschoolers. To make a rocking paper plate Uncle Sam, you'll need a paper plate, paint, scissors, a glue stick, a pen, and red, blue, white, and pink paper.
How to Make a Rocking Paper Plate Uncle Sam:
Fold your paper plate in half.
Paint the semi-circle in the center of the folded paper plate pink and let it dry to make Uncle Sam's face. You can also cut out a semi-circle of pink paper. Glue the paper onto the paper plate so that the straight edge of the paper lines up with the fold in the paper plate.
To make Uncle Sam's hat, Start by measuring the width of the face and cutting a long rectangle of this width out of red paper.
Next, cut out strips of white paper and glue them onto the red paper to create a red and white pattern.
Lastly, cut a long thin blue rectangle that is about 4 centimeters wide and longer than the width of the red paper. The blue paper will become the brim of your hat. Glue the blue paper across the red and white stripes.
Draw a five-pointed star on a piece of white paper. Stack 5 pieces of white paper and cut the star shape out of all of the pieces at once to create 5 stars. Glue these stars onto the brim of the hat.
To complete Uncle Sam's face, cut out 2 eyes, 2 rosy cheeks, and a mustache.
Once the face is completely dry, glue on the facial features, draw on a nose, and glue the hat to the back of your paper plate.
20. Patriotic Slime
This patriotic slime by Crafts by Amanda is a fun Memorial Day project that all kids will love. To make patriotic slime, you'll need clear glue, baking soda, saline solution, iridescent glitter, star sequins, and red and blue food coloring.
How to Make Patriotic Slime:
Empty the entire 4 oz bottle of clear glue into a plastic bowl.
Add one tablespoon of baking soda and one tablespoon of saline solution.
Stir until baking soda is dissolved and the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. At some point, you will need to knead with your hands. If the slime is still sticky, squirt in a little more saline solution until it becomes easier to pull.
Pour in your desired amount of iridescent glitter.
Mix the slime until the sequins and glitter are distributed evenly.
Take 2 helpings of slime from the white slime batch and put them into two small bowls.
Add 3 or 4 drops of red food coloring to one batch and 3 or 4 drops of blue food coloring to the other batch. Knead the batches with your hands.
Place the red, white, and blue slime next to each other. Then, roll all of the slimes into a cylinder shape to blend them.
Make memories with your kids this Memorial Day with these fun patriotic crafts.
Whether you are taking time to remember a lost loved one or celebrating the unofficial start of summer, make this a Memorial Day to remember by trying these crafts with your kids.