Paper Sunflower Craft for Kids (Free Template)
This paper sunflower craft is perfect for all ages! Create this gorgeous design this spring with this step-by-step tutorial and free download. When you’re done, check out this simple origami sunflower tutorial. This post contains affiliate links.
Each flower is uniquely beautiful – sunflowers never fail to impress with their large, brightly colored round heads, and their stature. They practically shout out that it’s a beautiful day to shine and grow!
This paper sunflower craft is especially beautiful, with complementary colors and a gentle 3D effect that makes it really pop. It would look great as a bulletin board or as fun wall decorations. It’s mounted on a popsicle stick (optional), so you can even stick it into a pot filled with clay to use as a little kid-made decor.
If you want a more grown-up variety that is properly stemmed (and not flat), or you prefer an SVG format for the template, check out these paper sunflower templates.
Even though the 3-D folded paper looks impressive, it’s still flat enough to use on a card for Mother’s Day or another occasion, especially if it will be hand-delivered.
The purpose of the folds are uniquely to give it some texture and dimension, and that’s what makes this paper sunflower craft for kids so lovely.
This sophisticated design is actually remarkably easy to make. Older children and adults will enjoy the relaxing process and beautiful result, but even a very young crafter should be able to do it with just a little modeling and assistance.
The shapes are fairly simple to cut, and most of the folds are very simple, too – I’ve included instructions to simplify it even further if needed. This makes it an excellent fine motor skills activity and provides a refreshing change from simpler cut and paste designs.
And yes, it’ll look fabulous even if not cut perfectly!
I recommend liquid glue (regular or tacky) for this project. School glue can work as well but won’t be as secure.
Use small dots of glue so that they dry efficiently and so the pieces don’t slide around (this is less of an issue with tacky glue).
If your crafting partners are very young, you can put some glue in a cup and have them use a stick or paintbrush to dab small amounts of glue onto the project. This can work better than squeeze bottles for moderating the amount of glue that comes out.
Get ready to greet the sunshine with this beautiful sunflower paper craft!
What you’ll need
- Construction paper or colored cardstock in two shades of yellow, brown, and green
- Popsicle sticks – you can use green ones OR
- Green paint
- Scissors
- Liquid glue
- Pencil
- Markers (optional)
Download the template at the end of the post.
How to make a paper sunflower craft for kids
1. Get your papers ready! We used two different shades of yellow for the petals, green for the leaf, and brown for the twirl at the center of the flower. We used yellow for the base, too.
Next, cut out the template pieces and trace them onto the colored papers. You’ll need 8 of the larger petals in one color, and 8 of the small petals in a different shade. Cut out all the petals along with a leaf, base, and twirl pattern.
2. Fold each petal cutout in half symmetrically. Gently crease it along the middle, and then unfold it most of the way – so that you can see the full petal shape, but it isn’t lying flat.
3. Take the base cutout and apply 4 drops of glue spaced evenly around the edge (top, bottom, right, and left)
4. Take 4 of the large petals and stick them onto the glue drops. The rounded edge of each petal should overlap the base while the pointed end sticks out.
5. Put four more glue dots in between these petals, and attach the remaining four large petals. They will overlap the first four petals.
6. Create your next layer using the smaller petals, the same way you did the large, overlapping each other. Position them in between the larger petals so that you can still see the tips of the larger petals sticking out.
7. Fold the leaf in half. While it is still folded in half, fold it accordion style at a diagonal angle to the half fold. When you unfold it, the creases will look like veins on the leaf.
Very young crafters can simply fold the leaf in half and unfold it as you did for the petals, if the accordion fold is too difficult.
8. Take the spiral cutout. Roll up the paper, starting from the outer edge.
9. Keep rolling until you reach the center of the spiral. Use a bit of glue to hold it together.
10. Glue the rolled-up spiral to the center of the flower base.
Take a popsicle stick and paint or color it green. Let it dry completely.
11. Glue the sunflower base to the end of the popsicle stick. Glue the leaf to the stick below the flower.
Your paper sunflower craft for kids is complete!
Download the paper sunflower craft template
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