How pretty is this Paper Marigold Craft for Kids? It’s an easy DIY and a great project for Indian festivals, spring or just about any day!

One thing I absolutely love about attending Indian events like weddings or housewarming parties is the decor. Most traditional Indian events don’t really follow a ‘theme’ per se, but you’ll find lots of natural elements, like leaves and flowers. So not only does the venue look gorgeous, but it also smells divine!

If you’ve visited a few Indian events, you’ll have noticed that one particular flower tends to feature a little more than others – the vibrant marigold!

It’s not surprising, since the marigold has a deep significance in Indian and Hindu culture. Turns out, marigolds are quite important in other cultures too!

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Significance of Marigolds in Different Cultures:

India – Auspiciousness, positivity, energy
China – Wealth, abundance, good fortune
Japan/Korea – Vitality, warmth, transformation
Greece – Healing, restoration
Mexico – Death, respect, honoring the dead

Marigolds were also laid at the altar of the Virgin Mary in Victorian times, and it is believed that this is the story of how the marigold got its name – from ‘Mary’s Gold’.

Well, that sure is fascinating, and what could be better than a pretty paper marigold craft to go with all this fun trivia!

Pretty Paper Marigold Craft for Kids

Supplies required:

Colored craft papers
Pencil
Scissors
Glue

How to make the Paper Marigold Craft:

1. Download and print the paper marigold craft template. The template contains parts of the marigold like petals and leaves. Cut out the petal pieces.

2. Using craft papers of your choice, prepare 8 paper squares of side 8 cm. You can use any color you like, although light shades are preferable for this craft.

3. Let’s start preparing our flower patterns one by one. Take one paper square and fold it in half diagonally so you get a triangle. Fold this triangle in half to get a smaller triangle, and fold it once more in half.

4. Take the heart-shaped petal template piece and use it to trace the outline on the folded triangle. Keep the center of the petal towards the center and the outer edge facing the open ends of the folded triangle, as shown below.

5. Cut out the petal shape carefully from the folded triangle.

6. Unfold the flower petal completely. This is now your base petal.

7. Cut 1 cm slits between every 2 petal tips, which will give you 8 hearts connected at the center. Use a thin, cylindrical object like a pencil to curl each heart, as shown below.

8. Continue this till all the heart shapes of the petal base are done.

9. Repeat steps 3-8 for the remaining 7 paper squares, so you have 8 petal bases in total.

10. Take any one of the curled petal bases and apply a drop of glue in the center of it.

11. Place another curled petal base on top and secure it in place by pressing its center against the glue dot.

12. Apply glue in the center of this second petal base. Stick the next petal base on this. Continue the process till all the petal bases of your paper marigold craft are attached.

13. Trace the leaf patterns on the template on green craft paper and cut them out. Stick it to the base of the marigold – that’s it, your paper marigold craft is complete!

You can use this pretty paper marigold craft in multiple ways. You can use it to create a banner of marigold flowers and hang it up during Diwali or a similar Indian festival.

This would also look great as a replacement for a gift bow on top of a wrapped present. I’m sure you can think of more ways to use this pretty bloom!