Farm Animal Crafts for Kids That Teach and Entertain

There really is an allure about farm animals that ignites kids’ imaginations. This farm animal crafts for kids post has a farm animal theme and is arranged from toddlers up to 10 years old. Each project is conceived to complement the perceived motor and creativity levels.

To add an educational twist, each theme also includes a short, fun fact to complement the craft and make learning even more enjoyable.

Toddlers (Ages 1-3)

Handprint Chicken

A toddler's handprint crafted like a chicken.

Materials:

White paper
Yellow and red washable finger paint
Googly eyes (optional, for parent to attach)
Glue
Wet wipes for cleanup

Instructions:

Help your toddler paint their palm and fingers yellow
Press their hand onto paper with fingers spread out (fingers become the chicken’s comb)
Once dry, help them add a small orange or yellow triangle for a beak
Add googly eyes or help them paint eyes
For extra fun, add small yellow handprints around the chicken to create baby chicks

Cluck, Cluck Facts: Chicken mothers are unusual in that they talk to their babies while they are still inside the eggs! Baby chicks recognize their mother’s voice even before they have hatched; therefore, they follow her around the farmyard.

Paper Plate Pig

Paper plates representing pigs are easy farm animal crafts for kids.

Materials:

Small paper plate
Pink paint or construction paper
Pink construction paper scraps for ears and nose
Black marker
Glue
Safety scissors (with adult help)

Instructions:

Paint the paper plate pink or cover with pink construction paper
Cut two triangle-shaped ears from pink paper
Cut a small oval for the nose
Help your toddler glue these pieces onto the plate
Use the black marker to add nostrils on the nose and eyes

Oink Oink Time: Did you know that pigs are super smart? They’re actually one of the smartest animals on the farm! Baby pigs (called piglets) can recognize their names by two weeks old and come when called.

Cotton Ball Sheep

Materials:

Paper plate or construction paper cut in oval shape
Cotton balls
Black construction paper for the head
Glue
Googly eyes (optional)
Black marker

Instructions:

Draw or cut out a simple sheep head shape from black paper
Help your toddler glue it to one edge of the plate
Let them glue cotton balls all over the rest of the plate
Add googly eyes or draw eyes with the marker

Baa-rilliant Facts: Sheep have amazing memories! They can remember up to 50 other sheep faces for over 2 years. That’s how they keep track of their friends and family in a big flock. Lambs are able to stand up and walk just minutes after they are born!

Preschoolers (Ages 3-5)

Toilet Paper Roll Cow

Materials:

Toilet paper roll
White and black paint or construction paper
Pink construction paper scrap for nose
Two googly eyes
Glue
Black marker
Two small pieces of black pipe cleaner for horns

Instructions:

Paint the toilet paper roll white or cover with white paper
Help your child add black spots
Cut out two small triangles from black or white paper for ears
Cut a small pink oval for the nose/muzzle
Glue on the ears, nose, and googly eyes
Use the marker to draw nostrils and a mouth
Poke two small holes in the top of the roll and insert pieces of black pipe cleaner for horns

Moo-velous Knowledge: Cows are very social animals who make best friends with other cows! They actually get sad when they’re separated from their buddies A cow, on average, can give about 8 gallons of milk in a day, and that’s enough for 128 glasses of milk!

Paper Bag Duck

Materials:

Small paper lunch bag
Yellow paint or construction paper
Orange construction paper
Googly eyes or white paper circles
Glue
Scissors
Feathers (optional)

Instructions:

Paint the paper bag yellow or cover the front with yellow construction paper
Cut an orange triangle for the beak and orange webbed feet
Glue these onto the bag
Add googly eyes or make eyes from paper
Optional: glue a few feathers to the back
Let your child put their hand inside to make a duck puppet

Quacking Facts: Baby ducks, called ducklings, can swim right away after they hatch! The mother duck coats their feathers with a special oil from her body that helps them float and stay dry in the water. Ducklings follow their mother in a straight line wherever she goes.

Egg Carton Caterpillar

Materials:

Egg carton (cut lengthwise to create a row of cups)
Paint in various colors
Pipe cleaners for antennae
Googly eyes
Glue
Scissors

Instructions:

Cut the egg carton lengthwise to create a caterpillar body
Let your child paint each segment a different color
Poke two small holes in the front cup and insert pipe cleaners for antennae
Glue on googly eyes

Crawly Cool: Caterpillars aren’t farm animals per se; they are found on farms eating plants! Farmers like caterpillars since they get converted into butterflies and moths that assist in crop pollination. Some caterpillars can eat leaves weighing 86,000 times their own body weight!

Early Elementary (Ages 5-7)

Paper Plate Horse

Materials:

Paper plate
Brown paint
Construction paper in brown, black, and white
Yarn for mane and tail
Googly eyes
Glue
Scissors
Popsicle stick (optional, to make a stick puppet)

Instructions:

Paint the paper plate brown and let dry
Cut out two pointed ear shapes from brown paper
Cut a long rectangle and fringe one side for the mane
Cut two white circles for the eyes (or use googly eyes)
Help your child assemble by gluing ears to the top of the plate
Glue mane between the ears
Add eyes and draw or cut out nostrils
Cut yarn pieces and glue them at the back for a tail
Optional: glue a popsicle stick to the back to create a puppet

Hay There: They rotate their ears 180 degrees for hearing sounds coming from almost any direction. When they are born, the baby horses, that is foals, are about 3 feet tall and can run within hours after their birth.

