Thinking up of a craft activity for a playgroup with children from the age range of 1-4 years old is a difficult task, considering the diverse capabilities of children in different ages. But this cotton ball sheep craft has been a hit every time, because all it involves is sticking/pasting. As a craft for toddlers, they are given a free hand in sticking cotton wool onto the sheep template. And as a craft for preschool aged kids, they tend to be more deliberate in sticking the cotton all over the sheep. Plus they can opt to go into more detail by cutting out strips of green paper and sticking these as the grass.

First of, you will need to print the sheep craft template:

After printing these off, make sure you have the following materials:

1. Cotton balls (or cotton wool)

2. Glue stick

3. Green paper (cut up into different sized thin triangles) – which may be cut up by preschool aged children, to practice their scissor skills

Simply paste cotton balls onto the body of the sheep, and the thin green strips of paper at the bottom. And that’s it! Simple yet tons of fun for little hands.

Interesting stuff: Craft activities that involve pasting and cutting are good for the development of a child’s fine motor skills. Other areas that develop in children are their imaginations, recall of information through mental imagery, visualizing details and goals, concentration and persevering in the task. When mum or dad sits down with the child, it creates a positive effect in the child’s social and language development. Not to mention improving ones self worth because of the success in creating the task.

As an added bonus for your child, snuggle up and read this classic toddler book: Where Is the Green Sheep?

For older children, you may want to try creating a standing sheep variation:

Print the template below on thicker paper, then cut out the outline of the sheep…

Stick cotton all over…

After this, carefully fold the sheep in half. If the paper you used is hard enough, it should be able to stand on its own. However, if it doesn’t stand, you can cut up a strip of green paper, fold them into thirds and glue the insides of the ‘sheep’s legs’ onto the first and third columns of the green paper. This will act as a support and create the effect of grass at the same time.

Did you like this cotton ball sheep craft for toddlers and preschoolers? If you’d like to get more craft ideas, Like Kidz Activities on Facebook and Follow Kidz Activities on Pinterest!