With the Fourth of July just around the corner, I thought it was the perfect time to begin holiday crafting! To get started on your American flag, simply print out the sheet below. All you need is a red and blue crayon or colored pencil, a stick to create your flagpole, and double-sided tape.

Click the image above for your printable sheet!

Coloring in the blue behind the white stars can be a difficult task for small hands. A tip to help kids stay in the lines is to outline the stars with your blue crayon or colored pencil, creating a slightly raised boundary, before coloring around the rest of each star! After coloring, ask your children to count all the stars. How many are there? How many horizontal rows of 6 are there? How many horizontal rows of 5?

Next, use your red crayon or colored pencil to color in every other stripe beginning with a red stripe at the top. Ask kids: How many red stripes are there? How many white?

When you’re done coloring, cut out the flag, leaving the left-hand margin intact (you’ll use that edge to attach it to your flagpole!).  After, use some double-sided tape on the back of the flag’s left border to attach it to the top of your flagpole.  Press firmly!

Your flag is finished!

Send a picture or scan of your completed flag to thebirdfeednyc@gmail.com to be featured in a Bird Feed children’s art gallery.