Let’s go on a safari to see the mighty lions! The king of the animal kingdom is so beautiful and regal with his golden fur and magnificent mane!
Kids can bring these amazing animals right into their own homes with this fun lion paper cup craft! They’ll have a roaring good time as they turn a simple paper cup into a majestic lion!
Check out some more paper cup crafts to see what else kids can turn a paper cup into!
Simple Lion Craft
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This is a cute way for kids to learn a little more about this fascinating animal while developing some important skills at the same time! They’ll get practice as they cut and paste the pieces and hone their fine motor skills and dexterity.
We’ve provided a free template for you so you can easily turn those leftover party cups into a fun and creative craft with your kids. You’ll just need a few basic supplies you most likely already have on hand to get started!
Supplies
- Colored cardstock or construction paper
- Paper cup
- Scissors
- Glue
- Glue dots (optional)
- Lion template (enter your email in the form at the end of the post to get the template)
Directions
Download the lion template, print, and cut out the pieces you need.
Begin by gluing the face to the middle of the mane.
Glue the eyes beneath both of the eyebrows.
Next, take the nose and mouth piece and glue it in the middle of the face, just below the eyes so it’s slightly overlapping the bottom of the eyes.
Create the body by gluing the inner legs to the top and middle of the belly.
Arrange the paper cup with the rim facing down. Place the completed legs piece in the middle and bottom of the cup and glue it in place.
Place the outer feet on both sides of the inner legs and at the bottom of the cup and glue them in place.
Glue the head to the top of the cup, so about half of the head is hanging off the top. We like to use a glue dot here because there’s no drying time, but you can also use a glue stick.
Make the tail by gluing the tip of tail piece and gluing it to the end of the tail.
Fold a small piece of the opposite end of the tail, apply glue, and glue it to the side of the paper cup.
Be sure to check out the many other fun animal crafts for kids. Your kiddos will be happy you did!
Animal Themed Ideas For Kids
Are you looking for some wild and creative fun for your animal-loving kids? We’ve got a zoo full of animal themed craft and activity ideas just for you! Kids will learn with animals from the savannah to the arctic with these fun and engaging activities.
Read on below for a few ideas we’ve gathered for you.
Best Books About Animals
Children who are read to at an early age have better language skills, vocabulary, and comprehension. It also encourages their imagination and creativity, as they can visualize the stories and characters in their minds.
Plus, it strengthens the bond between a parent or caregiver and child, as they can share a special moment while experiencing the joys of reading together.
Check out some of our top animal books below.
The Fascinating Animal Book For Kids is a great book for curious kiddos! Find facts on almost any animal your child is learning about. This is a great resource to have in your home library collection.
The View At The Zoo is a silly book about all the animals at the zoo. When the people come to take a look at the animals, they see all sorts of sights! But, there’s a twist to this book that you have to read for yourself and laugh about!
Giraffes Can’t Dance is a sweet and fun book about Gerald the Giraffe. He can’t dance, but doesn’t stop trying! He finally finds his own rhythm when he meets an unlikely friend.
Zoo Animal Crafts
Crafting is an incredible outlet for kids to unleash their creativity and enjoy a world of fun. It’s not just about the joy of creation, since crafts come with a bundle of benefits too!
Add some more excitement to the mix with these engaging animal crafts:
Monkey Paper Cup Craft – Crafting this adorable monkey is not only fun but also a fantastic way for kids to use their imagination. Let’s bring this mischievous little fellow to life and have a wild time together! Grab your craft supplies and go bananas!
Handprint Zebra Craft – With just a few simple steps, kids will transform their little handprints into the iconic black and white stripes of a zebra. No paint spills, no mess on this creative safari! Grab our free template to make this adorable personalized craft.
Giraffe Headband Craft – Get kids ready to become a majestic giraffe with this super fun headband craft! They’ll work on essential skills as they assemble it, and then use their imaginations as they pretend to be a giraffe high above the trees. This project will be a tall order of fun!
Elephant Paper Plate Craft – With a stroke of the paintbrush and a dash of imagination, kids will bring this gentle giant to life, complete with its long trunk and big floppy ears! Grab a paper plate, paint, and colored paper to create an elephant masterpiece!
Animal Activities For Kids
Kids can go on a wild learning adventure with these awesome zoo animal worksheets! They’ll have a blast with 24 exciting pages, featuring fun activities like a zoo animal memory game, counting exercises, pattern worksheets, letter mazes, strip puzzles, color matching, and more! Plus, they’ll get to practice their handwriting and letter recognition skills.
Your little cubs will have loads of fun while honing their scissor skills with these polar bear cutting activity pages.
While working on these activities, they’ll also develop hand-eye coordination, hand strength, and dexterity along the way. So, grab the scissors, join the fun, and embark on an arctic adventure of skill-building!
Looking for a fantastic no-prep activity that kids can enjoy independently? Look no further than our animal do a dot printables!
These fun-filled sheets introduce kids to a variety of animals while helping them develop fine motor skills and work on counting and letters. So, grab the dot markers, and let the animal fun begin!
Your little math whizzes will go on an exciting math safari with these lion tens frames printable! These special worksheets make counting and numbers ROAR-some fun!
So, join the pride and let the lions help your kids master their math skills. It’s time to count, add, and roar like a true math champion!
Fun Zoo Ideas
Share With Us
Did you make this activity with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!
For a chance to have your child’s project 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!
Lion Paper Cup Craft For Kids
Materials
- Colored cardstock or construction paper
- Paper cup
- Scissors
- Glue
- Glue dots optional
- Lion template
Instructions
- Download the lion template, print, and cut out the pieces you need.
- Begin by gluing the face to the middle of the mane.
- Glue the eyes beneath both of the eyebrows.
- Next, take the nose and mouth piece and glue it in the middle of the face, just below the eyes so it's slightly overlapping the bottom of the eyes.
- Create the body by gluing the inner legs to the top and middle of the belly.
- Arrange the paper cup with the rim facing down. Place the completed legs piece in the middle and bottom of the cup and glue it in place.
- Place the outer feet on both sides of the inner legs and at the bottom of the cup and glue them in place.
- Glue the head to the top of the cup, so about half of the head is hanging off the top. We like to use a glue dot here because there's no drying time, but you can also use a glue stick.
- Make the tail by gluing the tip of tail piece and gluing it to the end of the tail.
- Fold a small piece of the opposite end of the tail, apply glue, and glue it to the side of the paper cup.
Lion Paper Cup Craft Template
Sam is the crafter and founder of Simple Everyday Mom. She has been featured in Oprah Mag, Good Housekeeping, The Spruce Crafts, Country Living, The Bump and more. Read more.
Mihaela
Wednesday 14th of May 2025
I cannot find the template with the tiger cup craft so I can print it. Can you please email it to me? Thanks!
Kamille - Community Support Assistant
Wednesday 14th of May 2025
Of course! All you need to do is enter your email in the form at the end of this post to have the confirmation link sent to you. Or if you’re already a subscriber, you just need to enter your email in the form at the end of the post and it’ll automatically redirect you to the download page ◡̈
Linda Elliott
Tuesday 2nd of January 2024
Great
Sam
Tuesday 2nd of January 2024
Thanks!