10+ Fun And Colorful Rainforest Vacation Bible School Craft Ideas

Planning VBS activities for preschoolers and early elementary kids can feel much easier with these ready-to-go rainforest Vacation Bible School craft ideas. This collection is helpful for parents, teachers, caregivers, church volunteers, and homeschool families needing low-prep activities for classrooms, daycare settings, or home learning.

Inside, you’ll find handprint activities, puppets, headbands, paper plate ideas, and recycled creations using simple supplies. Pair them with our Bible crafts for kids collection for even more faith-based inspiration that kids will enjoy.

Collage of rainforest VBS animal crafts for summer church camp, featuring paper frog, bird, monkey, and hummingbird crafts with the text “Rainforest VBS Animal Crafts.”

Jungle-Themed VBS Crafts

Sloth Handprint

Colored cardstock or construction paper, scissors, glue, a pencil, and a black marker turn a traced handprint into a hanging paper character with a face and a branch.

Lining the head up with the thumb side and weaving the fingers around the branch gives the project more movement than a basic cut-and-paste page. It also has a keepsake feel, with the handprint staying front and center.

Parrot Puppet

Transform a brown paper bag into a bright talking character by gluing on the cut paper head, body, wings, feet, and beak. Trimming the bag to fit the body helps the finished piece look neat, while the flap turns it into something kids can actually play with.

That added play value helps it stand out from a typical paper activity.

Frog Paper Cup

A green paper cup gets dressed up with cut paper eyes, a headpiece, a belly, and legs, so the finished project has a fun 3D look right away. Kids mostly cut, glue, and layer the template pieces, which keeps the process manageable without feeling too simple.

Using an everyday party cup gives the activity a playful twist that feels different from a flat paper project.

Snake Headband

Colored cardstock or construction paper, glue, scissors, tape, and the printable pieces turn into a wearable project that kids can make and then show off right away. Adding the lighter underside, eyes, and red tongue gives the design plenty of personality without calling for fancy supplies.

Once you tape on the extenders, the project quickly turns from art time into dress-up play.

Paper Plate Sloth

A paper plate, brown paint, cardstock, scissors, glue, markers, and the template come together to create a larger project with more texture than a standard piece of paper art.

Painting the plate first, then layering the cut pieces on top, gives kids a nice mix of messy and tidy steps. The painted base helps the finished piece look fuller and more display-ready.

two side by side examples of finished toilet paper monkey craft

Monkey Toilet Paper Roll

A leftover toilet paper roll serves as the base for a build that wraps around a paper body and adds a face, arms, feet, and a tail from the template. Kids wrap the body around the tube and add the extra pieces, so the finished project feels more like something built than simply pasted flat.

Using a recycled roll also gives the activity an easy upcycled touch with supplies many families already have.

Handprint Parrot

A traced handprint becomes the main body, while the template adds the eye spot, beak, wing, and feet with only paper, scissors, glue, and a pencil. Because it skips paint, the setup stays low-mess without losing the personal touch that makes handprint projects feel special.

The finished shape looks bright and lively, and kids usually enjoy seeing their own handprint turned into something completely different.

Frog Headband

Colored paper pieces are glued onto a headband base, then finished with tape-on extenders so kids can wear what they made right away. The big eyes, pink cheeks, yellow belly, and optional spots keep the design playful while still being easy for little ones to manage.

That quick shift from table work to dress-up is what gives it extra appeal.

Handprint Hummingbird

Colorful paper, scissors, glue, and the printable pieces turn a child's traced handprint into fluttery wings with layered body pieces, a beak, eyes, and throat feathers.

The handprint shape gives the finished project a light, motion-filled look that feels different from many other paper activities. It also has a sweet keepsake quality without requiring paint or a long supply list.

Monkey Headband

Kids can use colored cardstock or construction paper, scissors, glue, tape, markers, and the template to create a wearable project, or color their own version with the black-and-white template.

Layered ears, cheeks, eyes, and face pieces give the design a finished look without making assembly too tricky. A wearable finish gives children something to enjoy even after the glue dries.

Snake Paper Bag Puppet

A brown paper bag, colored paper, markers, scissors, glue, and the template come together to make a long-tailed puppet with wide eyes, a mouth, a tongue, and a belly piece. Kids glue the parts onto the bag in stages, which keeps the build simple yet satisfying.

The bag then works like an easy puppet for storytelling and make-believe once art time is over.

Frog Paper Bag Puppet

A brown paper bag becomes a cheerful puppet with a head, eyes, cheeks, belly, and folded legs added from the template. Most of the process is straightforward, cutting and gluing, so it fits especially well for preschool and kindergarten ages.

Once finished, kids can open and close the bag for easy puppet play, keeping the fun going even after cleanup.

Handprint Monkey

Brown, tan, pink, and green paper turn a traced handprint into a swinging design with a head, tail, and curved vine woven through the fingers. Weaving the fingers over and under the vine makes the project feel more hands-on than a standard glue-only art project.

Since it uses a traced handprint instead of paint, families get a keepsake-style result without the extra mess.

Butterfly Toilet Paper Roll

A cardboard tube, colorful paper, tape, scissors, glue, and the template come together in a project with wings, spots, stripes, antennae, and a wrapped body. Taping the body around the tube gives it a solid shape, while the layered details make the finished piece feel bright and polished.

Letting kids pick their favorite paper colors is an easy way to make each one look personal.

More Fun Kid’s Ideas

100+ Best Animal Crafts For Kids
61 Awesome Headband Crafts For Kids
120+ Easy Handprint Crafts for Preschool & Elementary Kids

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photograph of found of Simple Everyday Mom, Sam

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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.

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