Crumpled Paper Sunflower Craft

Creating fun and easy crafts with preschoolers is a wonderful way to engage their creativity, and this crumpled paper sunflower craft is a perfect project to brighten up any day!

Sunflowers are not only beautiful but also provide an excellent way to teach kids about nature and colors. Using simple materials like construction paper and glue, this craft allows children to practice their fine motor skills while exploring textures and patterns.

Whether you’re looking for a new addition to your collection of preschool crafts or just a cheerful activity to enjoy together, this sunflower project will certainly bring a smile.

A crumpled paper sunflower craft is a delightful way for preschoolers to explore art and creativity. Sunflowers are vibrant and easy for little hands to recreate using simple supplies, and the crumpled paper adds a fun, sensory element. This activity is perfect for a sunny day or when you’re looking to bring a little warmth inside!

Crumpled Paper Sunflower Craft

This crumpled paper sunflower craft is a fantastic preschool activity that uses basic materials and encourages creativity. Kids will enjoy making their own textured sunflowers using crumpled paper to give the flowers a unique, handmade look.

What You’ll Need

• construction paper
• tissue paper
• pencil
• white glue
• popsicle stick

What You’ll Do

Start by gathering up some colored craft papers for your sunflower. While yellow and brown are sunflower colors, your child can choose any color they’d like for this craft. 

Cut the craft paper into small square pieces. I find that tissue paper works well for this craft since it’s thin and easy to crumple. 

Crumple the paper squares into small balls one by one. Trace the sunflower pattern (at the bottom of this post) on construction paper. Cut out the shapes. 

Starting with the center of the flower, glue the brown paper balls on the center part of the cut out flower pattern. 

Once the center is filled with paper, start adding the yellow crumpled balls to fill in the petals. 

Continue until all the petals are filled. Then, fill in the leaf with green paper balls. 

Grab a popsicle stick and attach the sunflower on one end. Glue the leaf below the flower. Allow the craft to dry.

Now, your preschooler can put it on display. Maybe they’ll want to make several to create an entire flower garden! 

What skills does this craft develop?

Engaging children in the crumpled paper sunflower craft not only sparks their creativity but also helps in the development of several key skills:

Fine Motor Skills

• The process of cutting out the sunflower petals, crumpling paper, and applying glue helps to strengthen the small muscles in children’s hands and fingers. These fine motor skills are essential for everyday tasks like writing, buttoning, and using scissors.
• Crumpling paper requires squeezing and shaping, which encourages hand coordination and control, making it a fun and effective way to work on grip strength.

Hand-Eye Coordination

• As children work to glue petals around the center of the sunflower, they are practicing their hand-eye coordination. This is crucial for tasks that involve precision, such as coloring inside the lines, catching a ball, or stacking blocks.
• Aligning the petals in the right place or positioning the stem on the sunflower improves spatial awareness, which is important for everything from sports to simple daily activities like pouring a drink.

Following Instructions

• Completing this craft requires children to follow multi-step instructions, which helps improve their ability to focus and process information in an organized way. Understanding how to move from one step to the next is a great way to practice following a sequence—an important skill for academic success.
• You can use this opportunity to ask children questions about each step, reinforcing the importance of listening carefully and paying attention to detail.

Through this sunflower craft, children not only make a delightful piece of art but also build foundational skills that will serve them in future learning and everyday tasks.

Learning About Sunflowers

This crumpled paper sunflower craft offers a wonderful opportunity to teach children about the life cycle and structure of sunflowers. While making the craft, take a moment to introduce some fun and simple facts about sunflowers:

How Sunflowers Grow

• Explain that sunflowers start from small seeds. You could even show the children real sunflower seeds and talk about how they grow when planted in the soil.
• Sunflowers are known for following the sun throughout the day—a process called heliotropism. The flower turns to face the sun as it moves across the sky!
• Share some of these life cycle of a sunflower activities:
  • Sunflower Life Cycle Puzzle
  • Life Cycle of a Sunflower Worksheets
  • Preschool Life Cycle of a Sunflower Printables
  • Sunflower Life Cycle Counting Mats

Parts of a Sunflower

• As you build the craft, introduce the different parts of the flower:
  • Petals: The bright yellow parts that attract bees and other pollinators.
  • Center/Disc: The brown center of the sunflower is where seeds grow. Discuss how birds love to eat these seeds.
  • Stem: The tall green part that holds the sunflower up.
  • Leaves: Explain how leaves help the sunflower make food by soaking up sunlight.
• Use the craft to reinforce these terms. For example, as you glue on the petals, ask the children, “What are these called on a real sunflower?”

Importance of Sunflowers to the Ecosystem

• Sunflowers are more than just beautiful flowers! Teach children how important they are to pollinators like bees and butterflies.
• They are also a food source, not only for humans (sunflower seeds) but also for birds and other small animals.
• Mention how sunflowers help improve soil health, and how they are used in gardening and farming.

By integrating these learning moments into the craft, children not only get to create a beautiful piece of art but also gain knowledge about nature and the environment in a fun, hands-on way!

Creating this crumpled paper sunflower craft is a fun and enriching activity that combines creativity with hands-on learning. Not only do children get to explore their artistic side, but they also learn about the life cycle of sunflowers, develop fine motor skills, and practice following instructions—all while having fun!

Once the sunflowers are complete, don’t forget to display their beautiful creations on the fridge, a bulletin board, or in a special art corner. This craft also makes a lovely seasonal decoration that can brighten up any homeschool space.

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Tara

Tara is the brains behind Homeschool Preschool, where her journey from preschool and public school teacher to homeschooling mom of three fuels her passion for early childhood education. With a blend of expertise and firsthand experience, Tara’s writings offer practical tips and engaging resources to support families in creating meaningful learning adventures at home.