How to Help Kids Make a Construction Paper American Flag

Most kids will remember the Fourth of July for the fireworks, but you can also teach them a little bit about the history behind the holiday by helping them make a construction paper American flag.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Glue Or Glue Sticks
• Children's Scissors
• Construction Paper
• White Star Stickers

1. Purchase the necessary materials for all the kids who will participate. For each flag, you'll need an 8 1/2-by-11-inch piece of white kraft paper, red construction paper, blue construction paper, glue and small white stars.

2. Precut 1-inch-wide strips of red construction paper along the 11-inch side of the paper, if you'll be working with smaller children. You'll need five strips of red paper per completed flag.

3. Cut 3-by-3-inch squares of blue construction paper for each flag.

4. Have the kids glue the red strips of paper onto the white kraft paper parallel with the 11-inch side, leaving a little less than an inch of white space showing in between the strips. To achieve a finished look, make certain that the top strip is aligned with the top or 11-inch edge of the white paper and that the last or bottom strip is aligned with the bottom edge of the paper.

5. Help the kids glue the blue square in the upper left-hand corner of the paper when you're looking at the sheet in landscape (so it's wider than it is tall).

6. Let the kids affix the small white stars to the blue square. You can use stickers or white paper stars that you've precut.

7. Give the flags time to dry, then hang them near your Fourth of July dinner table for a festive decoration.

Tips & Warnings

• Let older children cut their own strips of red paper, blue squares and white stars. For children under 3, precutting these items is usually better.
• Try using a glue stick to avoid the mess of liquid glue.
• Use clip-type clothespins to hang your flags outside if that's where most of your festivities will take place. Hang them on a fence, in a tree or even on the clothesline.
• Make certain that smaller children are only allowed to use scissors with blunt points and that they're supervised at all times when they're working with scissors.

on 11/22/2005 It would be easier for younger children just to color stripes on the paper (that are pre-measured of course), then add the blue part and the stars by gluing them on with a glue stick.