Fun Octopus Craft For Kids With Free Template
We have an upcoming trip to the ocean and this fun, easy octopus craft was a perfect way to count down the days until our vacation. This free printable octopus craft is such a fun activity to do with kids of all ages.
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This craft, with the adorable octopus body and fun paper chain legs has been such a bright, fun decoration on our window as we prepare for our trip to the ocean. I love how each octopus has it’s own little personality and my boys are so proud of them! It is such a simple craft to prep for and make, all of the materials were things we already had in our craft bin.
The paper chain legs are so fun. We are using them to count down the days until we leave on our 2 day road trip to get down to the ocean. The boys know when the octopus’ legs are gone we are off to the ocean!
This is a great craft to work on cutting skills and incorporate fine motor practice. The hand-eye coordination needed for the paper chain is more complex and was a bit challenging for my 4 & 7 year old. Younger kids will likely need some adult help with this part, it is a great opportunity to spend some 1:1 time with your little ones!
I love the bright colors my kids chose and the end result of this octopus is so fun! If you are looking for a great activity for a rainy day or crafty morning this is adorable octopus craft is a great choice!
Materials
- Octopus template (free printable file is towards the end of this post)
- Crayons or markers
- Glue dots (glue or tape works too)
- Scissors
How To Make Your Paper Chain Octopus Craft
- Print off the free printable octopus template towards the end of this post
- Cut out out the octopus body and eyes on the template
- Color the body of the octopus however you choose, let your children get creative with this process, you can use crayons, markers or acrylic paint
- Glue on the eyes from the template and complete the facial features (as a fun variation you could use googly eyes)
- Cut out 1/2″-1″ strips of paper for the paper chain octopus tentacles
- Create your paper chain legs & connect to the body with tape, glue or stapler (I found stapling the paper chains onto the body was the best way to avoid them from falling off)
- Hang on a bulletin board, window or craft wall, you could even do a single hole punch at the top of the body and hang from a ceiling!
Tips/Tricks To Make This Fun Craft Easier
- If you are doing this with younger children I highly recommend using these glue dots. They are so slick to use when making the paper chain legs.
- Precut your paper strips for the paper chain if you are tight on time
- If the paper chain arms/legs are too difficult for your kids you could always make the legs out of streamers, pieces of yarn or construction paper
Ways To Use This Fun Octopus Craft For Kids
Use the paper chain as a way to count down the days until a fun event or vacation!
This is a perfect activity to add into a classroom unit on ocean animals, have your child look up some cool octopus facts while making their octopus or read the classic children’s book The Rainbow Fish
If you are working with young children this is a fantastic preschool craft! It would perfectly pair with a lesson on the letter “o”, even the paper chains make an “o” shape! You could even have the kids decorate the octopus body with cereal loops for an added “o” teaching opportunity.
Free Printable Octopus Template
Just fill out the form above and this adorable octopus template will be emailed to you immediately. There will be a link in the email that will allow you to download the free PDF printable template. I recommend printing these off on basic white paper but you could print them on card stock if you wanted a thicker body. This octopus template is for personal use or classroom use only.
Other Fun Kids Crafts You May Like
I would love to hear from you if you do this cute octopus craft with your little ones!
