DIY PRIDE CRAFTS FOR KIDS | THE CENTER NYC

In celebration of Pride Month, we want to give a shout out to The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center (AKA The Center)! They're a welcoming home and resource center for LGBTQ residents in NYC. Their mission is to empower and celebrate LGBTQ people for who they are, and provide opportunities that build strong communities. We love them!

The Center's Kidding Around page offers some amazing DIY art activities that teach kids about LGBTQ communities through artistic expression. It's not a topic that's not often taught in schools, so learning about LGBTQ culture at home is more important than ever. As proud supporters of LGBTQ people and the arts in education, we want to share this DIY Pride Flag activity that teaches kids about the LGBTQ community with fun and creativity!

PRIDE FLAG LEARNING ACTIVITY

Before you start, here's a quick learning tip! Kids are most likely to retain new information when they learn through interacting with the topic at hand. This activity is a fabulous opportunity to teach kids what the different colors of the pride flag represent while they have fun making it!

WHAT DO THE PRIDE FLAG COLORS MEAN?

• RED: Life

• ORANGE: Healing

• YELLOW: New ideas

• GREEN: Prosperity

• BLUE: Serenity

• VIOLET: Spirit

• BLACK/BROWN: People of color

• WHITE/TEAL/PINK: Trans Community

DIY PRIDE CRAFT FOR KIDS: MAKE A PRIDE FLAG AT HOME!

Gather the common household materials below, and follow these four steps to make a pride flag at home! *Adult supervision may be required for handling scissors.

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Colorful construction or tissue paper (or blank paper to color your own rainbow flag)

• Coloring tools and decorations like crayons, markers, paints, and glitter

• Tape or kid-safe glue

• Scissors TIP: Having kids use safety scissors is a fantastic way for children to practice concentration, hand-eye coordination, and proper scissor safety).

• Any kind of stick, skewer or straw to use as a flag holder

HOW TO MAKE A DIY PRIDE FLAG

1. Cut even strips of paper.

2. Decorate your paper strips, as you please, or leave colored paper strips blank.

3. Lightly glue or tape your paper strips in the desired order.

4. Glue or tape your completed flag to your stick.

Now that your flag is complete, wave your flag high & proud! Whether your child is straight or LGBTQ, keep your flags waving or hung up all year round! This shows your unending support of LGBTQ communities, and how important it is to always learn from and celebrate our differences.

MORE FUN DIY LGBTQ CRAFTS FOR KIDS FROM THE CENTER

Check out The Center's Kidding Around page here for even more Pride Month crafts and ideas for kids! And, check out the rest of their website to browse through the incredible list of resources they offer to LGBTQ communities including health and wellness programs; arts, entertainment and cultural events; recovery, parenthood and family support services.

You can also check out our blog for even more easy DIY crafts for kids who like to play while they learn! Sign up for our newsletter for weekly inspiration involving DIY art activities, outdoor exploration, how-to guides for progressive education and eco-friendly lifestyles, and more!

Happy Pride Month :)

EXTRA: SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN IN NEED

Our staff at IDEA has been directly impacted by childhood cancer. So, we would like to take a moment to acknowledge our friends at Mesothelioma Hope: an organization that helps children and their families affected by cancer get the treatments they need, and support for emotional processing.

Check out this article from their website to see how they're supporting the next generation with medical and emotional support: https://www.mesotheliomahope.com/resources/children/.