Kids can be very demanding. Having a pet of their own might be one of those rants that plague you most of the times. On the other hand, many children want a new toy or a different activity that doesn’t seem repetitive. No matter how old your kids are, a simple visit to the zoo would be enough to show you their interest in different animals and the way they observe the uniqueness of each one of them. While visiting the zoo may not always be a possibility, you can interestingly bring the zoo home. Making a zoo with wild and pet animals is quite simple once you gather a few items to make craft models of these animals.
Wild Animal Crafts
To stoke the creative imagination of children who are used to seeing wild animals on television or other cartoon shows, we have put together a bunch of wild animals crafts for preschoolers that are simple to make and can turn out to be your little one’s favourite toy.
1. A Lovely Bear
A bear is a good animal, to begin with since most kids would be aware of the shape if you have a teddy bear at home.
What You Need
- Child-friendly scissors
- Fevicol
- Toy eyes
- Pink coloured soft sheet
- Your favourite coloured soft sheet
- Empty toilet paper roll
Directions
- Start by covering the toilet paper roll with glue. Once done, roll the soft coloured sheet around it completely. If you don’t have a sheet, you can paint the toilet paper roll using sketch pens or paint.
- Sketch two hearts, a small one and a big one, on the pink coloured soft sheet. Cut them using scissors.
- From the remaining coloured sheet, cut out a circle to be the face of the bear. Cut out strips to make hands, and tiny circles to make paws. You can cut small pink coloured circles which you can stick to his paws for added detailing. Cut out strips to make his legs.
- Once done, stick the face at the top of the paper roll. Glue the craft eyes on it and the small heart where the nose should be.
- Now, glue the large heart in the centre of the roll. Stick the hands in such a way that they seem to be holding the heart. You can paste the paws on the ends of the hands. Stick the legs. And your bear is ready.
2. A Playful Cute Snake
If your child is scared of the rubbery snake toys in the market, this craft idea is just what you need! This cute little snake will make him feel more comfortable and he might end up having fun with this craft item.
What You Need
- Black marker
- Black coloured foam sheet
- Green coloured thick thread
- Orange coloured bead
- Green coloured beads
Directions
- If the beads don’t already have a hole passing through them, use a thick needle or a sharp screwdriver to create one through it. Don’t let your kid do this though.
- Tie a knot at one end of the green string. Hold the other end and start putting in the green beads one after the other.
- Follow up finally with the orange bead and tie a knot on this end as well. Keep the remaining string as it is.
- Cut out a forked tongue shape from the foam sheet and glue it on the orange bead. Draw eyes with the black marker.
- Your child can now pull the string and carry the snake around the house.
3. A Happy Cutesy Elephant
An elephant is usually the first wild animal that kids tend to fall in love with almost instantly.
What You Need
- White coloured paints
- Fevicol
- Toy eyes
- Green paper
- Multiple empty toilet paper rolls
Directions
- Paste glue all around the toilet papers. Cover them in the green coloured paper completely.
- Once they dry, stick two rolls along their length. These would be the legs of the elephant.
- Take the third roll and place it horizontally on the top of the other two rolls, along with their open ends. Glue it there to form the body of the elephant.
- To make the ears for the elephant, cut two large circles from the paper. Similarly, cut a long thick strip to make the trunk. Use a pen to add any detailing if needed.
- Stick the ears and trunk on the body of the elephant. Use white paint to draw some strips as well as paint the toes at the bottom of the feet.
- Finally, stick the toy eyes in the centre.
4. A Pair Of Crocodiles
Your kid might find crocodiles quite intriguing since their structure is exceptionally unique. Allow him to make a pair of his own.
What You Need
- Fevicol
- White coloured soft sheet
- Toy eyes
- Green coloured pipe threads in various shades
- Ice cream sticks
Directions
- Start off by using green coloured paint and colouring the ice cream sticks completely. Allow them to dry properly.
- Cut out two sections from the white coloured soft sheet, making sure their width is the same as that of the ice cream sticks. On one end, draw a tiny zigzag pattern and cut it out, creating the teeth for the crocodiles.
- Stick this strip on one end of the ice cream stick putting the teeth in the right place.
- Take one pipe thread and role it around the ice cream stick, keeping both the ends free. Tie a knot at each end and bend it down to form its feet. Repeat for the other crocodile, too.
- Stick the toy eyes on the stick close to the teeth to complete the crocodiles.
Farm and Pet Animal Crafts
For the kids, yearning to have pets at home or falling in love with domestic animals in villages, these farm animal crafts for preschoolers would be quite a delight.
1. Baa Baa White Sheep
The poem might be a tad different, but this little white coloured sheep will be a great craft item for your little one.
What You Need
- Old newspapers
- Toothpicks
- Toy eyes
- Drinking straw
- Black paint
- Black coloured soft sheet
- Cotton wool
Directions
- Start by taking small portions of the cotton wool, rolling it into tiny balls.
- Take a sheet from the newspaper and roll it completely to form a ball. Coat it with glue entirely and begin sticking the cotton balls on it, to create the sheep’s body. Press it between both palms to ensure all the balls stick completely.
- Take the toothpicks and poke them inside the ball in different places to create the legs for the sheep.
- Colour the straw with black paint. Cut it down to the lengths of the toothpicks and insert them inside it.
- Use the black coloured paper to cut out circles for the sheep’s face and ears. Stick them on the ball accordingly. Glue the toy eyes to it at the end.
