If you’re looking for a fun and easy patriotic craft for kids this handprint bald eagle craft is exactly what you need!

You know how much we love handprint crafts for kids and this newest craft is one of our favorites.

In our home, July 4th is one of those holidays we don’t usually celebrate with a lot of crafts and projects leading up to the holiday.

But, we want to change that, so that’s why we made this cute craft!

Read on below to see how to make one at home or in the classroom. 

Eagle Craft For Preschoolers

We love paper crafts for kids like this one because they’re so simple! There’s no special materials or tools needed. Just your ordinary paper, glue and scissors. 

It’s a fun craft idea for kids of all ages! 

Supplies

• Colored card stock (in brown, grey, white and yellow gold)
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Bald eagle template (enter your email in the form at the end of this post to have the link sent to you)

Directions

Download the eagle template. There are 2 versions. The first is for use with a single child. The second is for use when you have multiple children or students.

If you are using the single child template, print the template on white cardstock and cut out all the pieces, then trace them onto the coordinating colored card stock and cut out again. If you’re using the multiple child template, print each page on the coordinating colored card stock and cut out the pieces.

Trace your child’s hands onto brown paper and cut them out.

Begin to make the eagle by gluing the eye to the head.

Place the beak on the right side of the eye, with about half of it hanging off the side and glue it in place.

Next, take the tail feathers and glue them to the back and bottom of the eagle’s body.

Glue the claws to the front and bottom of the bird’s body.

Finish up by gluing the handprint wings to the back of each side of the eagle’s body, with the fingers pointed outward.

That’s all there is to this fun animal craft for kids!

How To Make This Craft With Young Kids

While this papercraft is simple and straightforward, if you’re using it with very young kids you’ll need to think about a few modifications. 

If your children (or students) aren’t proficient with scissor skills yet we’d suggest cutting out all the pieces for each child before the craft begins. This way, kids are able to watch an adult assemble the eagle and recreate it with the pieces they already have in their area. 

Keep in mind you’ll still need to help each child trace and cut out their handprints, but having the other pieces ready will significantly cut down on the time needed to do that for multiple children. 

Another suggestion is to only have glue sticks available. Younger kids generally are a little bit squeeze happy with the liquid glue, which always creates such a mess. Instead, use glue sticks that dry clear and you’ll have a much cleaner crafting station! 

More Animal Ideas

Looking for a fun and educational unit study? Why not try an animal-themed unit! Many children learn best when they are engaged in hands-on activities. With that in mind, we’ve put together a unit study that includes crafts, printables, and activities all with an animal theme.

Read on below to plan it in no time!

Kids’ Animal Books

Reading to young children has so many benefits! First, it helps them to develop a love of books and stories. Reading also promotes language development, as children learn new words and concepts from the books they hear.

In addition, reading to children helps them to focus and increase their attention! For these reasons and more, we recommend starting with books!

Kids’ Animal Craft Ideas

Crafting is such a beneficial activity for young children! From being able to practice fine motor skills to learn to follow directions to creativity, there are so many reasons why kids should craft!

Try adding in more of these fun animal crafts:

Alligator Paper Bag Puppet Craft – Your kids will be all smiles with this alligator craft! They’ll love using their imaginations to bring their alligator to life, and you’ll be happy to see them using their fine motor skills to make it and put on their own puppet show.

Bear Craft – This North American animal craft is so simple, that even young kids can make it! All you need is a printer to print out the template, some scissors, and some glue!

Paper Plate Skunk Craft – This skunk craft is not only easy for kids to make, but it’s also super cute! All you need is a paper plate, some paint, and a few other supplies. Once the paint is dry, your child can add all the details to create their very own skunk. This is a great activity for animal lovers of all ages.

Share With Us

Did you make this craft with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!

For a chance to have your child’s craft featured, simply snap a picture of the completed project and post it to our Facebook page, email it to us directly by clicking here, or use #simpleeverydaymom on your social media!

More Summer Fun For Kids

Free Eagle Craft Template