42 Animal Coloring Pages (Download Free Printable PDF)

8 Crafts for Kids Using Animal Coloring Pages

Last week, my son Mike and I sat down with a bunch of animal coloring pages I had printed. He loves lions (no surprise there!), and we decided to make something creative with his finished coloring sheets. That’s when I thought, why not share some amazing craft ideas for kids using animal coloring pages?

Before we dive in, don’t forget that I’ve published 42 free printable animal coloring pages in PDF format right below this article! You can download and print them to start these crafts right away.

1. Animal Puppets

Materials Needed:

• Colored animal coloring pages (printed from the free PDF below)
• Craft sticks or straws
• Scissors
• Glue or tape
• Googly eyes (optional)

Steps:

1. Have your child color their favorite animal from the free coloring pages. Encourage them to get creative with colors. Mike once made a blue lion, and he insisted it was magical!
2. Carefully cut out the animal shape. If your child is still learning to use scissors, you can help guide their hand.
3. Attach a craft stick or straw to the back using glue or tape. Make sure it’s secure so it doesn’t fall off during playtime.
4. (Optional) Add googly eyes for a fun and lively touch. Lisa always likes to add extra decorations like glitter!
5. Let the puppets dry completely before using them for storytelling or puppet shows.

If you’re looking for additional inspiration and expert tips on creating engaging and educational puppets with your little ones, I highly recommend checking out the valuable resources at PBS Kids Crafts.

Safety Tip: Always use child-safe scissors, and supervise young kids while cutting. If your child is too young, you can pre-cut the shapes for them.

Genius Hack: Use transparent tape over the colored paper to make the puppets more durable! Mike’s lion puppet lasted weeks because of this trick.

2. Animal-Themed Greeting Cards

Materials Needed:

• Animal coloring pages
• Colored paper or cardstock
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers or stickers (optional)

Steps:

1. Fold the cardstock in half to create a greeting card base. Let your child pick their favorite color to make it extra special.
2. Have your child color and cut out an animal from the coloring pages. Lisa once made a pink elephant, and she said it was a princess elephant!
3. Glue the colored animal onto the front of the card, positioning it in the center.
4. Let your child decorate the card with stickers, glitter, or drawings.
5. Put a careful note inside. Encourage your child to write their own words; this will help with handwriting greatly.
6. Once everything is dry, the card is ready to give to a friend or family member.

Helpful Idea: Lisa made one of these for her grandma last month, and she loved it! She even put it on her fridge.

3. DIY Animal Puzzles

Materials Needed:

• Printed and colored animal coloring pages
• Thick paper or cardboard
• Scissors
• Glue

Steps:

1. After your child has colored an animal page, help them glue it onto a piece of thick paper or cardboard to make it sturdier. This is an important step because if the paper is too thin, the puzzle pieces can bend or tear easily.
2. Allow it to dry completely before moving to the next step. If your kids are like Mike, they might get impatient—so I usually distract him with another quick activity while we wait!
3. On the back of the cardboard, lightly sketch puzzle piece shapes with a pencil. Keep the pieces big and simple for younger kids or create smaller, trickier pieces for older ones.
4. Carefully cut out each puzzle piece. If your child is old enough, let them try cutting some of the pieces with safety scissors.
5. Once the pieces are ready, toss them about and let your child fit them back together! Mike wanted to time himself to try to surpass his own record and loved the challenge.

Pro Tip: Store the puzzle pieces in a small Ziploc bag so they don’t get lost!

4. Animal Window Decorations

Materials Needed:

• Transparent plastic sheets or lamination paper
• Animal coloring pages
• Markers
• Glue or tape

Steps:

1. Ask your child to color an animal using strong, vivid colors; this will accentuate the decoration’s vibrancy when light shines across it.
2. Cut out the finished colored animal carefully. Younger kids may need help with tricky edges.
3. Stick the cut-out onto a transparent plastic sheet or laminating paper to give it a glossy, sturdy finish.
4. Double-sided tape will help you to secure it on a window. The sunlight will bring the colors to life and produce a lovely stained-glass effect. When the sun hit Lisa’s butterfly in the morning, she loved how it looked!

