Flag Day Tissue Paper Flag
June 14 is Flag Day — the anniversary of the adoption of the American flag in 1777. Making a tissue paper American flag is a beautiful way to honor this date, with the translucent quality of tissue paper creating a glowing, stained-glass effect.
What You'll Need
- White cardstock — for the flag base
- Red, white, and blue tissue paper — torn into strips and squares
- Diluted white glue — decoupage medium
- Blue and red marker — for drawing the flag guide
- Foam brush
- Optional: small stars — punched from white tissue
How to Do It
Step 1: Draw the flag guide. Lightly pencil the flag layout: 13 stripes and a union (blue rectangle in the upper left).
Step 2: Apply red stripes. Brush glue on a stripe area and apply torn red tissue, overlapping pieces slightly.
Step 3: Apply white stripes. Alternate with white tissue strips.
Step 4: Fill the union. Cover the blue rectangle area with blue tissue.
Step 5: Add stars. Apply small star-shaped tissue punches or drawn stars in the blue union area.
🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop
National symbol knowledge — Learning the meaning of the flag's colors and 13 stripes.
Pattern and alternation — Red-white-red-white stripes are a concrete patterning exercise.
Tips & Variations
- Count the stripes together — 13 for the original 13 colonies.
- Look at a real flag together before making the craft.
My Two Cents
The tissue paper transparency is especially beautiful when the finished flag is hung in a window with sunlight behind it — it genuinely glows. Display it in a classroom window for the rest of June.