2. Little Kitty Cat
One of the simplest craft items to make, which can become a treasured memento for your little one.
What You Need
- Fevicol
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Orange coloured soft sheet
- Yellow coloured soft sheet
- Pink coloured soft sheet
Directions
- Lightly draw a simple cat shape on the coloured papers. Use a scissor to cut them out.
- For the yellow coloured paper, cut the cat’s head at the top to form its ears. Make small notches along its side to create whiskers.
- Glue this yellow cat shape over the orange coloured shape.
- Draw tiny circles on the pink coloured sheet and use them to form the cat’s nose and cheeks.
- With some paint on the cat for detailing and toy eyes appropriately glued, your kitty cat would be ready to meow.
3. An Ice Cream Stick Dog
Real dogs might be fluffy and soft but you might not want to handle a pet right now, but you can surely let them have a toy dog though.
What You Need
- Fevicol
- Toy eyes
- Ice cream sticks
- Brown coloured soft sheet
- Red coloured soft sheet
- Black coloured soft sheet
Directions
- Glue three ice cream sticks side by side to form the dog’s legs. Similarly, glue six sticks lengthwise to create the dog’s body. Join the legs perpendicular to the dog’s body.
- Now use the brown coloured sheet to cut out shapes for the dog’s ears, tail, and feet. Cut a small circle from the black sheet for his nose and a semicircle from the pink sheet for his tongue.
- Glue the ears on either corner, the feet at the base of the three sticks, and the tail just behind them.
- Stick the nose in the centre of the body and the tongue below it. Glue the toy eyes above them.
- Use pens or crayons to add any further details if you wish.
4. A Cute Pink Pig
While pigs might seem disgusting to us, a tiny baby pig seen in farms might make your little one squeal with delight.
What You Need
- Scissors
- Pink coloured button
- Fevicol
- Pink coloured soft sheet
- Pipe thread
- Large pink coloured bead
Directions
- The large pink bead would mainly be the entire body of the pig.
- Use the pink sheet to cut out small triangular shapes for the pig’s ears. Stick them close to one end of the bead.
- Glue the pink coloured button on the same vertex of the bead to form his cute nose.
- Twist the pipe thread to form a large knot and glue it to the other vertex of the bead for the pig’s tail.
- Use a black marker to draw eyes for the pig.
5. A Cute Little Chicken
Seeing the tiny little chicks run around in pen can make your child want one for himself, too.
What You Need
- Fevicol
- Scissors
- Toy eyes
- Orange coloured craft paper
- Yellow coloured craft paper
- White coloured craft paper
Directions
- Cut out a large egg shape from the yellow paper and stick it on the white paper. This is the chicken’s body.
- Now, cut multiple long strips from the yellow paper again. Glue ends of each strip to itself.
- Stick these strips on either side of the egg shape making its wings. Stick only the ends so that the ribbons can flap around.
- Cut the legs and a nose from the orange paper and stick them under the chicken’s body and in the centre respectively.
- Glue the toy eyes appropriately and take your little chick around for a ride.
Sea Animal Crafts
Sea animals would end up being the rarest to be observed, apart from the usual fishes. If your child has loved any sea-based nature shows, indulge his imagination with these crazy craft items for creating sea animals.
1. A Cuddly Octopus
While these creatures might disgust kids, this craft item definitely will not.
What You Need
- White paper
- Empty toilet paper roll
- Grey coloured soft paper
- Sketch Pens
- Fevicol
Directions
- Cover the toilet paper entirely with glue and wrap the grey paper around it.
- Cut out tentacles from the white coloured paper, up to a quantity of 8.
- Use the sketch pens to add detailing to the tentacles, as well as draw a face on the toilet roll.
- Glue these tentacles on the base of the roll to finish the octopus.
2. A Beautiful Starfish
Spotting a starfish on the beach is quite exciting for kids, especially since the shape is something they can instantly recognise.
What You Need
- Black paint
- Brown paint
- Silver paint
- Paintbrush
- Paper plate
- Scissors
Directions
- Paint the entire paper plate in brown colour. Then cut the plate in the shape of a star, with rounded ends.
- Use the silver paint to create tiny dots along the five legs of the starfish to create a beautiful skin for it.
- Use the black paint for added detailing on top of it.
Once your child starts getting used to creating different craft items, you can start introducing him to more complicated ones, such as mythical creatures, birds, and many others. Keeping their creative juices flowing is not as difficult as it seems, and giving your children the right tools will help them discover their own world by themselves.
3. A Simple Shining Fish
Using some old household items is the quickest way to form a simple fish that still manages to grab your attention.
What You Need
- An old CD
- Blue coloured paper
- Toy eyes
- Glue
- Scissors
Directions
- Flip the CD so that the lower shining end faces you.
- Cut out triangular shapes from the blue coloured paper to form the fins of the fish as well as the tail.
- Glue these shapes on the CD accordingly in their respective positions.
- Cut a small mouth and glue it on the front as well. Stick the toy eyes on the CD, too.
- Hang the CD by a thread in your child’s room so that the fish would be swimming around.
As your child tries these easy animal crafts, his creative and problem-solving skills will develop. If your child’s strong point is ‘logic’, he will have a great time trying out these craft activities. But you need to work on his other skills as well. With FirstCry Intellikit, a learning program based on the theory of multiple intelligence, you can assist in his overall development with a fun approach!
