Handmade animal crafts: original ideas for creativity from paper, plasticine, natural materials

Every child is necessarily faced with the need for personal development, to learn which is better through creativity. Classes in making crafts can take place using a variety of techniques: molding, drawing, embroidery, knitting, wood burning.

In practice, it is not only the method used that is important, but also the final image of the handicraft. It is very important to go through the stage of depicting animals, because the images of dogs, cats, a giraffe or a penguin contribute to the early development of plot perception in a child. And the materials used teach children dexterity, plasticity of the fingers, and develop fine motor skills.

Applications for the crafts

Crafts in the form of funny or stylish animals can find their application in several areas:

Animal crafts made of colored paper can be used as an exhibit at creative exhibitions in kindergarten, school, extracurricular circle.
Beautiful toys made of cold china, polymer clay, papier-mâché or origami style, salt dough can be used for interior decor.
As a gift for mom or grandmother on a holiday.
Animal figures made of paper and cardboard can be used to organize a puppet theater.

Stylish figure made of felt is perfect for decorating kitchen mitts, can be used as a patch on a backpack or jeans. By giving the handicraft additional volume and framing it in a facet, you can create an original keychain.

Preparation of materials and tools

When organizing creative activities, you should remember, first of all, about safety and comfort for the child. To begin with, it is necessary to prepare a workplace - a wide and comfortable table. On the table top, there must be an organizer with cells, which will be located:

Scissors or a stationery knife.
Needles and threads.
Glue.
Brushes and paints.
Pencils (a simple pencil and a set of colored pencils).
For making more complicated crafts you will need PVA glue, glue, a salt dough product set, newspapers or paper napkins.
Very funny animal crafts can be created from plasticine.

For lovers of modeling, a bag of production clay and pigment dyes will come in handy. For the process of molding animals you will need a convenient board, food film and a plastic knife.

A very complex technique for making crafts is bone carving. Processing animal bones for crafts requires a special approach (not only safety is taken into account, but also the quality of the finish of the bone tissue).

Original ideas for creativity

There are many interesting ideas for making, but for children it is better to choose simple techniques. As you gain experience, you can move on to complex techniques, such as carving animals out of wood or plywood.

In addition, you should always remember about the safety of the child, limiting access to sharp tools, small parts, a source of open flame (depending on the age category and the chosen technique).

Applique from natural materials

A variety of natural materials, such as seeds, nuts, and cones, are used wonderfully as a debut in creativity. To create an interesting children's applique, you will need a cardboard base, a pencil, glue, felt-tip pens or paints and sunflower seeds.

Instructions on how to make a craft of animals from paper and natural materials with their own hands for children:

On a piece of paper or cardboard, it is necessary to draw a sketch of the future animal, for example, a hedgehog.
As an example, you can use a ready-made picture or a picture from books.
Part of the drawing should be filled in with felt-tip pens or colored pencils (abdomen, eyes).
Using sunflower seeds, begin to form the needles. To do this, the top of the sketch is covered with PVA glue, and a scattering of seeds is applied on top.

One large seed will be used as the nose. Mushrooms or apples on the needles can be drawn or cut out of real leaves.

Cold china molding

Cold porcelain is one of the most accessible materials for making crafts. Often, polymer clay, papier-mache, salt dough are used as an alternative. Very interesting animal handicrafts are made of lightweight plasticine.

Modelling allows children to develop fine motor skills of the fingers, causing a genuine interest in this kind of activity.

For the work we need PVA glue, starch, glycerin, any hand cream and lemon juice, which are mixed in one container.

After careful stirring (without additional cooking), the mixture acquires proper viscosity, and you can begin the creative process:

From the working mass form a ball.
Using your fingers, round out the sides of the future pig (this could be a cat or a dog, depending on the experience of the master).
Small details are traced with a needle and tweezers.

For the eyes use small black beads. The role of the tail is performed by a metal wire. The piglet is left to dry in the open air, and then proceed to decoration.

Felt animal applique

Felt is an excellent material for making children's crafts. Its edge does not crumble much when cut with sharp scissors, which does not require additional stitching of the contours of the craft.

Instructions on how to make a stylish animal craft with your own hands:

First of all, you will need to make a template from cardboard.
Using the template, cut out fabric blanks for the future handicraft.
As a basis, you can use textile fabric, a kitchen tackle, a backpack or an old shirt (for example, with a stain on it).

The figure of felt is attached to the chosen base, and hemmed, using hand or stitching (depending on the style of craft used). As the eyes of the animal will be great beads. Decorate the handicraft can be made with buttons, sequins.

Funny pom-pom animals

Yarn pom-poms are also among the most successful bases for making crafts. The fluffy colorful balls make funny caterpillars, chickens, bunnies and many other animals. Instructions for creating an interesting handicraft:

To make a pompom, you need to cut a circle of cardboard, inside of which another hole is cut out. On one edge of the ring is interrupted by a small cutout.
A large layer of knitting yarn is wrapped around the cardboard base.
The last coil of yarn is fixed as a knot.
Remove the skeins of yarn from the cardboard, and then cut the ring of yarn from one end.
The edge threads should be straightened, so that the pompon turned out to be puffy (the more turns, the more puffy the blank).
To create a caterpillar pompoms consistently stitched together.

To make a stylish bunny, you will need two doll eyes and ears made of felt.

Very interesting toys and souvenirs are obtained using the papier-mâché technique. Even more original handicrafts can be made using ordinary plywood and paint. All that is required from the master is assiduity and patience, as well as a creative approach to the work.