Category: Animals

cow headband craft children to color and assemble
Animals

Cow Headband

Jennifer
caow headband craft for children to color and assemble

Cow crafts are a fun and educational activity for preschoolers because they combine creativity, learning, and hands-on exploration. While children are making their cows, they can develop important early-learning skills in several ways. Cutting, gluing, coloring, painting, and placing small pieces help preschoolers strengthen the muscles in their hands and fingers. These skills prepare children for writing, drawing, and other everyday activities.

Supplies Needed:

How To:

Print out the free template and color the cow and the bands. We made our spots on the band with a black crayon, but another fun way would be to dip a cotton ball in black paint and stamp on the spots. Once you’ve decorated the band, let the paint dry.

Cut out all of your pieces.

While crafting, adults can talk with their little ones about where cows live, what they eat, and how farmers care for them.

Glue or tape the band to one side of the tab sticking off of the headband. Then wrap the band around your child’s head and then glue or tape the band to the other tab (forming a circle). Now you have an adorable cow headband to wear!

Looking for more farm-themed activities? Check out my list of Farm to Table stories,  Hello Farm Animals rhyme, and a Farmer Paper Bag Puppet craft.

Free Cow Headband Template:

cow headband (2)Download
leaping dolphin stick puppet craft
Animals

Leaping Dolphin Stick Puppet Craft

Jennifer
leaping dolphin stick puppet craft

Dolphins are some of the most fascinating animals in the ocean! Known for their playful personalities, intelligence, and acrobatic jumps, dolphins capture the imagination of children everywhere. A leaping dolphin stick puppet craft is a fun and simple activity that lets preschoolers explore these amazing sea creatures while developing important creative and motor skills.

Supplies Needed:

How To:

Children can start this project by painting the paper plate blue using water color paints. Let the plate dry. Add waves with a marker or crayon.

Print off the leaping dolphin stick puppet craft template (free PDF download). Color the dolphin. After coloring, cut along the dotted lines.

red line showing where to make the slit on the paper plate as part of craft instructions

Once the plate is dry, an adult can use a box cutter to cut a slit along the smooth center of the plate. The slit in the example is a little less than halfway up the plate. Before slicing, make sure that the craft stick will be able to stick up through the proposed slit and move around. The slit should go all the way along the smooth part of the plate, stopping before both ridged outer edges.

Glue (or tape) your dolphin to end of a craft stick. Slip your puppet through the slit and move your puppet around so that your dolphin can swim and leap around the ocean.

Downloadable Leaping Dolphin Stick Puppet Craft Template

As children color, cut, and assemble their stick puppets, they practice:

  • Fine motor skills
  • Hand-eye coordination
  • Creativity and self-expression
  • Following directions
  • Imaginative storytelling
Leaping Dolphin Stick Puppet CraftDownload

image of 2 pcitures from the print your own dinosaur adventure mini book
Animals

Color Your Own Dinosaur Mini Book

Jennifer
image of 2 pictures from the print your own dinosaur mini book to color

My son and I made a dinosaur mini book about a triceratops who goes on an adventure over a hill, but we need someone to color all of the pictures! Print this out for your child to color and they will have their own, one-of-a-kind dinosaur book. This is a fun activity for all dino-loving kids!

Reading with your child is an important part of early literacy. You are helping build their vocabulary, introducing them to print awareness so that they can build connections between oral and written language, and strengthening the bond between you and your child! Using short books that young children feel a connection to can make reading time less of a struggle for children who cannot sit still for long periods of time.

How To:

Download and print out this book (a total of 5 pages): Color Your Own Dinosaur Mini Book PDF

Color all of the pictures to make your own dinosaur mini book.

Cut the pages in half along the dotted lines to create 10 pages.

Staple your book together. (Don’t worry, the pages are numbered)

Now your child has their own mini book for you to read together.

Dinosaur Adventure Booklet PDF:

A Dinosaur Adventure bookletDownload

More Dinosaur Activities

–Find the Differences between these two dinosaur pictures.

–Free the dinosaur from the vines — a scissor skills activity. I cut green construction paper into strips and then wrapped them around a plastic dinosaur. My son got to practice using scissors to free his dinosaur from the vines!