Fun Tip: Use glow-in-the-dark markers so the decorations shine at night!

5. Animal-Themed Bookmarks

Materials Needed:

• Printed and colored animal pages
• Scissors
• Laminating sheets or clear tape
• Hole punch
• Ribbon

Steps:

1. Allow your child to select and color their favorite animal. Lisa once gave her cat rainbow stripes, so encourage them to be as imaginative and colorful as they like!
2. Cut out a long, rectangular strip that includes the animal in the design.
3. To make it last longer, laminate the bookmark using a laminating sheet or carefully cover it with clear tape.
4. Use a hole punch to make a small hole at the top and tie a ribbon through it to add a fancy touch.
5. Encourage them to read their bedtime storybooks with their new bookmark. These days, Mike is adamant about using his lion bookmark before bed every night!

Pro Tip: Add their name to the bookmark with stickers or glitter glue for a personalized touch.

6. Animal Party Hats

Materials Needed:

• Colored animal coloring pages
• Cardstock
• Glue or tape
• String or elastic band

Steps:

1. Ask your child to use the coloring pages to color and cut out an animal face. Lisa once transformed her bunny into a magical unicorn bunny, so let them be creative!
2. Roll a piece of cardstock into a cone shape and secure it with glue or tape.
3. Attach the animal face to the front of the cone, making sure it’s positioned correctly.
4. Punch two small holes on the sides of the cone and attach an elastic band or string to make it wearable.
5. Let the kids wear their hats and have fun! When we made these for Mike’s jungle-themed birthday party, he ran around roaring like a lion all day.

Fun Tip: Add pom-poms or glitter to the hats to make them extra festive!

7. Animal Wall Art

Materials Needed:

• Printed and colored animal pages
• Picture frame or cardboard
• Glue
• Scissors

Steps:

1. Once your child has finished coloring their favorite animal, help them carefully cut it out. This part is always fun because Lisa loves deciding how close to cut around the edges to make the shape look just right.
2. Glue the cut-out onto a sturdy piece of cardboard for support. Make sure to smooth out any bubbles so it sticks evenly. Mike once got glue all over his hands and ended up making handprint art alongside his animal cutout!
3. Wait until it dries completely before proceeding. This keeps the artwork looking smooth and helps avoid wrinkles. Lisa always wants to begin another project right away, so if your child is eager to continue, divert them with another craft while you wait.
4. After drying, put the artwork in a picture frame for a polished, immediate decoration. If you don’t have a frame, you can display it on the wall using double-sided tape. His lion, tiger, and elephant have become a miniature zoo in Mike’s room, which he loves to arrange in a pattern.
5. Lisa was so proud when we framed her butterfly artwork that she kept pointing it out to guests for weeks! Seeing their work displayed gives kids a sense of pride and accomplishment, making this craft extra special.

Pro Tip: Create a gallery wall with multiple animal pictures for a fun and colorful room!

8. Animal-Themed Mobile

Materials Needed:

• Colored animal pages
• String
• Stick or embroidery hoop
• Tape or glue

Steps:

1. Let your child color multiple animals from the coloring pages. This is a great opportunity for them to mix and match different animals in one craft!
2. Cut them out carefully, leaving room at the top for the string to be attached.
3. Punch a small hole at the top of each cut-out and thread a piece of string through each one.
4. Tie the strings to a stick or embroidery hoop, spacing them out evenly so they hang nicely.
5. Hang it above your child’s bed or in a playroom. Last month, we made one for Mike, and we added glow-in-the-dark paint to some of the animals. He was amazed when he saw them glowing at bedtime!

Fun Tip: Add bells or beads between the animals to make the mobile musical!

These crafts are a great way to encourage creativity while making good use of coloring pages. Plus, they help develop fine motor skills and bring families together. Don’t forget to download the free printable animal coloring pages in PDF above to get started. If you’re looking for more ideas, try pairing these activities with ferret, horse, or monkey coloring pages for even more fun.

Which craft did you try with your children? Please share your experience in the comments section.

Download Free Coloring Pages: