Kids love going to the zoo and looking at all of the different animals that live there.

One animal that kids always seem to gravitate towards is the lion, maybe because it’s the king of the jungle!

This paper bag puppet lion craft is a great way to bring this cool zoo animal back home or into your classroom for an engaging afternoon activity.

It’s not only fun but also helps children follow directions, work on creativity, and sharpen their fine motor skills.

If your kids like this activity, also be sure to check out all of our paper bag puppets!

Lion Puppet Craft

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Supplies

• Brown paper bag
• Colored cardstock or construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Lion template (enter your email in the form at the end of this post to have the link sent to you)

Directions

Download the lion template, print, and cut out the pieces you need.

Begin to make the head by gluing the mouth/nose piece to the top of the lion’s face.

Glue the eyes on either side of the mouth/nose piece you added in the last step.

Next, take the cheeks and glue them just below the eyes on each side of the face.

Finish off the lion’s head by gluing the head to the middle of the mane.

Create the lion’s body by gluing the belly to the middle of the body piece.

Next, take the arms and glue them to the top of the body and angle them slightly in towards the belly. Glue the completed body to the main portion of the brown paper bag.

Make the lion’s tail by gluing the tail fur to the tail.

Take the completed tail, open the side of the paper bag and glue it to the front part of the fold.

That’s it! Now your kids have a cute lion puppet they can play with all day!

Zoo Unit For Kids

Create an entire zoo unit for preschool and kindergarten kids around this lion puppet! Read on below to see our best ideas on how to do this!

Reading aloud to children has long been a favorite pastime for parents, but it also has other benefits. Reading can help your child master their phonics skills, teach children listening skills, and improve their vocabulary!

For those reasons (and many more!) we always suggest introducing a new topic with books! Grab these books from the library or buy them on Amazon to add to your home collection.

Below are some of the most popular zoo animal books!

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.

Kids’ Zoo Crafts

Crafting with kids can be so much fun. But it’s also an awesome way to help them with scissors skills, fine motor skills, and help build their self-esteem! Add in some of these easy projects:

Panda Paper Bag Puppet Craft – What’s black and white and adorable all over? A panda paper bag puppet, of course! This easy and fun craft is perfect for pretend play. Just print out the free template, grab some crafting supplies, and let your little ones get creative.

Paper Plate Giraffe Craft – Animal crafts are always a hit with kids, and this giraffe is no exception! It’s fun for kids to paint and cut, and they’ll love showing off their finished projects. Plus, it’s a great way to teach them about zoo animals.

Peacock Handprint Craft – This peacock craft for kids is a fun and easy way to create a colorful piece of art. Best of all, it doesn’t require any paint, so it’s a mess-free activity.

Handprint Zebra Craft – These handprint zebras are the cutest zoo animals your children will ever make! And the best part is that they’re so easy to make. All you need is some simple supplies and our free zebra template

Zoo Activities For Kids

These fun zoo animal worksheets for preschool will help your little one improve their handwriting, letter recognition, patterns, and more. With a variety of cute animals, this set has everything you need to get started on the right foot!

Sensory activities are also another activity you’ll want to incorporate into your zoo animal theme. This zoo play dough kit is perfect for letting the kids have some independent playtime.

These pretend play zoo animal printables are great for encouraging kids to use their imagination, play, and stay off the screens!

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!

More Animal Ideas For Kids

Free Printable Lion Template