If you’re looking for an easy 4th of July craft, give this a try! This stars and stripes paper fan pinwheel can be used as patriotic decor as well as a fun craft for a kid! Red, white, and blue DIY project that is festive, fast, and simple! Free printables included!

Easy Patriotic Craft for Festive Decor

Every time another holiday rolls around, I tell myself that I don’t need to make a craft for every holiday. But y’all. Honestly. It’s like I can’t help myself. 

Enter another 4th of July craft. But in defense, my projects have been ones that really can be adaptable to any season or holiday, so at least I’m somewhat ‘multi-tasking,’ right?

Even though I have kids, I admit, I cringe a little at the all the ‘cutesy’ crafts. If I can do a craft with and/or for the kids, AND it’s something that can kind of fit in with our home decor, well, time and energy well spent, I say.

This project can be done for 4th of July, as I’ll show you  – and give you some free printables to start – they also can be adapted for any style or occasion.

I’m also going to share a few extra decoration ideas if you want to create the whole deal.

Paper Fan Pinwheels for DIY Decor

This post contains affiliate links. See Disclosures for details.

I’ve been a fan of this kind of decor for a while now – I’ve seen them groups as door or wall hangings, hung from the ceiling… so many cute ways to use them. While you can easily grab some paper from Hobby Lobby and do this craft (which I did as well), I wanted to give you everything you the materials that I  can, so I included free patriotic printables as well.

Materials

Chances are, you have most of the materials at home already, so this is basically a free craft, which are my favorite kind! Here’s what you need:

Patriotic Paper, 8.5 x 11″ (Amount is explained below) (You can get this from me for free by filling out the box at the end of the post!)

Glue Stick

Scotch Tape

Scissors

Clips (clothespins, binder clips, etc.)

Thread or Fishing Line

Optional: Popsicle Sticks

Instructions

The steps for the project are pretty easy, and I’ll go through them here.

1| Print out the patriotic paper for the craft and cut on the lines.

In the printable PDF that you can get at the end of the post, there are 3 different design, with 2 different size options, so you have all you need for a varied display.

For instance, for one particular pattern, one page will have lines dividing it into 3 sections; the other page will have the same design divided into 2 sections. The page that is divided into 2 will need to be printed 2x, because you will need 3 sections to create the fan (if you print it 3 times, you’ll have enough for 2 pinwheels in that size).

The page with 3 smaller sections is the smaller pinwheel; the page divided into 2 sections (where you need 3 sections, so you’ll print off 2 pages) are the larger pinwheels.

So, first, print out the paper for your pinwheels. Even though it’s repetitive, I’ll say it again:

Print 1 copy of the 3-section design; print 2 copies of the 2-section design (so you’ll have 3 sections. Doing the math, you’ll have a spare section, so if you want to print out one more copy – a total of 3 – you can make 2 pinwheels).

After you print, cut on the vertical cut lines.

**For more variety, you can also buy patriotic-themed scrapbook paper from Amazon, Hobby Lobby, and others.

2| Cut paper into strips and glue end to end.

Then, using a glue stick, glue the short sides of the cut pieces to each other, so you’ll end up with one long strip.

3| Fan fold the entire strip of paper.

Then, you want to start doing the fan fold: fold the edge over about a 1/2 inch, flip the paper over and fold back in the opposite direction. Continue to do so until the entire strip is folded in a fan fold.

4| Secure the bottom of the tape with Scotch tape.

Once you’re all folded, take a long strip of Scotch tape and wrap it around the bottom a time or two. Be sure use the entire width of the tape; don’t let it hang off the bottom.

5| Glue the outside edges, spread out to create circle and clip.

After that, take your glue stick and put glue on the last outside fold on both side. Fan out your paper to a full circle and glue the 2 outside folds together. Use a clip (clothespin, binder clip, food bag clip, etc.) to keep it secure until the glue dries.

6| Tape thread to back and hang.

To hang it, take some thread of varying lengths and tape them to the back of each pinwheel. Then you can either tape it to the ceiling or curtain rod. Or you can tie them off if you have something you can hang them on. These also would look super-cute underneath an outdoor umbrella!

I took some pictures of how I hung them under my umbrella. The wind kept spinning them, so it was hard to get a good shot of them all at the same time, but you get the idea! (I made a few extra using paper from Hobby Lobby as well.)

Additional Variation and Use

There are also a few variations to this project and how you can use it.

Paper Bags Pinwheels

You can make an oversized pinwheel if you want more bang for the buck using red, white, and blue paper sacks – or, even popcorn bags! I glued about 20+ popcorn bags together, side by side, and then just fanned it out to a circle! 