-Make new dinosaur crayons out of your old broken crayons! This fun upcycling projects nots only lets you reuse broken crayon bits, but then you get awesome dinosaur crayons too.

image of dinosaur shaped crayons made by upcycling broken pieces of crayons.
Animals

“C is for Cat” Craft

Jennifer

Letter C is for cat! Let’s turn letter C into a cat face with construction paper, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and a pompom for a nose. Additional supplies include white glue, scissors, glue stick, and a marker.

C is Cat craft

How To:

First, pick two different colored pieces of paper. One will be the background and the other will be the color of the cat. We have a black and white cat, so my son wanted to make his craft in these colors, but you can be creative and choose whatever colors you want.

I drew a large letter C and two triangles on a piece of black paper. I cut out a letter C shape, and my son cut out two triangles for ears. He glued the letter C onto the white paper with a glue stick. Then he glued the ears to the top of the C. Now we have our cat’s face!

Next, my son used a glue stick to glue on the pink pompom for the nose in the middle of the C. He folded 2 pipe cleaners in half to make whiskers and glued them on. We had to use white glue for the whiskers because the glue stick wasn’t sticky enough to hold the pipe cleaners.

My son added googly eyes and finished his “C is for Cat” craft by drawing a mouth.

More Cats!

Animals, Fall

Secret Hiding Squirrel Craft

Jennifer

This moveable secret hiding squirrel craft is easy and fun to make! I think your preschooler will love this one. It’s an adorable fall craft with a fun twist on the squirrel hiding acorns — this time the acorn is hiding the squirrel!

secret hiding squirrel craft

Supplies Needed:

How To:

After you print the template, color the squirrel and the acorn. Be creative! Don’t forget to give your squirrel and cute little face.

Cut out the acorn and the squirrel. Once you have your acorn cut out, cut along the dotted zigzag line, turning your acorn into two pieces.

Stick the brad through the dark circle (on the left side) of the top acorn piece. Then stick the same brad through the dark circle of the bottom acorn piece. Close the brad. Now you have created a hinge that allows your acorn to open and close.

secret hiding squirrel craft

It’s time to attach the squirrel! Add glue to the front side of the squirrel’s body and then stick it onto the backside of the bottom acorn piece. Make sure to leave the squirrel’s head sticking up so that you will see it when you open the acorn. Let your project dry before having lots of fun opening and closing your acorn to reveal the secret hiding squirrel.

Read some squirrel stories together to go with your craft. Here is a list of 10 adorable squirrel stories for preschoolers. Be on the lookout for acorns in these books!

PRINTABLE TEMPLATE:

secret hiding squirrel craftDownload
Animals, Spring

Frog Hand Puppet

Jennifer

Make this cute frog hand puppet with your preschooler! This craft is perfect for spring time and fits in perfectly with any pond-themed lesson plans. Download and print the free template and then follow the step-by-step instructions. I have included pictures with the instructions to help this craft assembly go smoothly.

Frog Hand Puppet Craft

Supplies Needed:

Frog Hand Puppet Template

How-To:

  • print the free frog hand puppet template.
  • color your frog puppet.
  • cut out along the outer lines. Ignore the dotted lines right now.
  • fold the frog in half, face down, at line 1.
frog hand puppet instructions
fold in half at line 1
  • fold the top and bottom pieces back at lines 2 and 3.This makes the frog’s face show, while the mouth looks closed.
frog hand puppet instructions
fold top and bottom pieces at lines 2 and 3
  • cut out straps and fold ends back at the dotted lines.
frog hand puppet instructions
fold the X piece backward
  • glue the X side of straps to backside of puppet. Glue one strap above line 1 and the other strap below line 1 to help hold fingers in place to make the puppet talk.
frog hand puppet instructions
straps glued above and below line 1
  • let your puppet dry before playing with it!