Clothespin Goat

A cute craft made with a clothespin representing a goat.

Materials:

Wooden clothespin
White or gray paint
Small pom-poms for the body
Small googly eyes
White paper
Black marker
Glue
Scissors
Small bells (optional)

Instructions:

Paint the clothespin white or gray
When dry, glue small pom-poms all over the top part of the clothespin
Cut small triangle ears from white paper
Draw a small goat face on the front of the clothespin with black marker
Glue on googly eyes and paper ears
Optional: tie a small bell around the “neck” with string

Goat Greatness: Being nearly 9,000 years old, goats were one of the first animals to be domesticated by humans! These inquisitive creatures have rectangular pupils in their eyes that provide them superior vision for almost 360 degrees through their head.

Middle Elementary (Ages 8-10)

3D Paper Cow

A farm animal craft representing a cow made with construction paper.

Materials:

White cardstock or construction paper
Black construction paper
Scissors
Glue
Pink construction paper
Googly eyes
Pencil for tracing

Instructions:

Draw or print a template for a cow body, head, legs, and tail
Cut these out of white cardstock/paper
Cut black spots from black paper
Cut a small pink udder shape
Assemble the 3D cow by folding tabs on the body piece
Glue on the head, legs, and tail
Add black spots randomly
Glue on googly eyes and add details with markers

Milk Makers: Here goes one perspective: Cows are one type of recycle! Cows can take grass not digestible by humans and turn it into nutritious milk. An adult dairy cow drinks about a bathtubful of water a day.

Yarn-Wrapped Sheep

Materials:

Cardboard
Black construction paper
White yarn
Googly eyes
Glue
Scissors
Black marker

Instructions:

Cut a sheep body shape from cardboard
Cut a black sheep head and legs from construction paper
Glue these to the cardboard
Wrap white yarn around the body section, securing with glue as needed
Add googly eyes and draw a mouth with marker

Wooly Wonders: The sheep have been producing wool for clothing for over 10,000 years! Wool of a sheep grows endlessly, much like hair from humans. Without being sheared, some types of sheep may produce enough wool that their walking would be impeded.

Handprint Turkey

Materials:

Construction paper in various colors
Pencil
Scissors
Glue
Googly eyes
Brown paint for hand

Instructions:

Trace your child’s hand on brown paper and cut out (this becomes the turkey body)
Cut feather shapes from different colored construction paper
Arrange and glue the feathers behind the handprint
Add googly eyes and cut a small triangle for a beak
Use markers to add legs and other details

Turkey Talk: Wild turkeys can fly at up to 55 miles per hour for short distances! Usually, domestic turkeys cannot fly as they have been bred for big breast muscles used for meat. Baby turkeys, or poults, start recognizing their mother’s call even before they hatch from their eggs.

Season Farm Animal Crafts

Easter Egg Farm Animals (Spring)

Eggs painted and decorated like farm animals.

Materials:

Plastic Easter eggs or blown-out real eggs
Construction paper
Googly eyes
Pipe cleaners
Glue
Markers
Scissors

Instructions:

Choose animals to create (chicks from yellow eggs, pigs from pink eggs, etc.)
Cut appropriate ears, wings, beaks, etc. from construction paper
Glue these pieces to the eggs
Add googly eyes
Use pipe cleaners for legs, tails, or other details
Draw additional features with markers

Scarecrow Farm Friends (Fall)

A scarecrow made with paper bag and rafia.

Materials:

Small paper bags
Raffia or yellow yarn
Construction paper
Markers
Googly eyes
Glue
Scissors
Twigs or popsicle sticks

Instructions:

Stuff a small paper bag about 3/4 full with crumpled newspaper
Tie off the top with string to form a head
Glue raffia or yarn around the top for hair
Cut out animal face features from construction paper
Glue these features and googly eyes to create your farm animal scarecrow
Insert twigs or popsicle sticks at the bottom for legs
Dress with scrap fabric if desired

Benefits of Farm Animal Crafts

Farm animal crafts offer so many developmental benefits for children:

Fine Motor Skills: Cutting, gluing, painting, and assembling will develop the hand-eye coordination along with finger strength.
Vocabulary Building: Talking about animals-their traits and sounds-helps build language skills naturally.
Science Learning: Each of the crafts opens the door to conversations about animal behavior, food, and habitat.
Environmental Awareness: Talking about craft farm animals sets up conversations about where food comes from and how we relate to agriculture.
Sensory Development: Various textures, colors, and materials stimulate multiple senses.
Cultural Connection: Farm animals are part of stories, songs, and traditions from many cultures that connect them to their cultural heritage.
Emotional Development: The grouping together of these new-wild animals that children may now feel affection for, forms a basis for growing empathy and care toward living creatures.

Tips for Success

Prepare materials in advance for younger children
Always supervise use of scissors, needles, and small parts
Consider covering your craft area with newspaper or a plastic tablecloth
Have wet wipes handy for quick cleanup
Take photos of the finished crafts to create a farm animal craft scrapbook
Extend the learning by reading farm animal books before or after crafting
Create a display area for completed crafts to celebrate creativity
Don’t focus on perfection-the process matters more than the product!

Farm animal crafts create memories while teaching important skills. These projects, which range from simple handprint chickens suitable for toddlers to more elaborate ones, connect children with nature and agricultural heritage while allowing learning and creative expression.

For more farm animal crafts, explore our post for kids 10 and up.

Looking for more inspiration for easy and fun crafts for kids? Explore these: