This adorable Penguin Craft for kids is great for winter crafts. It’s the perfect project for a snow day, quiet time in the classroom, at a winter party, or at home with family.
Easy peasy penguin crafts are ideal for preschoolers or kindergarteners. They combine creativity with fine motor skills development and teach kids how to follow instructions. Read on for our top 10+ Penguin craft ideas, plus a bonus free craft template!
Did you know that we also have a free penguin themed alphabet matching activity? It’s the perfect literacy activity for toddlers and younger children who will learn how to match uppercase and lowercase letters.
Ten Interesting Facts About Penguins
Yes, penguins are adorable and we can’t seem to get enough of them! What makes them so special?
“We have so much we can learn about and from penguins,” Miller explains. “They work together, share responsibilities, look out for each other, love each other for life, and persevere in the most challenging situations.”
–Tennessee’s Teacher of the Year, Melissa Miller
Let’s dive into it:
- A group of penguins in the water is called a raft but on land, they’re called a waddle!
- The black and white “tuxedo” look is a clever camouflage called countershading. Black helps them blend in with darkness and white helps them blend with bright surfaces.
- Penguins may huddle together for several reasons like protection or warmth.
- Penguins evolved to fly underwater.
- Thick feathers aren’t the only way this bird stays warm, they also cover their feathers with oil produced near their tails.
- Penguins live in many locations and habitats. You can find them in Antarctica and Antarctic islands, the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Peru, and Chile.
- Contrary to many popular movies, you’ll never see penguins and polar bears together in the wild. That’s because penguins live south of the equator while polar bears north of the equator in the Arctic!
- Penguin feet are adapted to walk long distances.
- Many male penguins gift female penguins with rocks to woo them. Most penguins mate for life!
- According to some animal experts, the penguin is one of the most streamlined animals in the world. This helps them swim super fast!
Check this out for more Penguin Facts.
Share these with your classroom or better yet, check out our Penguin Life Cycle Pack which has everything you need for a science-backed animal study. I highly recommend adding a Penguin Unit for this winter- it’s a winner with the kids, and you can try our cute penguin craft with it.
Don’t forget to also grab my free penguin themed counting mats which are a great way to get children actively learning about numbers.
What you’ll need
- You’ll need your free penguin craft template. You can grab the templates at the bottom of this blog post.
- Construction paper (we’re making paper penguins) or colored cardstock
- Scissors (if you’re doing this with your toddlers, you can do the cutting if they don’t know how to use scissors!)
- Glue
Craft Ideas
Notes: The above supplies are all you need. If you’re feeling like an artsy craftsy mom or the kids want an extra crafty morning, here are some of our best ideas to spruce up your easy penguin crafts:
- Paper plates (you can stick your penguin onto it and make a frame- voila a paper plate penguin craft!).
- Popsicle sticks (this can become a popsicle stick penguin or penguin puppets).
- Cotton balls (the kids can decorate the penguin or create an ‘arctic background’. You can also stick it on the penguin’s belly for texture. It’s a great idea for a cotton ball penguin craft).
- Toilet paper rolls (you can scale down the paper penguin craft and stick these onto toilet rolls or even a paper bag to create ornaments or keepsakes. My kids always display them and say that it’s a ‘Christmas ornament’).
- Finger paint (use these to create penguin footprints for a handprint penguin craft!).
- Orange lentils (stick it on the penguin’s orange beak for some texture).
When to do fun penguin crafts
- Prepare them for a winter lesson plan.
- Make them as holiday gifts for your loved ones.
- Decorate your classroom for the winter season.
- Make them using a penguin-themed lesson plan.
- Use these to help you read Penguin Books.
- Attach a thread and hang it as a Christmas decoration.
Free Penguin Craft
By sharing our top penguin facts, you can make this an educational activity. Nothing says fun learning like a preschool penguin craft! You can also make it a sensory activity if you laminate the pieces and hide them inside an Ocean Sensory Bin. The kids will have to ‘find’ the pieces and put the puzzle together!
You can print out your penguin in black and white or in color. I like the black and white option because the kids first have to color it in and this keeps them busy for a longer time.
Print out the pieces, Piece them together and glue them onto paper or cardstock.
Kids will work on:
–Fine motor skills by cutting and gluing
–Problem-solving skills by putting the pieces together
–Learn how to follow directions– they can follow the template guideline or you can show them step by step
The template works great for older kids because they can follow instructions. Perfect for morning work or even quiet time.
Where to get this printable
GET THE PENGUIN CRAFT TEMPLATE HERE
Top 10 Penguin Crafts
Don’t just stop there! Here are some of our favorite crafts that you have to try:
1. Egg Carton Bobblehead Penguin Preschool Craft
Make an egg carton bobblehead penguin to go along with a penguin unit or just for fun. How fun is that? Beyond that you can use little penguin figurines to help teach your child about the different climates penguins live in.
2. Moving Penguin Paper Plate Craft
The moving penguin paper plate craft is an engaging winter activity for kids! It’s an interactive project where kids get to paint a paper plate, decorate it with snowflakes, create a cute penguin using various pieces, and finally attach a popsicle stick that brings their adorable penguin to life.
3. Hatching Penguin Craft
This hatching penguin craft is a fun project that brings the magic of winter to life in the form of a cute baby penguin emerging from its shell! This easy activity is an easy idea to try when it’s too cold to go outside!
4. Torn Paper Penguin Craft For Kids
Get the kids ready for a frosty fun time with this torn paper penguin craft! They’ll be tearing and gluing paper to create an adorable penguin that also helps improve fine motor skills.
5. Pot Belly Penguin Craft
Bring some frosty fun into the home or classroom with this Pot Belly Penguin Craft. They’re so cute with their big round tummies!
6. Paper Plate Penguin Chick Puppets
How cute are these interactive hatching Penguin Chick Puppets? Such a fun and easy Winter craft for toddlers and preschoolers.
7. Valentine Penguin Craft
Make an adorable 3D Penguin. They’re super easy to make with the free template.
8. Easy Paper Penguin Craft
This penguin craft is perfect for quilling beginners.
9. Penguin Rock Painting
Learn how to paint an adorable penguin! Perfect for rock painting or other winter crafts.
10. Tape Resistant Penguin Painting
This tape resist penguin painting adds an exciting spin to the usual tape resist art projects for kids.
11. P for Penguin Alphabet Craft
These easy Alphabet Crafts are a fun way to incorporate fine motor skill strengthening, creativity, and learning the ABCs for your early learners.
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