Making Kites with kids

How’s the weather in your part of the world right now? We are definitely seeing some signs of spring here in California (including sniffly noses and itchy eyes). My girls are on watch for a windy day perfect for kite-flying. Until then, we have some colorful tissue paper stained glass kites decorating our windows. This is a super-easy, no-mess craft, great for little ones and big kids alike!

How to Make Colorful Stained Glass Kites

You’ll need to do a little prep work to get this project ready for your young crafter. Cut a kite-shape from black construction paper. Then, cut out the center of the kite, leaving about a 1-inch frame.

Gather up the rest of the materials for the project.

You’ll need:

• 1/2-inch strips of black construction paper
• scrap pieces of black construction paper (from cutting out the kites)
• assorted colors of tissue paper – you can cut it into squares or let your kids tear pieces
• clear Contact paper
• yarn or ribbon
• colored construction paper scraps

Tape a piece of clear Contact paper, sticky side up, on the table. Stick your kite frame down and create a design with black paper strips or shapes. You could do traditional cross-shape strips, or something of your own creation. One of my girls did an abstract line design, and the other cut out a few black hearts for her design.

Start covering your kite shape with colored tissue paper squares or pieces.

When your kite shape is completely covered with tissue paper, seal with another piece of clear Contact paper. For best results (less wrinkles and trouble), stick the cover sheet to one end and slowly smooth it down over the tissue paper.

Cut out your kite shape, cutting off the extra paper strips and contact paper.

For the tail, staple a piece of yarn or ribbon to the bottom of the kite. We also added a few construction paper flags to our tail – cut out a simple bow tie shape and staple to the tail.

Tape your colorful kites in a window to brighten up a gloomy day. Here’s to kite-flying weather heading our way soon!