Patriotic Spinners (Perfect for 4th of July and Memorial Day!)

Hands up if you remember playing with spinners when you were little. This is one of those things that I loved then, but I’d pretty much forgotten about in my old age. Spinners are the easiest thing in the world to make, and it’s actually very hard to do them wrong, which makes them the perfect kid activity!

To start, you’ll need a sheet of paper, some thin cardboard (think cereal box), the circle round label template (there are several circle templates on this page, but the circle round label is the right size), colors, yarn or string, glue, scissors, and something pointy (I used a shish kebab skewer).

Start by cutting out the circle template. Trace it on your piece of cardboard, then cut out a cardboard circle.

Next you’ll use your template to cut out two paper circles. I actually like to use cardstock if my cardboard has print on it (like the cereal box I used this time) so that I can make sure nothing shows through.

So here’s your set-up: 1 cardboard circle, two paper or cardstock circles, markers, scissors, yarn, glue, and pointy thing (not pictured).

Now you’ll decorate your two pieces of paper. This is the fun part. I used red, white, and blue to be patriotic and so that my kids could use their spinners while we waited for fireworks and be on point with the whole 4th of July thing. This activity works year-round, though, so make your paper circles yours!

When your circles are decorated, you’ll glue them to the cardboard. Now comes the adult-supervision part. You’ll need to take your pointy thing and poke two holes in the center of the circle.

Then, thread your string or yarn through and tie it off to make a loop. You’ll want about 4-6 inches of looped string on either side of the circle.

And that’s it! To use the spinner, hold the loops in each hand, then twist the yarn by making the spinner go in circles. When you’ve got it wound up, pull the string taught and watch your spinner spin!

These literally take about 10 minutes to make, but they are so fun to play with!