Check out our crafts page for more fun things to make together! https://imaginationsrunningwild.com/crafts/

TEMPLATE

frog-hand-puppetDownload
Animals, Easter, Spring

Paper Bag Bunny Puppet

Jennifer

Here is a quick and easy paper bag bunny puppet craft to make with your little one. Print the free template, color, cut, and glue to make your own puppet. Paper bug puppets are one of my favorite things to make with preschoolers because it allows for imaginative play! This isn’t a craft they just make and set aside, but something that is interactive and fun to play with.

paper bag bunny puppet

Supplies Needed:

How To:

Print out the paper bag bunny puppet template. I made it available as a free PDF download. You can always make your own out of construction paper if you don’t have a printer.

Color your bunny template. The template has four pieces: 1 head, 1 body, and 2 ears.

Cut out the four pieces.

Now it’s time to glue! The side of the bag with the flap is the front. Glue the oval body onto the main part of the bag. We used a glue stick, but white school glue will also work. Then glue the circular face to the flap. Be careful not to glue the flap shut as the circle will hang over the flap slightly. Glue the ears to back of the bag, so that they stick up over the head.

OPTIONAL: add a fluffy bunny tail to the back by gluing on a cotton ball!

Let your puppet dry before playing with it and having lots of fun adventures.

Bunny-Paper-Bag-Puppet-1Download

More Bunny Activities!

Adorable Paper Plate Bunny: make this super cute spring bunny craft out of a paper plate and free template!

Aesop’s Fables: reenact the famous fable The Hare and the Tortoise with stick puppets!

Easter Bunny Words Tracing WORKSHEET: trace all of the letters in the words Easter Bunny and then color the pictures.

Animals, Fall, Uncategorized

Owl Headband Craft

Jennifer

This owl headband craft is a perfect way to have some crafting fun together and get in the autumn spirit. I love how cute these headbands turn out! This fun activity is great for preschoolers, kindergarten, and early elementary aged children. The free craft template includes the adorable owl and two bands for making the headband.

OWL HEADBAND CRAFT

Supplies Needed:

How To:

Print out the free owl headband template and color the owl. We colored the bands too!

Cut out all of your pieces.

Glue or tape the bands to the sides of the owl. If using glue, let your project dry. Then wrap the bands around your child’s head and then glue or tape the bands together at the back of your child’s head (forming a circle).

Now you have an adorable owl headband to wear! Check out my list of owl stories, Owl Spot the Differences worksheet, and take a look at this fun pompom owl craft that you can make together 🙂

Free Owl Headband Template:

owl-headbandDownload
Animals

Owl Stories

Jennifer
owl stories

Owls are one of my favorite animals! I always enjoy the owl week at storytime because I get to share some of my favorite owl stories and crafts with the library’s storytime children. The children love making owl hoots throughout the books 🙂

10 Owl Stories:

Little Owl's Snow

1. Little Owl’s Snow by Divya Srinivasan–

Little Owl is so cute! In this Little Owl story, the forest animals are preparing for winter. Some gather and store food, some hibernate, and some stay awake to play in the snow. Soon winter arrives and leaves a blanket of snow in Little Owl’s forest home. Even though Little Owl misses his hibernating friend, hedgehog, he enjoys the snow with his other friends. Preschoolers will love this bold, bright pictures and gentle story.

Little Owl's Colors

2. Little Owl’s Colors by Divya Srinivasan —

We love all of the Little Owl stories! The stories are always cute and the we really like the bright, bold pictures. In this book, Little Owl explores the world around it, find all sorts of beautiful colors. Each color is just the right hue to be easily identified. The colors are given several examples. At the end of the story is a beautiful rainbow and Little Owl asks what colors you can name. Be sure to check out Little Owl’s Night and Little Owl’s Day too!

Bear's New Friend

3. Bear’s New Friend by Karma Wilson–

Bear heads out to enjoy the day and hears a sound. Is it his friend mouse? Nope, not mouse. One by one, Bear and his friends end up in a guessing game trying to figure out who this new creature is. They keep asking “Who?” Turns out to be a shy owl. Will owl want to be friends too? Read this one and find out!

I'm Not Scared

4. I’m Not Scared by Jonathan Allen–

Baby Owl explains to the other forest creatures why owls are perfectly designed to be in the forest at night. For one, owls are nocturnal so they are awake at night. And two, owls can see great in the dark. Thirdly, Baby Owl says being in the woods at night is what owls do! Read this one to find out who else is awake at night.

