This is the perfect time of year to snuggle up inside and spend some time with the kids creating and learning.

Since it’s cold outside, let’s talk about animals that love the cold weather! One of our very favorite cold-loving birds is the penguin. 

Kids can learn all about penguins and stretch their creativity when they make this fun and easy paper cup penguin craft.

You most likely already have all of these supplies around the house. We often have leftover paper cups from a party tucked away, so grab them, some paper, scissors, and glue, and show the kids this perfectly precious penguin they can make!

To make it even easier on you, we have a free template to download so the kids can cut out the pieces and follow instructions on how to turn an everyday paper cup into a penguin! They’ll have a blast with this craft that’s great for any penguin-loving kid!

Waddle on over to see some more penguin activities kids will love. There are lots of crafts to printables to choose from to beat the winter blues!

Penguin Craft Idea

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Supplies

• Black paper cup
• Colored cardstock or construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers
• Penguin template (enter your email in the form at the end of this post to have the link sent to you)

Directions

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

Use a yellow or orange marker to color the penguin’s beak. Begin by gluing the face to the middle of the head, then set this piece aside.

Start assembling by gluing the belly in the middle of the cup.

Take the flippers and glue them, one on each side of the belly, facing inward.

Next, take the feet and glue the heel portion of it to the bottom of the cup, just above the rim.

Finish by gluing the bottom of the head, to the top and middle of the penguin’s belly.

Be sure to check out our many more winter animal crafts this season as you and your little ones stay inside and craft in the warmth!

Winter Ideas For Kids

If you’re looking for ideas to keep your kids entertained and busy learning during the winter months, then you’re in the right place.

Keep kids engaged with our winter-themed crafts and activities that kids will have a blast doing. We have lots of ideas to get you started, so save the ones your kids will love to do.

See some of our favorites below to keep them busy all winter long.

Winter Books For Kids

Wintertime is a great opportunity for parents to create lasting memories with their kids.

Taking the time to read books to them provides tremendous benefits for children – it can help build their imagination and vocabulary, introduce them to new subjects, and give them an appreciation of literature and storytelling.

Reading also encourages family bonds by providing time together and sparking important conversations.

Here are some of the best winter animal books.

Polar Bear Island is a fun book for winter! Polar Bear Island is just that – only for polar bears! That is until Kirby the penguin comes to visit. She turns the place around and adds tons of interesting excitement, but will the polar bears let her stay? You have to check it out and see for yourself!

Tacky The Penguin– This is a great book for children to learn about acceptance and valuing others for exactly who they are.

Owl Babies– A sweet book that teaches kids that Mom always comes back! It’s especially great for children who may have separation anxiety.

Winter Crafts For Kids

Crafting is a fun way for kids to develop various skills. While they are being creative and making something with their hands, they are also practicing their scissor skills, fine motor skills, following directions, and much more.

Crafting is a great way for kids to relieve stress and develop a sense of pride in their work. See some of our favorite winter-themed crafts below.

Snowman Photo Craft – Skip the snow and get the photos out for this snowman! Kids will build their own snowman and personalize it with their little faces. It makes for a cute winter decoration and keepsake for parents!

Penguin Card Craft – Waddle you know, this is an adorable card! Kids will love creating their own penguin cards and working on important skills at the same time! They can display it as a cute decoration or give it to someone special.

Paper Bag Snowy Owl Craft – Whooo is ready for a fun and easy craft? Your kids will love this snowy owl puppet! It’s fun to put together and even more fun to play with! In no time you’ll have little owls flying around!

Toilet Paper Roll Polar Bear Craft – Keep those toilet paper rolls and turn them into a fun craft for the kids! With this project, they’ll make a polar bear, and our free template makes it really easy. Use either colored paper or have the kids color the polar bears before gluing them to the cardboard tube.

Winter Activities For Kids

On our arctic expedition, we saw the polar bear having lots of winter fun! In these polar bear dot to dot printables, kids will connect the dots to complete the picture to see what exactly the bears were getting up to! It’s a great no-prep activity that kids will love!

Your wise little owls will love learning with these snowy owl worksheets. With these printables, kids will work on handwriting practice, letter recognition, and labeling a snowy owl! They’re great for developing fine motor skills, scissor skills, and more.

These penguin cutting activity printables are a fun way to give kids a chance to practice using their scissors. There are four different pages featuring cute and playful penguins where kids can build hand strength, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills when they use this essential skill. 

Kids can cozy up with the dot markers and this set of winter do a dot printables for an entertaining time learning. They’ll love the art pages, plus the pages to help them learn numbers, letters, patterns, and visual details with all the fun winter characters on them. Be sure to laminate the sheets to use them over and over this winter.

Winter Fun

• Kids will look super cute in this sweet snowman shirt!
• These adorable penguin soaps are great for encouraging kids to wash their hands.
• This penguin playdough kit is great for sensory play!

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!

Paper Cup Penguin Craft Template