If you're looking for a fun activity that uses real flowers, you're going to love this hammered flower art activity! It uses very simple materials and an easy process, but the results are incredible. Young children will have fun with this, but older kids will too! Follow the step-by-step directions below to get started.
Looking for more activities that use real flowers like this one? Check these out next:
You might also want to check out these flower painting ideas and this list of fun flower crafts.
My favourite thing about this flower hammering activity is that it gets kids outside in nature and really engaging with it! You'll spend some time finding flowers and then get to see what interesting results you get from hammering them. Older kids will love to engage in experimenting, but younger kids might really think it's magic!
This flower pounding activity is also a great contender for an afternoon with grandparents or even a playdate. It's a great excuse to get outside together and enjoy finding beautiful flowers! It could also be fun to flip through a book about different types of flowers as you do this, too.
Younger children may need help holding the flowers and paper in place as well as in using a hammer.
Ready to make your own hammered flower art? Scroll down below to get started making your own hammered flower prints!
Hammered Flower Art
Why You'll Love Making Hammered Flower Prints
I know you'll love making these hammered flower art prints! Here are just a few reasons below.
- ENGAGING: This activity really engages kids in the process. From picking flowers, seeing which leaves impressions best, and creating prints, it'll engage them the whole way through.
- SIMPLE: This activity uses everyday household items that you might already have around the house. No fancy materials are needed for this one! It's also a very simple process to make.
- VERSATILE: There are so many ways to mix things up with flower hammering. Depending on the flowers you choose and how you arrange them, you'll come up with very different results!
- EDUCATIONAL: This is such a great time to experiment with nature and get kids thinking. You could even have them record their findings in a science or nature journal.
Flower Hammering Supplies
- Flowers and greenery
- Scissors
- Cardstock, cut into 4x6 pieces
- Paper
- Scrap wood
- Hammer
- Wax paper
- 4x6 photo frames
How to Make Flower Pounding Art
STEP ONE: Gather your supplies
Before you get started, make sure to gather your supplies. This art idea is especially fun as you can take the kids out to select their own flowers. Have fun gathering multiple flowers, leaves, grasses, and other greenery in a variety of shapes and sizes.
It's important to note that leaves with a wax texture won't leave an impression. Ferns and yarrow make some really great impressions, however.
Also, make sure to gather fresh flowers right before you decide to do this flower pounding art activity. If they begin to wilt at all, it's harder to get a good impression since the petals will stick together.
STEP TWO: Test your flowers on scrap paper
Next, it's time to test which flowers leave an impression on some scrap paper. Invite your kids to do this with you, as they can predict and test their hypothesis of what impressions the flowers make.
It's a really fun experiment, as some of the flowers don't leave impressions you expect. Vibrant flowers might leave nothing behind at all. Or a red flower leaving behind a purple colour. It's really fun to do!
Before doing your test, check for any excess pieces on the flowers that would make it difficult to press the wax paper flush against the flowers. You'll want to trim those.
Start by placing some scrap paper on the scrap wood and add your flowers face down.
Then, cover with wax paper. Hold the wax paper in place as you start lightly hammering each flower and greenery.
From there, slowly remove the wax paper. The flowers will stick to the wax paper, but you can brush away any remaining pieces.
STEP THREE: Make hammered flower prints
Now it's time to choose which flowers you'll use for your final prints! Once you've chosen your flowers, invite your children to start laying them down on the cardstock pieces in the arrangement that they choose.
Once you have them arranged the way you like, cover them with wax paper and lightly hammer them onto the cardstock. Make sure to go around all the edges of each flower to get the best result.
STEP FOUR: Add your flower pounding art to frames
After removing the wax paper, let them sit for about 2-3 minutes.
Then, you can add your flower prints to some frames! You're all done making your hammered flower art.
Hammered Flower Art Variations
While making hammered flower prints is fun on its own, there are some fun ways you can mix things up with this one! Below are some other ideas to try.
- Rather than creating prints, try creating a gift bag or turning the flower prints into a greeting card!
- Instead of printing onto paper, try printing onto fabric.
- Invite kids to create their very own bookmarks with these hammered flower prints.
- Draw additional details like stems around the flowers after hammering or add details with watercolor paint.
- Add masking tape before pounding your flowers and remove to create blank space to write a message.
- Do additional experimenting by asking questions like "which flower will bleed the most?" or "what hammering techniques will work the best?"
We hope you have lots of fun creating your hammered flower art! It's so simple but fun to create hammered flower prints like these. Head outside, gather some flowers, and try some flower hammering with your kids!
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