Completed popsicle stick Juneteenth flag craft painted red and blue with a white bursting star

Juneteenth Flag Craft for Kids

A Popsicle Stick Juneteenth Activity for Ages 4 and Up

Happy Juneteenth! Today, we celebrate the end of slavery in the United States and freedom for African Americans! This holiday is celebrated on June 19th to commemorate those who were enslaved in Galveston, Texas finally receiving the freedom they deserved in 1865. Although slavery was ended in the United States in 1863, many enslaved communities were not freed for two more years. To celebrate this momentous achievement for Black Americans, an activist named Ben Haith created a flag to celebrate and remember this moment with a powerful star in the middle along with an arc to signify “new horizons” or new beginnings. Today, we will make our own Juneteenth flag to fly high and celebrate the freedom of all African Americans!

In this Juneteenth craft for kids, your child will make their own mini Juneteenth flag using popsicle sticks, paint, and a printable star template, a hands-on way to learn about the holiday’s history and symbolism. This kids’ activity is perfect for ages 4 and up and makes a meaningful Juneteenth activity for home, classrooms, libraries, and community centers.

Juneteenth Flag

VOCABULARY

  • Slavery: When a person is forced to work for another person without being paid and is not allowed to leave.

  • Freedom: Being able to move around, make choices, and live your life for yourself.

  • Activist: Someone who works hard to make the world fairer, better, or safer for others.

  • Emancipation: The act of being set free from slavery or control.

  • Commemorate: To honor and remember an important event or person.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

  • How do you think the people in Galveston felt when they finally heard the news that they were free?

  • Why is it important that we remember and celebrate Juneteenth every year?

  • How can we celebrate freedom together in our own community?

  • What does the word ‘freedom’ mean to you?

MATERIALS

  • 5 Jumbo Popsicle Sticks

  • 1 Tongue Depressor

  • Red Paint

  • Blue Paint

  • White Paint

  • Paper Plate

  • Paint Brush

  • Glue

  • Star Cut Out Template

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

Using glue, attach your 5 jumbo popsicle sticks horizontally across the top of the tongue depressor. The tongue depressor will act as your flagpole. Allow a few minutes for the glue to dry before moving on to painting.

Glue five popsicle sticks horizontally onto a tongue depressor to build the base of a Juneteenth flag craft

STEP 2

Following the Juneteenth flag design, paint the top portion blue and the bottom portion red, with a curved arc where the two colors meet, just like the real Juneteenth flag. Allow the paint to dry completely before adding the star.

Tip: Use the Juneteenth flag image at the top of this post as your painting guide. The arc curves upward from the bottom left to the upper right.

Paint the top half of a popsicle stick flag blue and the bottom half red to make a Juneteenth flag craft

STEP 3

Print and cut out the bursting star template (linked above in the materials list). Once your paint is dry, glue the star to the center of your flag where the red and blue sections meet. The smaller five-pointed star should sit inside the larger bursting star, just like on the real Juneteenth flag.

Fun Fact: The bursting star on the Juneteenth flag represents a nova, a star shining with new light. It symbolizes the dawning of a new era of freedom for Black Americans and the expansion of that freedom to every state across the country.

Glue a white paper bursting star cutout to the center of a painted popsicle stick Juneteenth flag

STEP 4

Wave your flag high and celebrate the freedom and liberation of African and Black Americans across the United States!

Completed popsicle stick Juneteenth flag craft painted red and blue with a white bursting star