Paper Flower Art

Paper flowers? Sure, why not? Read on to find out how you and your child can make these crafty creations.

 

It’s spring! Or, it’s still chilly outside, but you’re wishfully imagining the birds singing and flowers blooming. Regardless of the weather outside, isn’t a bouquet better when it comes from your little love’s creative hands than from the overly-expensive florist in town? I mean, you can chop down your freshly sprung garden – but do you really want to look at ragged stems all summer? A few years ago I started making teeny tiny paper flowers. They were so sweetly delicate and made the perfect adornment to baby shower gift wrap or just about anything else that I could glue them on. Over-sizing the flowers (taking up a standard-sized piece of printer paper) makes for an easy kids’ craft that your child can turn into a Mother’s Day present or simply make just for art’s sake.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·         Thin paper: You can use regular printer paper or opt for a patterned origami version.

·         Kids safety scissors

·         Markers

·         Crayons, oil pastels or tempera paints (with or without a brush)

·         Clear drying school glue

·         Clear tape

Here’s What To Do:

1.      Draw a spiral onto a sheet of paper with a marker. Instead of making perfectly curved lines, encourage your child to make them wavy or squiggled. This will: 1. Show her that art doesn’t have to be “perfect” and, 2. Make her flower come out more natural looking. The width between the lines should be at least two inches. I’d give you an easy-to-use printable for your child to just cut out, but what fun is that? Your child (even a preschooler) is perfectly capable of drawing a swirling spiral, and if she thinks that she can’t – be a cheerleader and help her to try.

2.      Starting at the outside, have your child cut the spiral out. Don’t worry is she doesn’t cut exactly on the lines. Go outside and look at a real flower – they aren’t exactly perfect either.

3.      If you’re not using a colorful or patterned paper, have your child decorate both sides of the spiral. She can use markers, crayons or oil pastels. You can also opt for tempera paints (with a brush or by finger paint). Let one side dry before she paints the other.

4.      To make a tulip type of flower: Start at the most inside point, and have your child begin rolling the paper (it should start looking like a full mini toilet paper roll). When she gets to the outer edge, she can loosen her grip and let the flower “bloom”. Secure the outer edge to the bottom with either a piece of tape or a dab of glue (you’ll have to hold it tight until the glue dries).

5.      To make a rose type of flower: Start at the outside, rolling the paper up towards the inside. Again, have her let the paper go loose to make a blooming flower. Secure the flower tight with tape or glue. When she's done, you can glue them onto other artwork (such as a hand-made paper picture frame), use them to make a garden collage or bunch them into a basket bouquet.