Around our house, winter is the best time of year!

Moms everywhere seem to soak up the short winter season and build extra special memories with their children!

This popsicle stick penguin craft is a simple way to do just that.

It’s a fun winter animal craft for kids you can turn into an ornament as well. All you need are a few common craft supplies and you’re ready to make family memories.

If you’re making it at home with your kids, it makes a great homemade gift idea for Grandma and Grandpa! If you’re making in the classroom or at a daycare facility, Mom and Dad would love getting this sweet gift.

This craft is great for young kids of all ages, so read or watch the video to see how simple it is to make!

DIY Penguin Ornament

You can make this penguin as a craft only or you can use baker’s twine to transform it into a homemade ornament for the Christmas tree!

Supplies

• Jumbo popsicle sticks
• Paint
• Paint brush
• Black string or yarn
• Googly eyes
• Small scrap of fabric or ribbon
• Glue
• Foam sheets
• Scissors
• Baker’s twine (optional; for making it an ornament)

Directions

Take 3 popsicle sticks and glue them together. You can do this by putting glue between the popsicle sticks and pushing them together. To reinforce these sticks, cut smaller sections of popsicle sticks and glue them horizontally along the back of the 3 sticks. Let them dry completely before moving on.

Paint the popsicle sticks black and let dry.

Use the black string or yarn and wrap the entire middle section of the popsicles, leaving about .5″ unwrapped at the top and bottom.

Cut a strip of fabric or use a ribbon and tie it around where the penguin’s neck would be.

Draw out the penguin’s beak, belly, and feet onto the foam sheets. Cut out. Glue the orange nose just above the penguin’s scarf.

Glue the googly eyes just above the penguin’s beak.

Glue the white belly towards the bottom of the black yarn.

Take the penguin feet and glue them on top of the white belly.

If you want to make this craft into a DIY Christmas ornament, loop your baker’s twine and glue it to the back of the penguin.

That’s all there is to it to make this cute popsicle stick penguin ornament!

This indoor winter activity will help kids focus, increase their creativity and provide great family bonding time.

Skills This Craft Works On

Did you know that this penguin craft is not only fun, but also works on valuable skills your child needs to develop?!

It’s true.

Besides fostering their creativity (which is super important), this popsicle stick penguin also helps children work on fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.

Both painting the popsicle stick and wrapping them in yarn are great for developing those important skills.

Kids also feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in their finished project, which can help increase their confidence.

Any way you look at it, this craft is great for helping children develop!

Adapting For Younger Kids

This penguin ornament can be done with kids of a variety of ages.

If you’re doing it with very young children, such as toddlers, there are a few things you’ll have to help or adapt.

We recommend already having the popsicle sticks glued, painted and ready for wrapping.

Young toddlers may not be able to wrap the yarn around the sticks entirely on their own, but with your help, they’ll get the feeling of how it works.

We would also suggest having all of the penguin pieces traced and cut out so all your child has to do is glue them on the ornament.

This is really such a fun family craft that can be adapted for all skill levels! Don’t feel shy about trying it with all your kiddos.

Share With Us

We get so excited when you share your crafts with us! Did you make this popsicle stick penguin with your kids or students?

Please take a picture and share them with us on our  Facebook page or join our private Facebook group and show us in there!

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