Caterpillars are so cute and adorable. Even real caterpillars have that fuzzy, cuddly look but it’s not practical to decorate a child’s room with real ones. Instead, you and your child can work together to make all sorts of caterpillar crafts that can teach, decorate and more. Choose one of the caterpillar projects to give a bored child something to do or make several different caterpillars to create an entire new theme for the child’s bedroom.
Ping pong balls can be easily made into adorable caterpillars. Glue them together – as many as you want – to create the fun caterpillar. Glue them onto a piece of wood, painted cardboard or another base. As you glue them together don’t place them in a rigid line. Instead, place each ball slightly off-kilter to the previous one; glue one slightly to the left, the next, slightly to the right. Glue on wiggly eyes then use a pipe cleaner to make the antennae. Cut a section from a pipe cleaner, bend it in half, then slightly straighten out the bend. Glue the bended area to the head of the caterpillar. Cut additional pieces of pipe cleaners – two pieces for each ball, then bend them into leg shapes. To do so, bend each piece into a “z” shape. Glue one leg onto each side of each ball. The finished caterpillar livens up any shelf or flat surface in a child’s room.
Do a variation of the above caterpillar by using disks cut from paper, flat craft foam or even circles of fabric. Glue one of the disks or circles to the backside of the caterpillar’s head. Now glue one disk between each additional ball added to the caterpillar. When you add the last ball do not place a circle behind it. The circles that separate the balls can be used to add more color to the white ball caterpillar. Give the caterpillar a slightly different look by gluing several paper, cloth, felt or foam circles between each set of ping pong balls.
Instead of ping pong balls you can use all sorts of round objects to make caterpillars. Use small pom-poms to make a caterpillar that’s cute and fuzzy. Alternate yellow and green pom-poms of the same size. Between the first and second pom-pom, fold a piece of pipe cleaner and glue it between the two pom-poms. Curl the ends of the pipe cleaners or leave them sticking straight up and twist a small ball shape onto the end of each one. Between the other pom-poms, cut tiny pieces of pipe cleaners and place one on each side, then trap them between the two pom-poms. This will make the legs for the caterpillar. Create a whole family of the furry critters by using assorted sizes and colors of pom-poms.
You can make a unique caterpillar for a desk or shelf by starting with wooden beads. Purchase the type which have only one hole in each bead. These are cap or topper beads and are found in a pack of several, depending upon the size you choose. Glue the beads so that the holes are facing upward, except for the first bead, and that one should have the hole facing down. Choose ones with a hole large enough to hold a crayon, a marker or even a colored pencil. Glue the beads together, not aligning them perfectly, and make the caterpillar as long as you want. Glue wiggly eyes onto the head bead to make the face. You can use a marker, if you want, to draw a mouth. Turn the caterpillar upside-down and glue pieces of pipe cleaners across each joint of the beads. Turn it back over, bend the pipe cleaners to shape the legs, then use an additional pipe cleaner to make the antennae. Bend the pipe cleaner piece in half, add a little glue to the bend, then insert it as far as possible between the first and second beads. Twist the ends of the pipe cleaner to finish. This caterpillar can sit on a desk or table and hold your choice of writing and drawing implements.
Circles of wood can easily be turned into a caterpillar that spells out your child’s name. You’ll find flat, circular pieces of inexpensive wood at any craft store. You can choose large or small circles but they should all be the same size. Paint the wooden shapes then use stickers, markers or paint to write a letter on each circle. Make one of the circles with no letter on it so it can become the caterpillar’s face. Paint on eyes and a mouth or paint on the mouth and glue on wiggly eyes. Attach pipe cleaner antennae and legs before using double-sided tape to arrange the circles on the bedroom wall.
You can even make a nice caterpillar to decorate a birthday party table for a child. Use double-sided tape to connect several yellow or green balloons together. Do not align them perfectly. A simple marker can be used to make eyes and a mouth or you can use the marker for the mouth and glue on large wiggly eyes from a craft store. Bend the end of a pipe cleaner so that it doesn’t poke the balloon as you tape it to the head area. Tape legs from the underside, at each jointed area, so that they stick out to the sides. These caterpillars can be placed on a table, counter or even the floor.
All of the above caterpillar projects are cheap and easy to make. Make additional caterpillars by using paper circles, various balls or other round objects. With pipe cleaners for antennae and legs there are no limits to the different caterpillars you can make. Your child will love the new additions to his or her room!
