Use watercolor resist techniques to create easy and fun flag art for kids. Perfect for patriotic art projects!
Summer is almost here in the United States and we have a few upcoming patriotic holidays that make this the perfect flag art activity. If you live in another country, you can utilize the same techniques but with your flag’s colors!
My kids recently finished our watercolor master class and we used a few techniques that were fresh in our heads. Read on for more details!

Flag Art for Kids

MATERIALS
- Watercolor paints (red and blue)
- 12″ x 18″ cardstock, poster board or watercolor paper
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Foil star stickers
INSTRUCTIONS
Time needed: 30 minutes
- Prepare the materials
For this activity we used a thicker paper sized 12″x18″. You can also cut poster board down to size and paint on the non-glossy side.
- Trace lines for flag
The U.S. flag has 13 stripes and 50 stars. Draw a rectangle in the upper left corner to mark the section for your stars. Use a ruler and draw 12 lines for the 13 stripes.
- Add star stickers
Begin by adding star stickers to the upper left rectangle. You can try to space them out evenly similar to the real flag, or just sticker away at will.
- Apply wax resist
Next, use a white candle or white crayon to mark out the white stripes. The flag begins and ends with red stripes so the first white stripe will be second from the top!
Apply firm pressure and full coverage to be sure the wax will resist paint from nearby stripes. - Paint stripes
Now use the red watercolor paint to paint the red stripes of the flag.
- Paint blue section
Finally, use blue watercolor paint to fill in the upper left corner. The foil star stickers can be left on or peeled off using the sticker resist method.
That’s it! I think this flag art activity would be great to expand upon if your child enjoys learning other countries flags. Create mini versions for the Olympic Games or World Cup!

More Flag Art for Kids
- 11 Easy Crafts for the 4th of July
- How to Do Glue Batik with Kids
- DIY Olympic Medals for Kids
- How to Make Garden Wish Flags
- How to Make Flags with Flower Pounding
- Make: World Flag Garland
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