Good-Night Owl!

5. Good-Night, Owl! by Pat Hutchins–

Owl, who sleeps during the day and is awake at night, is trying to go to bed. Unfortunately for owl, it picked a very noisy tree. So many animals call this tree home and each one makes its own special sound. Preschoolers will enjoy making all of the different animals sounds and will laugh at the ending!

Owl Babies

6. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell–

This is one of my favorite books! It is about three young owls who try and be brave in the night while their mother is out hunting. Preschoolers can relate to the owls’ fear of the dark and the anxiety that comes when a parent is away. But not to worry, because mother owl returns to happy flaps and boasts of bravery from her little owls.

Good Night Owl

7. Good Night Owl by Gregg Pizzoli–

This is a funny story about owl who wants to go to sleep, but a noise keeps him up. What can be making the noise? Preschoolers will love spotting the culprit before owl does! Get ready for giggles as owl looks all over the place, trying to figure out the source of the noise while your child tells owl over and over again that there is a mouse!

I'm Not Sleepy!

8. I’m Not Sleepy by Jane Chapman–

In this story, a young owl named Mo is not sleepy. His grandma flies up and down tree, getting snacks, water, and trying to satisfy other bedtime demands. Still Mo is not sleepy. Since it is bedtime, grandma decides that she will go to bed and Mo can stay up late. Now grandma has a list of bedtime needs and Mo leaps into action. After flying up and down so many times to get grandma everything she needs, little Mo is finally sleepy!

Owl Sees Owl

9. Owl Sees Owl by Laura Godwin–

This book is so innovative! It chronicles baby owl’s first adventure into the forest. Written with just a few words per page, the words reverse in the middle when the baby owl is sees its reflection in the water. My son was amazed when I showed him that the its the same words as the first half of the story just in reverse order!

Don't Blink

10. Don’t Blink by Amy Krouse Rosenthal–

This is a cute, interactive bedtime book for preschoolers. Here’s the deal, if you can keep from getting to the end of this book, then you don’t have to go to bed. But, if you blink, then you have to turn a page. The little owl in the book offers lots of ideas on how to keep from blinking for preschoolers to try. This book does bring on the giggles, but its continuous sleep suggestions do in fact sink in. By the end, your child should be ready to go to bed.

DISCLAIMER

Thank you for checking out my list of owl stories for preschoolers! I hope you enjoy these books! I joined Amazon’s Affiliate program to try and help cover the costs of this site. If you buy something through one of my links on Amazon, then I may get a small percentage of the sale (no extra cost to you). Thank you for your support! Happy reading 🙂

More Owl Fun!

-Make a cute pompom owl craft!

–Owl You Need is Love — an adorable owl made with cupcake wrappers!

–Spot the Differences between these two owl pictures.

–Owl headband Craft–make an adorable owl headband to wear!

Animals

Narwhal Stick Puppet Craft

Jennifer

Puppet crafts are so much fun for preschoolers to make and to play with! Here is a super cute narwhal stick puppet craft that you can make with your little one. Watch as they make their narwhal swim through the sea on the paper plate! This interactive craft is tons of fun and lends itself well to imaginative play.

Supplies Needed:

Narwhal Stick Puppet Craft

How To:

Preschoolers can start this project by painting the paper plate blue using water color paints. Let the plate dry.

Print off the narwhal craft template (free PDF download). Color the narwhal, kelp, starfish, and clam. After coloring, cut along the dotted lines.

Once the plate is dry, an adult can use a box cutter to cut a slit along the smooth center of the plate. The slit in the example is a little less than halfway up the plate. Before slicing, make sure that the craft stick will be able to stick up through the proposed slit and move around. The slit should go all the way along the smooth part of the plate, stopping before both ridged outer edges.

Now that you have colored all of your pictures, glue them onto your plate. Make a nice ocean scene for your narwhal to visit! Check to make sure that all of the pictures are glued down tight so that your narwhal stick puppet doesn’t get stuck under any edges that may be sticking up.

Glue your narwhal to end of a craft stick and let’s play! Slip your puppet through the slit and move your puppet around so that your narwhal can swim in the sea. Read some narwhal stories to go along with your craft!