It’s a little heavier so hanging it was more of a challenge (I put a paper clip in it and tied thread around my fence to hook it on!), but it’s another fun pinwheel project!

This was nice and crisp when I first made it, but my sons thought it was something to play with before I photographed it, so this version is a little wrinkled, lol. 

Pinwheel Cluster

If you don’t want to hang them from the ceiling or umbrella or curtain rod, you can make a pinwheel cluster on the wall that is super-festive! Just roll some tape and attach it to the middle of the back of the pinwheel and stick to the wall!

Popsicle Stick Attachment for Fan or Kid Craft

If you want to do something for the kids, you can glue or tape a popsicle stick to the back so they can run and wave it around instead sparklers. Or, you can just use it as a fan if it’s sweltering outside, which is often the case on the 4th of July!

Here are succinct instructions. I also included an instruction sheet with the PDF, for easy reference!

Patriotic DIY Paper Fan Pinwheels

Print

Materials

• Patriotic Paper 8.5 x 11" (grab the free printables!)
• Glue Stick
• Scissors
• Scotch Tape
• Clips or Clothespins
• Thread or Fishing Line
• Optional: Popsicle Sticks

Instructions

1| Print out desired pages. For small pinwheels, print out the page that has the design divided into 3 sections; for larger pinwheels, print out the design that is divided into 2 sections (note: for the larger pinwheel, you will need to print out 2 pages of that particular design because you will need 3 lengths of the design for the pinwheel.)

2| Cut page down cut lines. You'll want 3 sections, regardless of the size.

3| Using a glue stick, glue the shorter ends together, making one long strip.

4| Along the short side, begin folding the long piece of paper as a fan: fold about 1/2" over, flip the paper and fold it back, repeating until the entire length is fan-folded.

5| With Scotch tape, tape around the bottom of the fan, so it looks like an actual fan. Be sure to use the entire width of the tape and circle completely around.

Repeat if necessary.

6| Add glue to the outermost pieces of both sides of the fan and attach them together to create a fan circle.

7| Clip glued edges together with a clothes pin, paper clip, binder clip, etc. to secure fan while it dries.

8| After it is dried, scotch tape a piece of thread to the backside of the fan. With the other end, tape to the ceiling or wrap around a curtain rod, underneath an umbrella. You can also tape to the walls for a cluster effect.

9| Hang varying designs and varying sizes to maximize these decorations.

Optional: Tape or glue a popsicle stick to the back for a kid craft or to use as a fan!

 

Other 4th of July Decoration Ideas

If you’re looking to create a whole table decoration scheme, here a few simple ways to add a little bling:

Cupcake Liner Confetti

Fold your cupcake liner in half. Starting on the outside, but around the entire outside edge to create a circle. Do this until you’ve cut down the entire liner. Trim the circles into small pieces and toss around the table for confetti.

Patriotic Table Centerpiece Tags and Signs

The tags you see in the above picture is part of a printable patriotic party set. If you’re having a 4th of July party and are looking for coordinating decorations, try this set!

It comes with centerpiece tags in 4 different designs. These same designs are also in the set as 8×10″ signs, as well as food, drink, dessert and appetizer table signs!

You can hang the tags on a branch like this or a bundle of branches places in a metal bucket or jar. Or, you can tie individually them around centerpiece vases or jars!

You can grab this set in my Etsy shop!

More Ideas to Celebrate America

I’m a big fan of gratitude for our country. I know a lot of people have great criticism for America and I know America isn’t perfect. But I truly believe we are still the greatest country on the planet whose belief in human right and dignity and equality sets us apart. 

If you’d like some other patriotic ideas, take a look right here:

40 Best Patriotic T-Shirts (for Women, Men, and Kids)

Patriotic Wall Art Free Printables for 4th of July & Memorial Day

Upcycled Patriotic DIY Farmhouse Centerpiece {Easy & Cheap!}

25+ EASY Patriotic DIY Home Decorations to Celebrate America

Patriotic Red, White and Blue Graham Cracker Frozen Treat

30+ Easy No Bake 4th of July Desserts (Red, White & Blue!)

Get your Free Printable Patriotic Paper Pinwheel Template Here!

If you’d like to grab 3 different designs, in 2 different size options (6 page PDF), just fill out the box below!

 

If you create this craft or using any of these ideas, I’d love to see them! Please tag me on Instagram @100affections or leave a comment on Pinterest.

Other thoughts? I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below!