Summer time can bring idle days. Those can be the best, but sometimes I use crafts to occupy my children’s minds and guide their creativity. This Animal Craft is perfect! Your children can work together and independently. Spread it out over a few days to practice diligence and make the fun last.
My favorite thing about this craft is that it’s perfect for different ages. I had children ages 3-8 working on this with vigor! They wanted to add more animals to it each day, until it was jam packed. Here’s how we did it.
Supplies: Paper Roll Paper, Animal Coloring Pages, Coloring Supplies, Scissors, Tape, Poster Paint (optional), Painting Supplies (optional)
First, I talked to the children about our project and reviewed the different habitats where animals live. Next, I handed out Animal Coloring Pages to the kids and told them to do their best coloring job. They really got to work!
The following day we worked on making a background. I separated a long piece of paper into 4 parts with a pencil. We sat at a long table and each child worked on a different habitat. We painted a jungle, a mountain, water, and a grass land. 
Of course, you could use any supplies you have on hand to make your background: like paper and glue, markers, pencils, or even crayons. As we created our habitats, I asked the kids where they thought their animal lived. They were stumped on a few, like the peacock, so we looked them up online. It was a great learning opportunity.
Meanwhile, my toddler worked on his favorite animal activity – his Noah’s Ark Puzzle Boat. He loved taking the animals in and out of the boat and practicing his animal sounds!
Finally, when everything was dry I posted our habitats to the wall. We cut out our animals and gave them a home.
Here’s what the whole thing looked like. We continued to add animals throughout the week. I was so proud to display it on the wall.
I love this mural idea! My son is in 1st grade and we have been talking about animal habitats. I am going to do this and have him add a new animal or habitat everyday. Thanks for the idea!
This is the cutest. Can’t believe your kids made this beautiful art. Thankyou for sharing. It looks alot of fun, so excited to try it.
Thank you for the kind words.
-Janine