Jump into the world of creative learning with your little ones by exploring the wonders of pond life through craft! Making your own frog crafts is a great way to help kids learn more about pond life and different ecosystems!
Using our printable template makes this craft even easier for kids! Let’s dive in and get started.
- Table Of Contents:
Materials:
- Construction paper
- Paper plate
- Markers
- Popsicle stick
- Scissors
- Glue
- Paint (blue and white)
- Paintbrush
Instructions:
Step 1)
Gather your supplies and paint a paper plate blue. Light blue on top like the sky, and dark blue on the bottom like the pond.
Step 2)
Print out and cut the free craft template included in this article.
Step 3)
Trace the template pieces onto black, pink, brown and green paper then cut the construction paper out. Younger kids may need help with this task.
Step 4)
You can either color-in the frog body and arms green with markers, or you can trace the frog template onto green construction paper if you prefer.
Step 5)
Glue a white oval to the frog’s belly, then glue the frog arms on next. Glue two black circles to make the frog eyes at the top of the frog and draw a small black line for the mouth and two dots for the nose. Glue the finished frog to a popsicle stick.
Step 6)
Cut some small green and brown strips to look like plants and reeds coming out of the pond water; glue them to the dark blue part of the paper plate.
Step 7)
Get an adult to help cut a slit in the paper plate with a knife or scissors. Then use your remaining template pieces like the pink flowers and green lily pads and glue them to your paper plate.
If you glue the lily pads at the start and end point of your slit, it will look like the frog is hopping between them.
Step 8)
Insert the popsicle stick frog puppet into the slit in your plate and move it to make the froggy jump!
Video Instructions
Prefer video instructions for your crafts? Check out the YouTube Channel for Crafty Kids Play and watch the full video instructions for this Frog Pond Craft here.
Frog & Lily Pad Template Download
Use the download button after this next image to grab your own free printable template for this craft.
Make sure you use single-page print with this printable pdf file because you’ll need to cut out the template pieces, so it can’t be double-sided. You can print it on regular white paper or card stock.
This template is for your own personal use only, not for commercial use or for resale purposes.
Tips & Troubleshooting
Colored Popsicle Sticks:
You can use a regular popsicle stick, or paint your popsicle stick dark blue when you’re painting the pond so that it matches better.
Use Washable Paint:
When working with children, opt for washable paints to make clean-up easier. Have wet wipes or damp cloths on hand for quick paint cleanup.
Preparation is Key:
Lay out all your materials and tools before starting the craft to ensure a smooth process. This includes having a protected surface for painting and easy access to scissors and glue.
For your youngest crafters, you may need to cut out template pieces ahead of time to make this craft easier for their little hands.
Variation Ideas
Educational Twist:
Introduce an educational element by labeling different parts of the scene (e.g., parts of a flower, types of animals) or incorporating facts about pond ecosystems and wildlife. If you’re studying the life cycle of a frog, you could also turn this into a frog life cycle craft and add frog eggs and tadpoles to the pond.
3D Elements:
To make this craft easier and skip some of the template pieces, you could use puffy stickers and add fish and flowers to your pond scene. You could also add cotton ball clouds to the sky.
Benefits of This Frog & Lily Pad Craft For Kids
Fine Motor Skills Development:
Cutting, tracing, and gluing the template pieces onto the paper plate requires precise hand movements, which is great practice for your young children to enhance their fine motor skills. These skills are crucial for tasks like writing, tying shoelaces, and buttoning clothes as they get older.
Creativity and Imagination:
As your child paints the paper plate to resemble a pond and adds details like plants and flowers, they exercise their imagination and creativity. Encouraging them to come up with their own ideas for the scene can help them with their creative thinking.
Following Instructions:
Following step-by-step instructions to complete this fun craft teaches children the importance of sequential thinking and following directions. This skill is valuable both in academic settings and in everyday life.
Spatial Awareness:
Cutting out template pieces and arranging them on the paper plate requires spatial awareness and understanding of how objects fit together in a given space.
Pretend Play and Storytelling:
Once the craft is completed, your child can engage in imaginative play by using the frog puppet to act out stories or scenarios in their pond scene. Pretend play fosters language development, social skills, and emotional intelligence.
Final Thoughts
Creating a frog pond scene is not only a fun craft project but also a valuable learning experience. It’s a fun way for older kids to learn more about the pond ecosystem or frog life cycle.
Hands-on crafting allows children to deepen their understanding of nature while unleashing their creativity!
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