Tissue paper suncatchers are one of our family’s favorite ways to add a little color to our windows! My kids love doing crafts, and this easy kids craft only requires a few simple supplies you probably already have at home. When the sun shines through the layered tissue paper, each design glows like stained glass.
Over the years, we’ve made suncatchers in all sorts of shapes and styles. In this post, I’m sharing three of our favorite designs in one place: playful animal suncatchers, realistic fall leaf suncatchers, and a colorful hot air balloon suncatcher — complete with free printable templates for each one. Whether you need a rainy day activity, a homeschool art project, or festive seasonal decorations, this kids paper craft is a winner for all ages.
Easy Suncatchers Kids Craft!
Animal suncatcher designs »
Leaf suncatcher design »
Hot air balloon suncatcher design »
Materials Needed
- card stock (white for the hot air balloon, colored for animals and leaves)
- colored tissue paper, cut into small squares
- scissors
- craft glue
- parchment paper
- pencil (for tracing leaves)
- black marker
- printable templates (below)
How to Make Tissue Paper Suncatchers
Every design follows the same basic steps, so once your kids learn the method, they can create any shape they dream up!
- Print or trace your shape onto card stock, then carefully cut out the design, including the inner sections. Poke a small hole or make a slit in each inner cut-out section to make the shapes easier to cut out. Moms may need to cut out the shapes ahead of time for younger kids, while older kids can practice their scissor skills by cutting the templates themselves.
- Lay the shape on parchment paper. This prevents the glue and tissue paper from sticking to your work surface and tearing the design.
- Glue on tissue paper squares. Use small dabs of craft glue to attach colored squares of tissue paper over each cut-out opening. Alternate colors, and don’t glue same-colored pieces too close to each other.
- Let it fully dry on the parchment paper.
- Flip it over and hang it up! Turn the suncatcher over to reveal the colorful stained-glass inspired design, trim any extra tissue paper edges, and tape it in a sunny window.
Tip: The more tissue paper you overlap, the brighter the colors will be when the sun shines through. You can also layer different colors to create new hues, sort of like mixing paint!
Design 1: Animal Suncatchers
Kids can design these fun animal suncatchers using any color of card stock and tissue paper. Our printable templates include a giraffe, a lion and an elephant with swirl details.
Get the Templates! Right click & select “save image as”.
Giraffe suncatcher template
Lion suncatcher template
Elephant suncatcher template
Cut out the animal shape, then use your scissors to make a slit in each section, such as the shapes of the lion’s mane. Next carefully cut out the inner pieces. If you accidentally rip an edge, you can always glue it back down; the tissue paper will help reinforce the edges. Because I have younger kids, I pre-cut all of these animal templates beforehand and my kids glued on the tissue paper. Use 6 to 8 or more colors of tissue paper to create a vibrant design!
To make animal shaped suncatchers, choose from our elephant, lion, or giraffe printable templates.
Carefully cut out each animal shape. The more intricate the design, the cooler the finished suncatcher will look!
Kids will enjoy gluing their favorite colors of tissue paper on the backside of the suncatcher shape.
Once flipped over, the suncatcher design shows through the animal shape cut-outs.
Design 2: Fall Leaf Suncatchers
These leaf suncatchers are our favorite seasonal version of this kids paper craft. We kept ours in the window from September through November!
To make your suncatchers look like real leaves, choose a few large leaves from your backyard maple tree and trace around them onto dark colored card stock. Each leaf shape will be different, just like in nature. (You can also use our printable leaf template.) Cut out the leaf, then cut out the inside, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge.
Get the Template
Leaf suncatcher template – right click & select “save image as”.
Use the leaf template or trace around real leaves to create each leaf shaped suncatcher. Dark colored card stock such as red, green and brown works best for leaves because it creates a striking contrast when the light shines through the colored tissue paper.
Cut out the centers of each leaf shape, leaving a 1 inch border.
Glue squares of colored tissue paper inside each leaf shape. Try warm fall colors to make a monochromatic design in reds and oranges, or create a cool-tone leaf in blues and greens. Rainbow tissue paper colors are pretty too!
Design 3: Hot Air Balloon Suncatcher
The hot air balloon is our most detailed design. These colorful balloon suncatchers are perfect for older kids who want to do a bigger project, or as party or playroom decor.
Print the balloon template onto white card stock and cut around the black template lines with small scissors. This is the most time-consuming part, but it’s great scissor practice! It’s okay to cut through some of the template lines to reach the smaller sections — the glued-on tissue paper will reconnect and reinforce the whole design. If any white paper shows along the edges, fill it in with a black marker.
For my hot air balloon, I used a different color for each vertical level: aqua and dark blue at the bottom, then red and pink, then glitter-flecked yellow, then green mixed with blue squares, and blue and aqua at the top. Fill the ropes section with white tissue paper, and finish the basket with a piece of colored card stock for a pop of opaque color. I really love how this colorful design turned out!
Get the Template
Hot air balloon suncatcher template – right click & select “save image as”.
Skills Kids Practice with This Easy Kids Craft
Tissue paper suncatchers are more than just pretty window decorations. Cutting paper helps kids practice scissor skills and precision, and working with delicate tissue paper is great practice for handling fragile materials. Arranging the tissue paper encourages thoughtful design and color placement, and overlapping colors teaches kids about color mixing. Gluing builds fine motor skills and teaches kids to use small amounts of glue without creating a mess. And finishing the project is a proud accomplishment. Your kids will be excited to show off their artistic creations!
Colorful Window Decor for Every Season
Once your kids master this easy kids craft, the possibilities are endless! Try our butterfly suncatcher design next, or create seasonal shapes for any holiday: hearts for Valentine’s Day, snowflakes for winter, flowers for spring. Find more creative ideas on our kids activities page!
Which design will your kids make first?
Hi, I’m Katie! I’m a homeschool mom who’s traveling the world with my husband and 4 kids. We raised our family in North Idaho and currently live in Mérida, Mexico. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, photography, and traveling. I hope you enjoy our creative ideas and family adventures!
