How to Make a Paper Tree for Kids

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 23, 2022 References Tested

Making paper trees is a great way to pass the time on a rainy day or learn more about nature. Luckily, there are all sorts of ways to make paper trees. From pine trees to palm trees, the possibilities are endless! Best of all, once you are done, you'll have a beautiful tree to display in your dollhouse, diorama, or on your desk.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Making a 3D Tree

1
Fold brown paper in half and draw half of a bare tree along the fold. Find a sheet of heavy brown paper, such as cardstock, and fold it in half. Draw half of a bare tree shape along the fold. Be sure to include the roots, trunk, and branches. Do not include any leaves.^{[1]
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- Make sure that the roots are flat and straight along the bottom edge.
- If you don't know how to draw a bare tree, find a template online. You can also start with half of a Y-shape, and add branches to the arm.
2
Cut the tree out and make a second copy. Cut the tree out first. Fold a second sheet of brown paper in half, then trace your tree onto the folded edge. Cut the second tree out too. You will end up with 2 identical tree shapes.^{[2]
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3
Glue the trees together along 1 of the folded sides. Keep both trees folded. Coat 1 side of your first tree with glue. Press your second tree against the first one. Make sure that the folded edges, trunk, roots, and branches all align.^{[3]
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4
Unfold the tree, stand it up, and let it dry. Open the folded trees up so that you have 3 "pages." Bend the first and last pages so that the tree forms a T shape when you look down on it. Stand the tree up and let it dry.
5
Fold a piece of thin green paper like a fan. Find a sheet of thin green paper, such as tissue paper or a napkin. You can also color printer paper with green markers, crayons, or paint, and use that instead. Fold the paper back and forth like a fan.^{[4]
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- Do not use cardstock or construction paper, or the leaves will be too heavy.
- Your paper does not have to be green. Try red, orange, or yellow for an autumn tree!
6
Cut a leaf shape out of the fan while it is still folded. Draw a small leaf on the fan; make it about ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) wide and 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. Cut the leaf shape out of the fan while it is still folded. This will give you lots of leaves with just 1 cut!^{[5]
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- Repeat this step to create as many leaves as you want on your tree. Use different shades of green for a more realistic effect.
- Crease the leaves in half lengthwise to make them more real.
7
Glue the leaves to the tree branches. Use a glue stick or a small amount of liquid school glue. You can attach as many or as few leaves as you want to your tree. For a more realistic tree, glue on small clumps of leaves. Don't get too carried away, however, or your tree may tip over.^{[6]
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8
Cut an animal out of paper and add it to the tree, if desired. Draw a small bird, nest, owl, or squirrel on construction paper, then cut it out. Glue it to your tree, close to the trunk.
- Don't put the animal or nest too far out on the branches, or your tree may tip over.
9
Let the tree dry. How long this takes depends on the type of glue you used. A glue stick dries within 1 to 2 hours. Liquid school glue may take a lot longer, however. You would wait until the paper is dry and no longer damp.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Making a Tissue Paper Christmas Tree

1
Cut a semicircle out of a green sheet of paper. Use a pencil and a small plate to draw a circle on a sheet of green construction paper or cardstock. Cut the circle out, then fold it in half to find the center. Cut the circle along the fold.^{[7]
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- Save 1 of the halves for another project, and keep the other half for this project.
2
Roll the semicircle into a cone and glue it together. Bring the straight edges of the semicircle together, then overlap them until you get a cone shape. Glue or staple the cone together.^{[8]
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- If you use glue, let it dry before moving on. A glue stick or liquid school glue will work just fine here.
3
Cut green tissue paper into 1 in (2.5 cm) squares. Cut some green tissue paper into several 1 in (2.5 cm) wide strips. Stack the strips together, then cut them into 1 in (2.5 cm) squares. This will save you lots of cutting time.
- Use different shades of green for a more interesting effect.
- If you can't find green tissue paper, try a green napkin instead.
4
Wrap a tissue paper square over the end of a pencil. Place 1 tissue paper square over the eraser end of a pencil. Make sure that it is centered, then fold down the edges to cover the pencil eraser.^{[9]
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5
Place some glue onto the cone, then press the tissue paper against it. Use a paintbrush to apply a thin coat of glue to a small area on your cone. Press the eraser end of the pencil against the glue, then pull it away. The tissue paper square should be stuck to the cone.^{[10]
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- You can try using a glue stick, but you will need to support the cone from the inside with your hand so that it doesn't crumple.
6
Use the pencil to glue more tissue paper squares to the cone. Work 1 tissue paper square at a time. Place the squares close enough so that they touch. Work from 1 side of the cone to the other. It does not matter if you start from the top or bottom of the cone.^{[11]
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- Apply the glue to the cone in small patches, otherwise it will dry too fast.
- Do not use too much glue, or the tissue paper will slide off.
7
Set the cone aside to dry. Once your cone is filled to your liking, set it aside some place where it won't get bumped or knocked over. How long the glue takes to dry depends on the type of glue you used. Expect to wait 1 to 2 hours for a glue stick, and a whole day for school glue.^{[12]
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8
Hot glue the cone to the top of an empty toilet paper roll. Stand an empty toilet paper roll up on its end. Coat the top edge of the toilet paper roll with hot glue, tacky glue, or white school glue. Place the cone on top and let it dry.^{[13]
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- If you don't have any toilet paper rolls, roll a piece of brown paper into a 4 ¹⁄₂ in (11 cm) tall tube, and use that instead.
- You can also cut an empty paper towel roll down until it is 4 ¹⁄₂ inches (11 cm) tall.
- If you want to get crafty, paint the toilet paper roll brown first. Acrylic craft paint, tempera paint, or poster paint will all work fine.
9
Glue pompoms to your tree to decorate it. Apply a drop of hot glue or school glue to a pompom, then press the pompom against the tree. Use as many as you want. If you don't have any pompoms, crumple colorful tissue paper into small balls, and use those instead.^{[14]
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- Decorate your tree with other items, such as craft foam shapes, buttons, tinsel, or yarn.
- You can get pompoms in the kids' section of a craft store.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Making a Fringed Christmas Tree

