Palm Tree Popsicle Stick Craft
I love making bright tropical projects this time of year, especially anything with palm trees.
This palm tree popsicle stick craft turned out so fun and simple, and it only uses a few basic supplies.
The combination of painted craft sticks, green paper leaves, and fluffy pom poms gives it a cute tropical look without being complicated to make. It’s one of those relaxing crafts that comes together pretty quickly.
For the palm leaves, I made a free leaf pattern that you can print, trace onto green paper, and cut out.
If you prefer, you can also draw your own palm leaves directly onto the paper for a more unique look. Both options work great for this craft.
What you’ll need
- 5 popsicle sticks
- Brown paint
- Brown pom poms
- Craft glue
- Wood glue or hot glue for gluing the popsicle sticks
- Scissors
- Brown marker
- Free palm leaf pattern (optional) – grab it at the bottom of this post!
- Heavy printer paper or cardstock for tracing (optional)
How to make this Palm Tree Popsicle Stick Craft
Step 1: Prepare the popsicle sticks
Paint four popsicle sticks brown if they are plain wood. Let them dry completely before moving on. If you already have brown craft sticks, you can skip this step.
Step 2: Assemble the tree trunk
Line up the four popsicle sticks side by side vertically to form the palm tree trunk. Glue them together on the back using another craft stick or strips of cardstock to help hold everything in place.
Use your brown marker to draw curved horizontal lines across the trunk. Tip: trace around a round object to create a perfect curved line.
Adults may want to assemble the popsicle stick base ahead of time for younger crafters. This lets the craft dry first and makes the decorating part easier and more fun.
Step 3: Cut out the palm leaves
Print the free palm leaf pattern and trace the leaves onto green paper. You can also print them on green cardstock, or use the pre-colored version.
Cut them out carefully with scissors. If you want to make your own design, simply draw large palm leaves directly onto the paper and cut them out.
I like using cardstock for this because the leaves stay sturdy and hold their shape better.
Step 4: Attach the leaves
Glue the leaves to the back top section of the popsicle stick trunk.
Spread them out evenly so the palm tree looks full and balanced.
Step 5: Add the coconuts
Glue three brown pom poms near the center where the leaves meet the trunk.
This little detail really brings the whole craft together.
Tips for this craft
If you want a larger palm tree, use more popsicle sticks and make bigger leaves.
You can also layer multiple shades of green paper together to give the leaves extra dimension.
For a beach-themed display, you could glue the finished palm tree onto blue cardstock and add paper sand, seashell stickers, or a drawn sunset background.
Grab the free leaves template here:
The free palm leaf pattern is available to download and print for this craft. Simply print the template, trace the leaves onto green cardstock or construction paper, and cut them out.
If you prefer, you can also use the template as inspiration and draw your own palm leaves by hand.
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A quick note on sharing this file
If you love this template and want to share it with friends, teachers, or fellow crafters, I’d be so happy! Please just share the link to this blog post instead of sending the file directly. It helps support my site and allows me to keep creating free crafts for everyone to enjoy.
Thanks for supporting my little corner of the internet!
I hope you have fun making this palm tree popsicle stick craft! The tropical colors and simple supplies make it such a fun summer project.
These also look adorable displayed on a shelf, bulletin board, or summer party table once finished.
If you are looking for more beach crafts, be sure to check out my other tropical and beach-themed craft ideas for even more fun summer crafts.