Maypole Crafts For Kids

Maypole traditions include wrapping the pole in brightly colored ribbon.

Many different cultures around the world celebrate the arrival of spring with May Day celebrations. Traditional festivities include parades, dancing, flowers, erecting and decorating maypoles and designating a May Day queen. Teach children about this often overlooked holiday by creating craft maypoles and flower wreaths or planning an outdoor celebration.

Crown of Daisies

Create crowns adorned with daisies for children to wear. Cut 1-inch wide construction paper strips long enough to fit around children's heads. Allow children to color or paint and cut four or five daisies. Glue the daisies to the headband. If desired, use real daisies or silk or plastic flowers for a more realistic wreath. Let children wear the crowns as they learn about May Day. Put everyone's name in a box and pull one out to elect a queen for the day.

Maypole

Children can create their own Maypoles to use during creative role-play. Use a cardboard tube, such as a paper towel or wrapping paper roll. Paint the tube or cover it in colored paper. Construct a stand for it by cutting a circle into an empty plastic container placed upside down. Decorate the pole with flowers, stickers, glitter or sequins. Attach brightly colored pieces of ribbon to the inside top of the pole. Cut ribbon long enough to drape down the sides of the pole to the base.

May Day Songs

Teach children a May Day song as they wrap their craft maypoles. Songs include: "Dance Around the Maypole, In and out, in and out, Weave the ribbons tight. 'Round the Maypole we will dance, To the left and to the right"; or "See our Maypole filled with flowers, from above, the blossoms tower. Fragrance rich, and perfume rare, pretty scents that fill the air. Violets blue and daisies white, you are here for our delight. Daffodils and roses, too, pretty flow'rs for me and you! Tell us what the flowers say, as we sing and dance and play. Tell us what the flowers say, on this special day! This is what the flowers say, as we sing and dance and play. This is what the flowers say: It is bright May day!"

Tissue Paper Maypole

Use tissue paper to make a maypole resembling a real tree. Cover a paper towel tube with white tissue paper, then use a brown marker to add squiggly lines to resemble tree bark. Attach multicolored crepe paper strips around the top of the tube. Decorate the top rim of the maypole with tissue paper squares. Wrap one square at a time around the eraser end of a pencil, dab in glue, then push onto the cardboard.

Tags: what flowers, tissue paper, brightly colored, children wear, craft maypoles, dance play, flowers sing