Construction Paper Kites

We weren't able to celebrate Uttarayan by going out and flying kites this year, but we did make a few 'kites' at home with the kids. This was a great post-nap craft to do with the kids, especially since we are indoors so much due to weather.

These kites don't actually fly, but they did brighten up our living room! I hung the kites while the kids were asleep; and they were so proud to see their artwork displayed in the morning. Click through for the tute!

Construction Paper Kites

Materials:

• 9x12 sheets of construction paper
• Tape
• Sewing Thread
• Tissue Paper

Make:

We made two types of kites: The diamond kite, and fighter kites (which are the traditional kites used in India).

To make a diamond kite:

Fold the construction paper in half long ways. Mark a point 8 inches from the bottom and draw two lines as shown in the picture below.

To make a fighter kite:

Fold in half along the width of the paper. Measure 5 inches from the bottom and draw lines as shown.

Cut along the lines, creating a small curve on the bottom portion of the fighter kites. I found I could hold 2 or 3 sheets together at a time to make this part go quick!

Decorate:

Now for the fun part!

You can decorate with paint, colored pencils, or just leave the kites plain. I cut shapes out of the construction paper scraps and let the kids glue them on.

It was a perfect time to talk about shapes and colors (and how we shouldn't eat glue.)

Hang:

After the kites were dry, I taped some sewing thread to the back of each kite to hang. If you'd like, you can also add some tissue paper tails.

You can tape these to the wall, or hang from the ceiling. I tied all the kites to a single piece of string and hung up using thumbtacks.

These are so cheerful compared to the dreary weather outside! They spin and turn every time the heater kicks on--reminding us that spring is on it's way!