Paper Towel Roll Flower: Simple Spring Process Art for Kids

Looking for a fun, low-prep spring craft that uses what you already have around the house? This Paper Towel Roll Flower Craft turns recyclables into beautiful process art! With just a few paper towel rolls, glue, and coloring supplies, kids can create their own blooming garden scene—one flower at a time.

This is a perfect process art project, where the joy comes from the act of creating, not the final product. Best of all, it’s adaptable for toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age kids alike.

How to Make Paper Towel Roll Flowers

1. Prep your flower petals.
   • Cut the paper towel roll into thin rings—about ½ inch thick. These will become the flower petals and stems.
2. Shape your flowers.
   • Gently pinch the rings to create petal-like shapes. Some can stay round, while others can be shaped into ovals or points. Get creative!
3. Glue onto your paper.
   • Dip the bottom of each ring into glue (or use a brush to apply) and place them on your paper in a flower shape. Add more petals, stems, or even leaves using additional rings or hand-cut shapes.
4. Let it dry.
   • The glue will need some time to dry fully—this is a great time to read a spring-themed book or enjoy a snack break.
5. Time to decorate!
   • Once your flower shapes are securely glued down and dry, color them in! You can use markers, crayons, watercolors, or even fill them with buttons or bits of colored paper.
6. Create your spring scene.
   • Use the rest of the page to add grass, sunshine, clouds, butterflies, or anything your child dreams up!

Why This Is a Great Process Art Activity

This flower craft is all about exploring creativity, reusing materials, and having fun with art. Kids aren’t expected to make their flowers look a certain way—every creation is wonderfully unique.

Benefits of this process art project:

• Encourages fine motor skills and scissor practice
• Explores shapes, symmetry, and patterns
• Inspires imaginative thinking
• Teaches creative reuse and sustainability
• Easy to adapt for all age levels

And because there’s no “perfect” flower, kids feel free to create their own blooming masterpiece, stress-free.

Extend the Fun

Make a whole garden.

Turn this into a larger project by combining multiple pages into a paper garden mural.

Use as handmade gifts.

These make great spring or Mother’s Day cards when glued to folded cardstock!

Add writing.

Older kids can write a story or poem about their flower scene underneath their artwork.

Pair It with a Book

Books are a great way to expand the activity. Try reading:

• Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
• The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
• Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner

Then, let your kids use their imagination to grow their own garden with art!

Process Art in Action

If you’re new to process art, here’s the idea: it’s about the experience of creating, not the final result. There’s no “right” way to do it. When kids explore art freely—like deciding how their flower should look—they develop creativity, confidence, and independent thinking.

This paper towel roll flower project is a perfect example. Some kids will make symmetrical flowers. Others may add a rainbow stem or a glittery sky. It’s all part of the magic!

Show Us Your Blooming Art!

We’d love to see the flower gardens your kids create! Share your photos in the comments or tag us on Instagram @brewingcrafts.

Looking for more process art projects? Be sure to check out our Fork-Stamped Tulips, Scribble Stones, or Symmetry Bunnies & Eggs for more screen-free creative fun.