Sunflower Heart Craft

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Sunflowers are a standout in any yard or garden. When the growing season ends and colder nights loom, their beautiful flower heads can be preserved in a sunflower heart craft.

Sunflowers come in a surprising array of colors, and are given catchy names such as “Lemon Queen”, “Moulin Rouge”, “Firecracker” or “Teddy Bear.” There are around 70 kinds of sunflowers in all, and they range in size from 2 feet to over 6 feet tall. This slide show from Country Living features 15 types of sunflowers that provide inspiration for the craft.

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Craft Supplies To Collect

sunflower stem
white corn syrup
red and yellow food coloring
large heart cut from sturdy paper
thin ribbon
small paint jar
paintbrush
spoon
cutting board
knife
scissors
glue gun

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Making The Sunflower Heart Craft

Steps to making a sunflower heart fall craft.

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Pour the white corn syrup into a small paint container. Squirt in a few drops of yellow food coloring, and a tiny amount of red food coloring. Mix the colors into the syrup with a spoon. Adding a little red turns the yellow paint from lemon to golden.

Test the tacky paint on a piece of scrap paper to make sure it is the shade you want to offer.

Have your little learner use a paintbrush to cover the heart with the slimy corn syrup paint. The paint will be shiny and thick, providing a unique sensory experience.

Cut a sunflower head and three leaves from a plant or purchased sunflower stem from a flower shop.

Help your little learner press the leaves onto the painted heart and add the sunflower head. A glue gun can be used by an adult to help secure the sunflower to the heart. The leaves will stick to the paint on their own.

Let the sunflower craft dry on a flat surface. It will take a few days to dry thoroughly.

Cut ribbon and hot glue it in a loop to the back of the embellished heart for display.

Oh so pretty sunflower heart craft that is easy for little learners to make.

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Variations Of The Sunflower Heart Craft

You may choose to use a rust-colored sunflower and another paint hue, or select a different kind of flower. For the craft below, the feature flower is a pastel-colored gerbera daisy and the paint is light pink.

A pretty flower and heart craft showcasing a gerbera daisy flower.

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Flowers and leaves will dry out and fade over time, but will still look pretty. An alternative to selecting a fresh stem is to use a craft flower as shown next.

A bright and cheery sunflower heart craft for the whole family.

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For a faster drying project, set out yellow and orange tempera paint for your early learner to use. This version will be ready for display the following day.

A painted heart embellished with a sunflower perfect for displaying in autumn.

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Add the word “thankful” and this craft can be made for Thanksgiving Day.

A bright and cheery Thanksgiving Day craft.

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The paper heart used for this craft can be as big or small as you like. For a heart that fits on 8 1/2 inch x 11-inch paper, feel free to download this printable.