Four Crafts to Celebrate Kwanzaa in the Classroom

Kwanzaa will soon be here, and teachers can get their students prepared for the holiday through crafts. 

Education World has gathered a list of four crafts teachers can use to help their students learn more about Kwanzaa. 

Kwanzaa Necklace Craft

What you need:

• Red, green and black paint
• Cord
• Dried pasta tubes

What to do:

• Paint the pasta tubes. The easiest way to do this is to thread the tubes onto drinking straws and stand them upright in playdough or sticky tack.
• When the pasta is dry thread it onto the cord, alternating red, green and black.

Kwanzaa Woven Mat

What you need:

• Black, red, and green construction paper
• Child’s blunt-tip safety scissor
• Glue or stapler

What to do: 

• Fold the black paper in half so the short edges meet. This will make a frame for the mat.
• Show the students how to cut from the folded edge to within 1 inch of the opposite side.
• Have them make seven cuts about 1-inch apart to make eight 1-inch sections. Unfold the paper.
• Cut 1-inch-wide strips from the red and green paper, cutting from long edge to long edge of each sheet.
• Show your child how to weave the strips over and under the cuts in the frame, alternating red and green strips.
• Glue or staple the strips in place along the edge of the frame. Trim the strips if necessary.

Kwanzaa Wreath Craft

What you need: 

• Construction paper in red, green, and black
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers
• Printouts of the Kwanzaa principles and their meanings
• Yarn
• Hole punch

What to do: 

• Have the students trace their hands on red, green, and black paper and cut the handprints out. They will need nine handprints total -- three in each color.
• Have the students assemble their handprints into a wreath by gluing the hands together in a circle, alternating colors if they choose.
• Have the students write (or print out and glue on) one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa on each of the handprints. The seven principles are listed below. On the eigth and ninth handprints, the students can write "Happy Kwanzaa" or a personalized message.
• On the back of each handprint, have the students write (or print out and glue on) the meaning of the principles.
• Punch a hole at the top of the wreath and string a piece of yarn through it to hang the wreath.

Craft Stick Kwanzaa Craft

What you need: 

• 4-8 yellow craft sticks
• 3 red craft sticks
• 3 green craft sticks
• 1 black craft stick
• Glue
• White card stock
• Yellow, red and orange markers or crayons
• Scissors

What to do:

• Have the children glue the 8 craft sticks in a letter T shape (4 craft sticks across the top, 2 craft sticks going down and 2 craft sticks across at the bottom).
• The 4 crafts sticks glued together at the top will be the Kwanzaa Kinara/Candle Holder. Let dry.
• When dry, have the children take the black craft stick and glue it in the center of the Kwanzaa Kinara/Candle Holder. Let dry.
• Then, have the children glue 3 red craft sticks and 3 green craft sticks on opposite sides of the black craft stick. These will be the Kwanzaa candles. Let dry.
• After that, have the children draw and cut out 6 flames from white card stock. For the 7th flame, have the children make this flame higher and larger.
• Have the children cut out all the flames and color them in using markers or crayons.
• Turning over the Kwanzaa Kinara, have the children glue the largest flame on the black craft stick.
• Once done, have the children glue the rest of the flames on the other craft stick. 

Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor