Get creative with these fun National Day crafts and recipes that'll have you feeling proud and patriotic in no time…
It will soon be Happy National Day in Singapore! Time to don those red and white clothes, watch the fireworks and celebrate life in the Lion City. Because we love everything about raising kids in Singapore! One of our fave parts about being parents to littlies? All that crafting and cooking! So what better time to grab the arts and crafts supplies or head into the kitchen than the upcoming National Day long weekend? We’ve listed some fab ideas for National Day crafts that you can try at home. Enjoy!
National Day crafts and recipes
1. Iconic dragon playground-inspired craft
Lucky for us, the Jurong-Clementi town council has put together five fun crafts to make with the kiddies for National Day. Plus, it also has a downloadable template to make the end product look a wee-bit profesh. Our craft picks? The red lion parachuters for fun kid’s room decoration inspo, and paper dragon puppets for fun play. Both crafts are super easy to make and do not require very many craft supplies to work with.
2. Red Velvet Pancakes
Get your National Day off to a great start with a hearty breakfast spread to power you through the biggest Singaporean birthday bash ever. And what better way to do that than by diving into a delicious stack of red velvet pancakes from The Big Man’s World? The best part is this recipe is super easy and takes only a minute to whip up. Our tip? Get the whole gang involved in the plating process. Picture layering those pancakes with dollops of fresh cream and topping them off with a bunch of juicy strawberries. Yum!
3. Sensory bags
Also called ‘pat mats’, these sensory pouches are perfect for babies and toddlers to play with, as they’re mess-free (always a win in our eyes!). They’re also amazingly quick to make the next time your kid throws the mother of all tanties and you’re losing your mind. Don’t believe us? Watch our video tutorial to see for yourself. You can use anything you like in these bags – paint, glitter, sequins, and so on – but just don’t put anything with sharp edges in. The last thing you want is for one of these bad boys to leak everywhere!
4. Strawberries and cream popsicles
Cool down from all the National Day celebrations with the family by rustling up some of these patriotic icy poles at home. Made with zingy strawberries and creamy yoghurt, they’re a tasty nod to the Singapore flag! We bet you won’t be able to stop at just one…
5. Hand kite
Easy peasy to make in mere minutes, hand kites (aka ribbon rings or hand streamers) are an awesome way to show your colours this National Day. Simply buy a wooden or plastic ring from a craft shop (we used a dreamcatcher ring from Spotlight) and some coloured ribbon. Next, cut the ribbon into lengths of your choosing, then loop or knot around the ring. It’s super simple to do, and your toddler or young child will love waving the red and white ribbons as they watch the parade.
6. Tissue paper pompoms
You don’t need a lot of expensive materials to make these National Day craft wonders, and they’re ridiculously easy. Even better, you can use your new pompom-making skills to make DIY birthday parties or baby shower decorations! Grab 10 sheets of tissue paper and lay them flat, in one pile, on a table, then fold every 4cm in accordion fashion (fold, flip over, fold, flip over, repeat). Once you get to the end, fold your strip in half and wrap some lightweight wire or string around the middle to secure it.
Using scissors, gently round off each end of the tissue paper. You should be left with something that resembles a bit of a bow tie! Then gently take each layer of tissue paper and scrunch them towards the centre, repeating on the other half once you’re done. Fluff up each layer until the whole thing resembles a ball, then tie some string to the wire and hang. Easy! More of a visual person? There are plenty of video tutorials on YouTube.
7. Red velvet cupcakes
What better way to celebrate the nation’s colours than to eat them! We’re always on the hunt for the tastiest cupcakes in town, but nothing beats a spot of home baking. This red velvet cupcake recipe from Boston Girl Bakes hits the right spot with us. And, once you’ve perfected the method, you can make them again for Valentine’s Day – score!
8. Paper fan wheels
Another National Day craft that’s so simple and so cute! Make a whole host of these paper pinwheels and stick them to the wall to make an awesome photo backdrop, or try using patterned paper and attaching a thin wooden rod to make a handheld version. The choice is yours! All you need is some good quality coloured paper and some glue, and away you go.
9. Red Velvet Cookies
This recipe is a simple baking project perfect to have the fam involved in the process. Because honestly, National Day is also about sharing precious moments with your loved ones. Plus, everything about these adorable Red Velvet Cookies looks and tastes like National Day in every way. So gather the fam and whip together these little bites of fun for a snack-licious National Day celebration.
10. Red and white paper flowers
This requires a little bit more work but trust us, the final product is so gorge that you’d want to leave it hanging even after National Day is over! You’ll need white paper squares measuring 9cm by 9cm, red paper squares measuring 5cm by 5cm, a piece of cardboard to cut your ring shape, red string to make the hanging tassels (or you can just buy those ready-made ones from Spotlight or other craft stores), scissors, and glue. Follow the video tutorial above.
11. Upside-down cherry cheesecake jars
What to do with all the mason jars that are just collecting dust in the cupboards? Well, how about a classic cheesecake dessert? This version is topped tarty cherry sauce to cut through the sweetness. Too sour for you? You can replace the cherries with strawberries and still get something similar. This recipe from Food Network is guaranteed to make your mouth water and get baking.
12. Parade shakers
Join in the merrymaking of the National Day Parade with your own homemade shakers, even if you’re only watching it at home!
Materials
Two toilet rolls
Red and white paper
Cardboard (or drawing block is fine)
Rice/beans/beads
Masking and double-side tapes
Red paint or marker
Glue
Scissors
Instructions
1. Trace the end of the toilet roll and cut out two circles.
2. Tape one side down using one of the cut circles. Ensure that the hole’s fully covered and taped.
3. Pour your noisemakers (rice, beans or beads) into the roll and tape up the other side completely with the remaining circle.
4. Wrap the red paper around the body of your shaker and tape.
5. Cut out stars and crescent moon patterns from the white paper and stick them on your shaker.
6. Using the red paint or with your red marker, colour over the masking tape.
13. Red Velvet Ice Cream
There’s nothing quite like a scoop of ice cream to beat the summer heat. And for a scoop of National Day awesomeness, why not go all in with the red and white vibes? This ice cream recipe by Grandbaby Cakes rocks that gorgeous, bright red colour that screams National Day and tastes absolutely delicious. The combo of gooey cream cheese makes it an ice cream match made in heaven. Do we need to say more?
14. National Day superhero mask
National Day is truly a celebration of pride and accomplishments for a young nation like Singapore. And it’s a day we all feel like superheroes for doing our part in building a great nation. So why not dress the part for Singapore’s 59th birthday bash? All you need is red craft paper to cut a superhero eye mask and stick white stars and a crescent moon on it. Punch holes on either end and tie an elastic band to make it wearable over the head. Don’t forget to add red and silver glitter to dazzle up your masterpiece. Your superhero mask is now ready to wear!
15. Red paper planes
The National Day celebration is never complete without the awe-inspiring flypast. And what better way to commemorate the experience than by having a little flypast showcase up on our walls? All this needs is a few sheets of red craft paper and your paper plane-making skills. It’s that easy-peasy! To add more elements of the Singapore flag onto your paper planes, stick tiny white paper stars and moon cut-outs on the tail. Now mount the planes onto a wall in your favourite flypast formation. Voila!
And, if all else fails…
…try playdough! If the creative juices aren’t flowing, here’s one VERY easy thing you can do to feel patriotic: get some red playdough that the kids can mould into whatever they like! You could even use some white cardboard or paper to cut out your own white moon and stars à la the Singaporean flag to press into their creations for an extra-festive take on their sculpture sesh. Too easy!
National Day crafting, sorted!