Today we have 20+ paper animals for kids to make! Whether you’re looking for an activity to keep kids away from the screen, or simply have a bunch of craft supplies lying around and don’t feel like throwing them away, we’re sure you’re going to enjoy these craft ideas.
27 Paper Animals Ideas To Try Today
Paper animal crafts are great for kids because they combine fun and learning in a hands-on activity. Making these crafts helps children develop their fine motor skills as they cut, fold, and glue paper pieces together. It also encourages creativity and imagination, yay!
Our compilation of paper animal crafts can also teach kids about different animals and their characteristics, for example, lions’ manes or sharks’ teeth. Paper animal crafts are an enjoyable way for kids to learn and create, so let’s get started!
1. Cute Paper Plate Giraffe Craft for Kids
Here’s a super cute paper plate giraffe craft that is perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarten kids! You only need basic craft supplies, making it perfect for a no-prep activity.
2. Preschool Paper Plate Red Barn Craft Perfect for Fall
Make a red barn craft with doors that open following this simple tutorial! It’s so cute and easy enough for kids of all ages to make it. This red barn craft works well at home or in the classroom with one kid or a group of children.
3. Soft & Wooly Easy Paper Plate Lamb Craft
Here’s another paper plate craft – a paper plate lamb! This paper animal craft is perfect for kids ages 3 to 5 and older. Yay! Grab your paper plates, colored paper sheets, and googly eyes.
4. Easy Paper Plate Bat Craft for Kids
Making a paper plate bat is easy, inexpensive, and requires minimal craft supplies. Make one (or two, or three…) and add it to your paper animal collection!
5. Adorable Paper Bag Octopus Craft for Kids
Looking for an ocean paper craft? We’ve got them! Make a paper octopus using a paper bag, some paint, and other simple supplies! Isn’t it cute?
6. Easy Paper Plate Snail Craft Painted with Cotton Balls
Make a paper snail craft while practicing different painting techniques! This papercraft is easy enough that even preschooler kids can do it with minimal help. The best part is that it reinforces colors, patterns, and cutting skills.
7. Adorable Paper Plate Lion Craft
This paper plate lion craft is one of our favorite animal paper crafts for kids because it is so cute and easy. Making a paper plate lion is a fun craft for zoo camps, school, home, or as part of a unit on African animals.
8. Fierce Shark Paper Plate Craft to Make for Shark Week
Want more paper ocean animals? This fun paper shark craft is perfect for Shark Week, a school ocean unit, or great fun at home or in the classroom. Don’t worry, it’s not a scary shark!
9. Paper Plate Crafts: Make A Cute Doggy
We have even more paper plate crafts (they’re just so accessible and versatile, right?)! This paper plate puppy dog is as cute as it is easy, great for all dog lovers and so, so much fun to do!
10. Our Giant Panda Project
This paper panda uses crafts you probably already have at home: construction paper, cardstock, q-tips, water, glue, and a pair of scissors. That’s all you need to make this paper panda from Cindy Derosier!
11. Folding Paper Zoo Animals
Make a paper panda, paper bear, paper hippo, paper elephant and paper tiger! Just print, color, cut out and fold the animal printables into fun three-dimensional paper figures. From First Palette.
12. The Cursive Project: Seahorse
Make a cute paper seahorse and color it using your favorite colors! It’s so simple and fun to make, kids will keep themselves entertained for hours. From Cindy deRosier.
13. Paper Animals (Squirrel, Raccoon & Bunny)
Print the templates from In The Bag Kids Crafts to make a paper bunny, a paper squirrel, or a paper raccoon. It only takes a few steps: Cut, fold, and glue!
14. Snail Craft {made with Recycle Newspaper!}
We love crafts that recycle materials, such as this snail craft from In The Bag Kids Crafts. It is a unique craft that doesn’t cost much and after you’re done, you can use it to decorate your room or play pretend games.
15. CUT AWAY Some Paper Animals!
If you are looking for a craft that is really easy to make that kids can make without much help, these paper animals from Krokotak are just what you need! Make a chick, a bunny, or a chicken, and make your own paper animal farm!
16. Accordion Paper Tiger Craft
This step by step paper tiger tutorial from Tratatuha is perfect for enhancing fine motor skills, although younger kids might need some help with the accordion folds. But once they get the hang of it, they’ll have a blast making this paper tiger craft!
17. Paper Mouse Craft (with a Sweater Vest)
What’s cuter than a paper mouse craft? A paper mouse with a colorful sweater! You can even add a paper ukulele or a piece of paper cheese. Follow the tutorial from In The Bag Kids Crafts.
18. Accordion Paper Bull Craft
We have even more crafts for kids who love farm animals – Let’s make a paper bull that stands! Grab your craft supplies and follow the tutorial from Tratatuha. It’s easier than it looks like!
19. Easy Pig Craft {with FREE template}
Here’s a funny paper craft – a funny paper pig! This one is different from the rest because it also uses wood sticks, which you probably already have around. In The Bag Kids Crafts also provides a printable template along with the tutorial, so what are you waiting for?
20. Paper Dragon: a Bright Craft for Kids Step by Step
How does a paper dragon sound like? This one is even three-dimensional, wow! Tratatuha shared a step-by-step tutorial to teach us how to make a bright dragon with paper.
21. Rooster Craft {with FREE template}
Just like the paper pig craft, In The Bag Kids Crafts provided another fun paper craft using wooden sticks! This paper rooster craft is great for kids of all ages, and it also comes with a printable template. Yay!
22. Making a Paper Piglet with Template: Step-by-Step Instruction
Let’s make three paper piglets! It’s very easy and super cute. All you need to do is to cut out the template along the straight lines, fold the paper along the dotted lines and glue all the parts. From Tratatuha.
23. Sheep Quilling for Kids Step by Step
Let’s practice more fine motor skills by including quilling into our crafts! This paper sheep is different from other crafts, making it perfect for older kids with more experience crafting. From Tratatuha.
24. Sheep Kids Craft (with Popsicle Sticks)
Grab some popsicle sticks, cotton balls, and craft paper to make a paper sheep! Add them to your paper barnyard animal crafts collection! From In The Bag Kids Crafts.
25. TOILET PAPER ROLL KOALA CRAFT FOR KIDS
Who doesn’t love paper roll crafts? They are so versatile and we always have one or two rolling around {giggles}. Make a toilet paper roll koala craft following this simple tutorial from Red Ted Art!
26. Paper Bunny Easter Craft For Kids – Step by Step Tutorial
Hop hop! It’s time to make a cute paper bunny, perfect for Easter, spring, or any occasion, really! Bunny crafts are great all-year-round. With some googly eyes, pastel colored paper and crayons, you too can make this paper bunny craft from K4 Craft.
27. Paper Rabbit Craft for Kids – Step by Step Tutorial
If you’re looking for a different paper rabbit craft, we’ve got you too! This paper rabbit might be easier to do for younger children as you only need to cut out some simple shapes and glue them together. From K4 Craft.
And that’s it for today! We hope you enjoyed these paper animals and find the inspiration needed to make your own paper animal crafts.
Want more paper crafts? Take a look at these from Kids Activities Blog
Did you have fun making paper animals? What paper animal idea was your favorite?
