How to Make a Willow Nature Crown with Your Child

July 2, 2019How to Make a Willow Nature Crown with Your Child

Nature crowns are a little bit of magic. Weaving branches, flowers, leaves, and tiny bits of green into a crown invites kids to connect with the land, build fine-motor skills, and jump straight into imaginative outdoor play. Best part? This version is made from 100% natural materials—play hard, then compost.

Updated on August 19, 2025. This post was originally published in 2019 and now includes fresh photos, clearer steps, and harvesting tips.

Why Make a Willow Nature Crown?

Nature crowns come in all shapes and sizes, and my favorite thing is they’re made from 100% nature—no fake flowers, no wire, no plastic—just branches, leaves, and blooms. Willow is especially great: it’s wonderfully bendy so kids can shape it into a circle without any hardware, the fresh weave holds its form and makes little pockets for tucking in flowers and leaves, it sits comfortably once you trim any scratchy ends, and when the play is done you can snip out any non-natural bits (like a ribbon from a special day) and pop the whole crown into the compost—easy on the earth, easy on cleanup, and pure magic. If you’ve got willow near ponds or streams, it’s a quick gather, a quick make, and a big dose of wonder.

How to Make a Willow Nature Crown with Your Child by Backwoods Mama

Ribbon is pretty! On special occasions, my children we will weave ribbons into their nature crowns. We just make sure to remove the ribbon (and reuse it!) before composting the crown.

Materials

Long, flexible weeping willow branch (1–2 pieces)
“Bits of nature” for decorating: flowers, leaves, seed heads, grasses, feathers (optional ribbon for special occasions—remove before composting)
Child-safe scissors

Note on ribbons: Pretty is welcome! If you add ribbon, just pull it out and reuse it before composting the crown.

What is a weeping willow tree?

A weeping willow is a deciduous tree you’ll often find near water—lakes, ponds, streams—across much of North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. Its fountain-shaped canopy hangs with long, slender branches and narrow green leaves that drift right down toward the ground. Those fresh, bendy branches are exactly why willow makes such a great base for a nature crown: they’re flexible, easy to weave, and comfy to wear once you trim any pokey ends.

You only need one or two fresh, pencil-thick branches for a child’s crown. Start by checking the ground for windfall. If you do need to harvest, snip a small piece from an outer hanging branch (with permission where needed), avoid large cuts, and follow local rules. Take just what you’ll use.

No weeping willow nearby?

No problem. Grapevines are a perfect stand-in, as are other fresh, bendy options like young poplar/dogwood shoots, or a simple braid of long grasses as your base. Fresh (green) material works best; if your vines are a bit dry, soak them in warm water for 20–30 minutes to bring back the flex.

Collecting gently (sustainable harvesting with kids)

Kids learn to love nature by touching, gathering, and making, so let’s do it in a way that benefits both children and the natural world.

Take just a little from any one spot—think a pinch here and there, not a handful. Choose common, fast-regrowing plants (like dandelions, grasses, yarrow, fresh willow tips) and skip anything rare or slow to recover. Snip small pieces cleanly; don’t pull up roots or strip bark. Avoid protected parks, nature reserves, and private property without permission, and always follow local rules. If you can’t confidently identify a plant as safe to handle, leave it out. Wash hands after collecting, and leave plenty behind for pollinators and wildlife.

Step-by-step: How to make a willow nature crown

Gather. Head outside together and find one or two fresh, bendy willow branches. Scoop up a few “pretty bits” to tuck in—flowers, leaves, seed heads. Check the ground for windfall first.
Measure. Wrap a willow branch gently around your child’s head to see the size. Leave a little wiggle room if you plan to add lots of flowers and such—decorations make the crown snugger.
Make the circle. Overlap the ends by a couple of inches and twist them around each other. If your branch is long, spiral the tail around the circle like you’re starting a tiny wreath.
Snug it up. If you have a second branch, wrap it around the circlet to make it sturdier and create more little “pockets” for stems. Need extra hold? Tie a tiny bit of compostable twine and tuck the knot into the weave.
Decorate. Now the fun part—tuck flowers, leaves, and grasses into the weave. Turn the crown as you go so it fills evenly. Trim any pokey bits with child-safe scissors.
Try on & tweak. Pop it on, bend the circle a smidge if it’s too tight or loose, and add or remove a few stems until it feels just right. Ribbon for special occasions is lovely—just remember to pull it out before composting.
Wear & wander. Off to the woodland adventures you go! When playtime’s over, remove anything non-natural and pop the crown back to the earth (compost or yard waste).