Lion Craft for Kids
Looking for a fun and easy popsicle stick lion craft to make with kids? This adorable craft is perfect for little hands and big imaginations!
This lion popsicle stick craft is a delightful way to combine creativity and play. Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or camp counselor, kids of all ages will love making these charming lions. The craft uses simple materials like jumbo craft sticks, paint, wiggle eyes, and craft felt—many of which you may already have at home. Once completed, these lions can be displayed as party décor, added to a classroom bulletin board, or turned into refrigerator magnets to showcase your little one’s artistic talents.
Preschoolers will delight in creating their own friendly lion, while older kids can customize their lions with unique colors and embellishments.
It’s an easy craft that’s great for bonding time with family or keeping a group entertained. Teachers will find this to be an excellent project for thematic lessons, and parents will appreciate how quick and mess-free it is.
This lion craft is a versatile choice for various occasions. It’s a perfect activity for summer camp, where kids can learn about animals and have a keepsake to take home.
For preschool and kindergarten, it fits wonderfully into a zoo unit study or as a letter L craft idea.
Planning a circus-themed birthday party? This lion craft is an engaging activity that doubles as a party favor. It’s also a fantastic addition to animal-themed lessons or events, providing both educational and creative benefits.
Ready to create your own popsicle stick lion? With our step-by-step instructions and free template, you’ll find this craft to be both simple and enjoyable. Gather your supplies, and let’s bring your lion to life with paint, foam, and imagination
Tips and Tricks for Your Lion Craft
- Pre-glue the lion’s base and precut the craft felt pieces for younger kids to make the process smoother and quicker.
- If you don’t have paint, markers work just as well and are less messy.
- Substitute craft felt with cardstock or fabric for a different texture or to use what you have on hand.
- Encourage kids to get creative by using non-traditional colors for their lions—think pink, blue, or even rainbow lions!
- Attach a magnet to the back of the finished lion for a practical and decorative refrigerator magnet.
How to Make a Popsicle Stick Lion Craft
- Jumbo Craft Sticks, Jumbo
- Wiggle Eyes
- Craft Felt – Brown, Light Pink, Dark Orange, Tan
- Black Marker
- Craft Glue or a Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
- Tan Craft Paint
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Printed lion pattern
Instructions:
To create the lion, line up five jumbo craft sticks on your work surface.
Using scissors, trim additional jumbo craft sticks to the width of the lion and attach with glue.
We used a glue gun and glue sticks for this tutorial. You can use craft glue instead, just allow extra time for the craft to dry.
Oat the lion with tan craft paint. Let dry, and apply a second coat, if necessary.
Download, print, and cut out the lion patterns.
Trace the outer ears onto tan craft felt, trace the inner ears into light pink craft felt, trace the nose onto brown craft felt.
Cut out all lion patterns with scissors, cutting inside the traced lines for a clean finished project.
Measure and cut three 2” by 12” rectangles from dark orange craft felt.
Using scissors, fringe the long edge of the three rectangles.
Attach two wiggle eyes and brown craft felt nose with glue.
Attach the light pink felt inner ear onto the tan felt outer ear with glue.
Starting at the bottom, attach the dark orange craft felt fringed rectangles around the lion’s face to create the mane.
Continue gluing the fringed mane pieces around the lion’s face in a second layer.
Finish the second layer of the fringed mane, and trim any excess craft felt with scissors.
Attach the ears to the right and left sides with glue.
To finish, draw a mouth under the nose and whiskers on both sides of the nose with a black marker.
Your lion craft is finished!
This lion popsicle stick craft is a fantastic way to entertain and inspire creativity in kids. Easy to make and customizable, it’s ideal for classrooms, camps, and home crafting sessions.
With a little paint, felt, and imagination, you can create a roaring success that’s as fun to make as it is to display. Download the free template today, and start crafting your pride of lions!
