When I lived in Osaka, Japan, one of the highlights of the year was the cherry blossom season, or “sakura” as it’s called in Japanese. Each year, my fellow teachers and I would gather under the blooming cherry blossom trees for a picnic, enjoying the stunning pink blossoms that symbolize renewal and the fleeting nature of life in Japanese culture. Now, no matter where you are in the world, you can bring a touch of this beautiful tradition into your home with our Cherry Blossom Cotton Ball Craft. It’s a fun, simple way for kids to create their own blooming branch and learn about a special part of Japanese culture.
Cotton Ball Cherry Blossoms Craft
Material List
- White cardstock or printer paper
- Brown paint and paintbrush
- Paper plate
- Pink and white paint
- Clothespin
- Cotton ball
Directions
- Paint the Branches: Start by painting brown branches on your white cardstock or printer paper. You can make them as simple or as intricate as you like. Allow the paint to dry completely.
- Prepare Your Paints: Pour some pink and white paint onto your paper plate, mixing parts of them slightly to get different shades of pink.
- Create Blossoms: Attach a cotton ball to a clothespin to use as a makeshift paintbrush. Dip it into the pink paint and gently press onto the branches to make cherry blossoms. Use different shades of pink and some white to add depth and make your blossoms look more realistic.
- Let It Dry: Once you’ve finished adding blossoms, set your artwork aside to dry completely.
Tips for Success
- Mix the pink and white paints on different parts of the plate to create a variety of blossom shades.
- Dab the cotton ball lightly for the best blossom effect—too much paint will make the flowers look too heavy.
Other Cherry Blossom and Spring Crafts
Sponge Painted Cherry Blossoms:
Cut sponges into flower shapes and use them to stamp cherry blossoms onto paper. This method gives a different texture and is great for younger kids.
Foil Printed Tulips:
Use kitchen foil to create unique tulip prints with paint. The foil gives the flowers a cool, metallic finish that looks great for spring.
Milk Experiment Flowers:
Create mesmerizing flowers using milk, food coloring, and dish soap. Drop food coloring into a dish of milk, then add a drop of dish soap to see the colors explode into petal-like shapes.
Share Your Crafting Moments
We love seeing your creativity in action! Share your Cherry Blossom Cotton Ball crafts and any other spring creations with us by posting them to our blog or on social media. Your beautiful art could inspire other kids to try their hand at crafting and learn more about the traditions that make cherry blossoms so special in Japan.
This Cherry Blossom Cotton Ball Craft not only helps kids explore another culture but also lets them work with their hands to create something beautiful and meaningful. So grab your paints, and let’s make some blossoms bloom!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
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- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
Cherry Blossom Craft: Easy Cotton Ball Painting For Spring
Materials
- White cardstock or printer paper
- Brown paint and paintbrush
- Paper plate
- Pink and white paint
- Clothespin
- Cotton ball
Instructions
- Paint the Branches: Start by painting brown branches on your white cardstock or printer paper. You can make them as simple or as intricate as you like. Allow the paint to dry completely.
- Prepare Your Paints: Pour some pink and white paint onto your paper plate, mixing parts of them slightly to get different shades of pink.
- Create Blossoms: Attach a cotton ball to a clothespin to use as a makeshift paintbrush. Dip it into the pink paint and gently press onto the branches to make cherry blossoms. Use different shades of pink and some white to add depth and make your blossoms look more realistic.
- Let It Dry: Once you've finished adding blossoms, set your artwork aside to dry completely.
