Winter just cries out for something penguin themed doesn’t it? Boy have we got the cutest, chubbiest, book inspired penguin craft for you today! You’re going to want to craft a whole colony of these cheeky black and white characters with your kids.
Ever since my kiddies were really tiny we’ve enjoyed sharing the book Penguin by Polly Dunbar. It’s a funny book with a wonderful moral and timeless appeal for both adults and children.
I won’t give the plot away here for those of you that don’t know the story yet but will just say that a little boy Ben opens a present and finds a penguin inside! Ben is determined to make the penguin talk and tries everything without success! A disastrous and hilarious encounter with a passing lion finally causes penguin to speak … and Ben discovers something wonderful!
Penguin inspired us to come up with a penguin craft that could be used as a jolly Christmas ornament and also double up as a cute penguin play figure too. Our penguins will be hanging on our tree and also joining our Small World Snow Scene and having a messy time splashing about in our Sensory Snow Gel too!
Whether you want penguin ornaments for the Christmas tree or a penguin craft play figure …let’s show you how we did it!
Penguin Craft Supplies
- Large Polystyrene Craft Balls (3 inch)
- Small Polystyrene Balls(1.5 inch)
- Acrylic Paint
- Orange Felt
- Googly Eyes
- UHU Glue
- Gold Elastic Thread
- Cocktail Sticks (optional)
Penguin Craft – How To Make Penguin Ornaments / Toy
This penguin craft is so simple! Get started by painting your polystyrene balls black for a penguin. You can either paint it black all over and then add a white tummy afterwards or paint it black leaving a white circle or heart shape bare for the tummy, which is what we did. 
A top tip when painting your polystyrene balls is to use a cocktail stick or two to hold on to. It makes it so much easier to paint without getting it all over your hands! My youngest found it easiest for me to hold the cocktail stick while he did the painting. While your paint is drying cut out some felt for your penguin ornaments’ feet and beak. 
Once the penguin craft’s paint is dry you can glue on the beak, feet and googly eyes. I love to use UHU Glue because it dries so quickly and the children aren’t left having to hold thinks in place for ages! It also washes off of hands easily. 
If you’re not making penguin ornaments to hang on the tree your little round penguin buddies are ready to have fun! If you want to hang the penguin craft on the tree use the cocktail stick to make a small hole in the top of the polystyrene ball. Cut a short length of gold elastic, fold over to make a hoop and stick the ends into the hole in the polystyrene with a drop of UHU Glue. 
So how cute are these penguin ornaments? Can’t you just picture them on the tree? This penguin craft is our contribution to “10 Days Of A Kid Made Christmas” inspired by books organised by the lovely Melissa from Mama Miss. We had such fun joining in last year with our Pine Cone Robin Ornaments and are delighted to be participating in #KidMadeChristmas again where over 70 book inspired Christmas Ornaments will be shared! It’s the perfect time to discover some new reads and get creative with the kids. There’s a linky right at the bottom of this post were you can see all of the other kids crafts as we progress over the ten days.
More Fun Winter Crafts To Enjoy:
