DIY: Patriotic Handprint Flag for the Fourth of July

DIY: Patriotic Handprint Flag for the Fourth of July

My inspiration for this simple craft came from this Pinterest post for a Patriotic tea towel. This version involves making a patriotic handprint flag to celebrate the Fourth of July. It is a great project to do with young children.

Materials Needed

This craft came together in just a few steps. First, gather the following materials:

• Cardstock or stretched canvas (one per person – I used 11×14 wrapped canvas)





• Wide paint brushes





• Aluminum foil





• Painter’s tape





• Vinyl tablecloth or old newspapers





• Paper plate





• Kid’s art smock

How to Make Patriotic Handprint Flags

Cover your worksurface with an old vinyl tablecloth or newspapers. This craft will be a little messy. Ask your little artists to don their art smocks.

Next, cut out an aluminum foil rectangle that is large enough to fit your child’s handprint. Place it in the top left corner of the cardstock or canvas.

Then, use the painter’s tape to secure the aluminum foil and add stripes horizontally across the canvas.

Squirt red paint onto a paper plate. I used acrylic paint from Apple Barrel in the color “Flag Red.”

Now, instruct your little artists to paint all of the open stripes with the red color.

I forgot to label the backs of each canvas with the artist’s name, so I quickly scrawled an initial on each tinfoil rectangle. When the paint dried, I was able to add names and dates to the back side of each board.

Finish Up the Flags

Allow the flags to dry fully, then remove the painters tape and aluminum foil. My son applied a heavy layer of paint, so it bled a little under the tape. I think the rougher stripe edges look good!

Next, squeeze out blue paint and grab a clean, large paint brush. We used Folk Art’s acrylic paint in the color “Cobalt Hue.”

Paint and apply each artist’s handprint to the canvas. 

Use your brush to fill in any “missed” spots. My daughter had a blank spot in her palm print that filled in easily with a brush.

Finally, allow the flags to fully dry. Easy, peasy!

Patriotic Handprint Flags drying on the counter

Putting together this post made me a little sentimental; I remembered other favorite crafts created on top of the platform of this old, Easter vinyl tablecloth:

• How to Make an Easy, Dandelion Tea Towel





• DIY Clay Valentine Conversation Heart Garland





• Trying the Viral Halloween Ghost Painting Trend for Date Night





• How to Make a Handprint Christmas Tree





• How to Make a Christmas Cardinal Handprint Craft

Painting handprints to make a Christmas Tree

Source: DIY: Patriotic Handprint Flag for the Fourth of July