How to Make a King's Crown

Turn plain paper into a costume accessory fit for a king.

Making king's crowns is a project that engages a child's imagination. Use the crown to let everyone know who the special birthday boy is at a party, or as part of a Halloween or theater costume. Easy to make and fun to wear, these projects don't necessarily require a special occasion; they can simply be a part of a child's dress-up play. These crowns are made out of paper and self-adhesive jewels, so there are no glue or paint messes to clean.

Things You'll Need

• Crown template
• Scissors
• Paper, poster board or cardboard
• Pencil
• Self-adhesive craft jewels
• Self-adhesive rhinestones
• Stapler
• Glue (optional)

Instructions

1. Print out a king's crown template (see Resources) or print or draw your own design. Use scissors to cut out the crown template.

2. Lay your construction paper on a flat surface. You can use metallic paper for this project, or any color of construction paper your child prefers. For a sturdier crown, use poster board or card stock. Trace your crown template on the paper. If you have a half template, lift up the traced side and flip it over, aligning it with the first half. Cut out your crown out with scissors.

3. Create a headband by cutting a strip of paper that fits all the way around your child's head. Staple the ends together to complete the loop. Clean up and throw away your scrap paper.

4. Use self-adhesive jewels to decorate your crown. These peel off of a sheet of paper like stickers and can be placed anywhere on the crown. Help your child create colors and patterns with the jewels, using the self-adhesive rhinestones as accents.

5. Staple your child's crown to the headband you created and place it on his head. You can also glue it to the headband if you're concerned about the staples.

Tips & Warnings

• Let glue dry completely before letting children wear their crowns.

• Provide each child with a wide piece of paper or poster board that fits around her heads and let her design a one-piece crown by cutting shapes around the top, then staple together along the edge after decorating.

• Monitor young children when working with scissors and glue.

• Keep plastic jewels away from children under 3 years old.

Resources

• Powerhouse Museum: King's Crown Template