Polar bears are one of the most popular animals to learn about during winter. We created the perfect Polar Bear Craft to enjoy with your kids this winter, and also included a free PDF template to make the activity easier.
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This craft activity is one of my most loved winter unit resources, perfect for a snow day or classroom activity. The kids get to practice so many fine motor skills like cutting, using glue, and problem-solving, not to mention the fact that they can take home this artwork and proudly display it! There is no better decor than cute polar bears.
If you are working on a winter unit, you’ll love our Arctic Animals Activity Pack for preschoolers. It is packed with over 200 pages of literacy, math, fine motor activities, and other easy crafts.
You can also find more Winter Activities here.
Top 10 Facts About Polar Bears
I love sharing these fun facts with the kids as they craft. Animals are super fascinating, and there is so much that we can learn from and about them.
- Polar bears are classified as marine animals.
- A polar bear’s skin is actually black.
- They can swim constantly for days at a time.
- Less than 2% of polar bear hunts are successful.
- Scientists can extract polar bear DNA from just their footprints.
- Polar bears face more threats than just climate change.
- Grizzly-polar bear hybrids exist.
- There are 19 subpopulations of polar bears.
- Male polar bears can weigh as much as 10 men.
- They can smell their prey up to a kilometer away.
To read more about these Top Polar Bear Facts, check out the World Wildlife Foundation’s (WWF) page. WWF is working with researchers to track polar bears in the Arctic. Their aim is to understand the impact that climate change and other threats are having on these beautiful animals, as well as helping to monitor their health.
The fun isn’t only for preschoolers; check out this Polar Bear Quiz, which my older kids enjoyed and learned so much from! It’s also a great addition to your lesson plans.
Key Benefits of Crafts for Children
Art and craft activities are so much fun! However, it is ideal when activities are both fun and educational at the same time. I believe in crafts with a purpose – kids may not realize how many important skills are being targeted with our printable craft activities. Each one is designed to have many positive impacts on their development.
Here are some of the key benefits:
- Helps children develop fine motor skills – Fine motor skills are developed in kids through art and craft projects that require them to use little muscles in their hands and fingers. This is critical for early childhood motor skill development and hand-eye coordination, as these skills are required for tasks such as writing, eating, and self-care.
- Boosts cognitive skills – Crafting can help improve cognitive development in children. In fact, according to the International Child Art Foundation, “Research indicates that a child who is exposed to the arts acquires a special ability to think creatively, be original, discover, innovate, and create intellectual property—key attributes for individual success and social prosperity in the twenty-first century,.”
- Teaches problem-solving skills – Crafts teach kids how to solve problems since they encourage them to think outside the box and come up with creative ways to complete a task. This teaches kids how to solve problems successfully, an essential ability for success in life and future careers. Brainstorming, evaluating all possible options, and acting on a plan are all effective problem-solving skills that may be learned through crafts.
- Improves children’s mental health – Arts and crafts are an excellent way to improve a person’s psychological well-being. This is especially true for children since it allows them to express their feelings, have fun, and develop a sense of mindfulness. With all the abilities they learned through art and craft projects, they will be more equipped to handle difficult circumstances efficiently as they grow older.
- Provides an educational experience – Making art may also be a learning experience for children. This is because students can learn about various things by using art materials. They can apply the skills learned to other topics as they grow and develop.
And that’s not even all! Check out these other Must-Know Benefits of Crafts for Children.
Polar Bear Preschool Craft Printable
All you need to do is grab your free polar bear template at the bottom of this post, set up some crafting supplies, and get the fun started!
Supplies:
- Free printable template (found at the bottom of this blog post).
- Scissors (you can complete the cutting of this template for your toddlers)
- Glue stick
- Coloring materials (you will need these if you use our black and white option)
- Black marker
- White card stock (cardstock is more durable than white construction paper)
Check out our favorite kindergarten and preschool supplies list here.
Here are some optional supplies, it’s TOTALLY up to you:
- Googly eyes (adds texture)
- Pom poms or cotton balls (you can use these for the nose)
- Paper plates (stick the bear on it and ‘frame’ it)
- Fork (you can stick the polar bear craft on it to create puppets)
- Black construction paper (polar bears don’t actually have white fur, so this is a cute spin on the polar bear’s fur)
- Puffy paint (adds fun texture and an alternative to coloring).
What’s in the Freebie?
The PDF is available in both black and white and color to suit your printing needs. I like letting the kids use the black-and-white version so that they can color it in.
I mainly use this polar bear craft with preschool kids.
Included is an instruction guideline for the polar bear outline and individual pieces. Simply cut out the different pieces and put them together to build a bear!
You can laminate the craft and hide the pieces in a sensory bin for toddlers. I usually fill the bin with some shaving cream and let my little one find the pieces herself.
If you opt for the polar bear paper craft, a dab of glue will do when putting the parts together. All the pieces like the polar bear’s face, paws, and polar bear’s fur are very distinct. It’s a cool way to broaden a child’s vocabulary!
Where to get this printable
GET THE POLAR BEAR CRAFT TEMPLATE HERE
GET THE POLAR AND ARCTIC ANIMAL ACTIVITY PACK
Did you enjoy this activity?
Then you need to check out this Reindeer Craft we have for you!
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