How to Make Bookmarks with Pressed Flowers (Kid-Friendly DIY!)

These pretty bookmarks are a perfect craft idea to tackle with your kids or for yourself! Learn how to make bookmarks with pressed flowers, and check out the materials list. I bet you already have everything you need!

Spring always includes lots of walks around our neighborhood, especially during the last couple of springs spending so much time at home together.

When we walk they love to collect bits of nature. A leaf here and a flower there.

Until now, I haven’t had too many ideas of how to use the things they collect. But then I figured out how to make bookmarks with pressed flowers, and they are so easy.

It was a great craft project to do with the kids because there are so many different but simple parts to it!

Pressing flowers with Kids

I found that creating pressed flowers with kids is actually a really cool exercise for a lot of reasons. Firstly, it gets you out of the house to collect the things you find.

It’s also a great way to start talking about which things are okay to pick or collect. We talk a lot about not getting things from other peoples’ yards, and the fact that weeds are okay to pick. (And that weeds can actually be pretty!)

Once you collect your flowers or leaves, it’s a cool process to let the kids put them between the pages of a book and see which ones press the best. (Henry tried a dandelion and discovered that they pretty much fall apart.)

Finally, it’s a good exercise in patience, as they wait a couple of days for the flowers to be pressed and ready.

What Kind of Flowers Or Botanicals Will Work Best?

As you collect flowers for this project, it’s a good idea to keep in mind that certain flowers will work better than others.

Size. Note that certain flowers may be too large to fit in the size of a bookmark, so be careful to choose flowers that are the size you desire. If you pick flowers that are overly large, you can always dry single petals from the flower as a substitute.

Shape. Flowers that are easily flattened will probably work best for this project. Thicker or more rounded flowers may not flatten as easily, and may not yield the best result.

Color. This one is more subjective, but as you collect flowers and botanicals it’s a good idea to envision how you want your bookmarks to look. It can be fun to stick with a color palette, or try to make a rainbow, or even use all of one flower in each bookmark. Let your kids help decide on their own designs!

Botanicals. You can create your DIY bookmarks with more than just flowers! Leaves, herbs, plants, blossoms, and all kinds of other botanicals will also make a beautiful finished product.

More Kid Ideas to Try This Spring

If you’re looking for more fun ideas to try with your kids, I have them here for you in a major way!

I know that feeling of being totally out of ideas or new things to try. It can be so hard to keep things fresh when you spend lots of time parenting.

Here are some great ideas that I hope are helpful for you.

• Make Stuff: A Crafting eBook for Kids and Families!
• Activities to Do at Home With Kids! eBook with Over 200 Ideas
• Cheap or Free Activities to Do with Kids
• Egg Carton Rainbow Craft for Kids
• DIY Painted Puzzle for Kids
• Our Favorite Art Supplies for Kids Ages 2-5
• Make a Wooden Toy for Kids

Materials You’ll Need to Make These DIY Bookmarks

One of the reasons I love these pressed flower bookmarks is because the materials are so simple! You probably have most of what you need already.

Materials

• fresh flowers or leaves
• heavy books
• heavy weight (optional)
• clear contact paper
• scissors

How to Make Bookmarks with Pressed Flowers

This is a project that’s so simple but turns out so beautifully! Here’s how to make bookmarks with pressed flowers.

Make Time: 5 Minutes (Plus Waiting Time)

Instructions

1. Pick your flowers or leaves. (Freshly picked works best.)
2. Place them in a thick, heavy book. Make sure that they are slightly spaced apart. Also ensure that they’re placed in such a way that when the book closes, they’ll flatten nicely.
3. If you have it, place a heavy weight on the book. We used a 20 lb dumbbell and it worked really well! Alternatively, stack a few more heavy books on top of the one with the flowers in it.
4. Wait at least 2 days and open the book up. If they’re sufficiently pressed, you’re ready to go! If you want them more flat or dry, leave for another day or two.
5. Cut a bookmark-shaped strip of clear contact paper. Remove the backing and place it on a surface with the sticky side up. Then stick some pressed flowers to it. It looks cool if some of them hang over the edge! You can trim later.
6. Next, cut a slightly larger piece of contact paper and sandwich the flowers between the two pieces.
7. Finally, trim the larger contact paper to the size of the smaller one.

Things to Do with DIY Bookmarks

I made these with Henry and we ended up sending a few in the mail to his friends! They’re a great DIY gift for kids to make for Mother’s Day, birthdays, or for class parties.

I also made a few for myself and keep them in the books on my nightstand. Way better than the ripped-up scraps of paper that I was using before!

Hope you try these! They’re a really fun little activity that you can add to your day with your kiddos or for yourself. xoxo

P.S. Here’s a DIY where you can make your own flowers!

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