1
Roll a sheet of green paper into a cone. Take a sheet of green construction paper and roll it lengthwise into a cone shape. Staple or glue the paper together.^{[15]
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- Alternatively, you can paint a Styrofoam cone green, and use that instead.^{[16]
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2
Cut the bottom of the cone so that it is straight. Because you used a square or rectangular sheet of paper, the bottom of your cone won't be even. Starting at the shortest edge of your cone, cut around the base until you are back to where you started. Your tree should be about 10 to 11 inches (25 to 28 cm) tall.
- Don't flatten your cone and cut across the bottom, or you'll bend it out of shape.
3
Cut some wide and narrow strips of green paper. Take another sheet of green construction paper. Cut it lengthwise into strips. Make 1 1 in (2.5 cm) wide strip, 2 2 in (5.1 cm) wide strips, and 2 3 in (7.6 cm) wide strips. These will make the layers for your branches. The narrower strips will go towards the top, and the wider strips towards the bottom.^{[17]
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4
Cut a fringe into 1 of the long edges of each strip. Start the fringe at the bottom long edge, and finish it ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) from the top long edge. Make the slits about ¹⁄₈ to ¹⁄₄ inch (0.32 to 0.64 cm) apart.^{[18]
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- Stack the strips together to make your cutting faster.
5
Curl the fringes lengthwise. Hold your fringe parallel to the edge of a table or a long, thick dowel. Wrap the cut ends of the fringe over the table edge or dowel to curl it. Leave the uncut top edge of the fringe alone. Do this for all of the fringed strips.
- Curl the fringes from the long bottom edge towards the top edge. Do not curl them from narrow end to narrow end.
6
Wrap and glue the widest strip to the bottom edge of the cone. Take 1 of your 3 in (7.6 cm) wide strips and coat the top uncut edge with glue. Wrap the strip around the bottom edge of your cone, then cut off the excess.^{[19]
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- Make sure that the fringe is curling outward, not inward.
7
Glue the rest of the fringes to the tree, working your way to the top. Use the 3 in (7.6 cm) wide strips first, then the 2 in (5.1 cm) ones. If you still have room at the end, add the 1 in (2.5 cm) wide strip.^{[20]
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8
Let your tree dry, then decorate it as desired. Glue pompoms or buttons to the tree for a rustic look. You can also cut shapes out of craft foam or felt, and use those instead. For a more natural look, paint the ends of the fringes with white paint.^{[21]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Making a Palm Tree

1
Paint an empty toilet paper roll with brown paint and let it dry. Find an empty toilet paper roll. Paint it with brown acrylic craft paint, tempera paint, or poster paint, then let it dry. For a more realistic tree, draw black lines across the trunk.^{[22]
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- If you want a big palm tree, use an empty paper towel roll instead.
- If you can't find an empty toilet or paper towel roll, roll a sheet of brown paper into a tube, staple it, and use that instead.
2
Cut 5 3 in (7.6 cm) long leaves out of green construction paper. Fold a sheet of green construction paper in half. Draw 3 in (7.6 cm) long half-leaf shapes along the fold, then cut them out. Repeat this step using more paper as needed until your have 5 leaves.^{[23]
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3
Cut a fringe into the edges of the leaves. Keeping the leaves folded, cut a fringe into the curved edges of the leaves. Leave a ¹⁄₄ to ¹⁄₄ in (0.64 to 0.64 cm) gap between the fringe and the folded edge of each leaf.^{[24]
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4
Tape or glue green pipe cleaners to the leaves. Cut 2 green pipe cleaners into thirds to make them shorter. Open up your leaves, and tape a pipe cleaner down the middle of each leaf. Make sure that you have 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) of pipe cleaner sticking out of the end of each leaf.
- Hot glue or tacky glue will work the best, but be sure to let it dry.
- You'll have 1 mini pipe cleaner leftover. Save it for another craft.
5
Glue the pipe cleaners to the inside of your toilet paper roll. Coat the pipe cleaners with hot glue or tacky glue, then tuck them inside the toilet paper roll. Press them against the inside walls of the roll, then let the glue dry.^{[25]
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- You can also use pieces of masking tape instead.
- Tuck the pipe cleaners far enough into the toilet paper roll so that the ends of the leaves touch the top of the toilet paper roll.
6
Bend the leaves downward once the glue dries. This will make the palm trees look for realistic. If you want to, you can bend the leaves so that they are curved rather than straight. For an even more realistic touch, hot glue some brown pompoms to the top of the tree to make coconuts.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I make a tree without tissue paper?

Community Answer

You can just get a toilet roll, green paper and scissors. Cut the top of the toilet roll and then scrunch up your piece of paper. Add some red circle (optional), then put it in you toilet roll and you've got yourself a tree.
Question

How do I make the giving tree?

Community Answer

If you want to make the giving tree, try adding real or fake apples. If you can, make the branches and most of the stump removable so it can really be like the giving tree.