Penguin Mitten Craft

Inside: This penguin mitten craft is simple enough for preschoolers and includes a template to make prep super easy for you too.

We painted a mitten and turned it into a penguin for this cute paper craft. The thumb makes it look like he’s waving his flipper!

This mitten craft would be a sweet choice for a winter bulletin board or hallway display. It would also fit right in with a penguin or polar animals unit.

Plus, scroll all the way to the bottom for some related penguin and mitten activities.

Penguin Mitten Craft {Free Template}

This is a just a simple fork painted craft with some features glued on top. I got the mitten shape just right for you so that it works as a penguin.

Materials

The template includes a nose and eyes, but you may prefer to just hand cut out the nose and glue on googly eyes.

You will need:

• A printout of the free template (see the end of this section)
• Scissors
• Black tempera paint (washable is best!)
• A fork
• Plastic tray (optional)
• Masking tape
• Glue
• Orange or Yellow paper OR crayons (for the nose)
• Googly eyes (optional)

Mitten Craft Instructions

Here’s how easy it is to make these little penguins…

1. Cut out the mitten shape and secure it to your work surface with a loop of masking tape. I think a plastic tray makes cleanup the easiest, but you could also just tape it to an easy-to-wipe table.
2. Squeeze out a dollop of black paint straight onto the mitten.

3. Use the fork to spread the paint out, covering the entire mitten. Add more paint if needed.

4. Use the fork to make diagonal lines in the paint to give a knitted yarn sort of appearance.

5. Using a finger or the fork, smear the paint across the cuff of the mitten.
6. Then, use the fork to make vertical lines as shown. Let dry.

7. Next, cut out the white belly shape and glue it onto the penguin.
8. Add the nose and eyes. You can use the eyes from the template, or googly eyes.

9. Wave hello to your little penguin friend!

Related Activities

Here are a few activities and resources that go along really well with this craft.

Penguin Emergent Readers

For students just beginning to read, my Penguin Nonfiction Emergent Readers are a good bet. You get 3 different easy to print-and-go levels.

Plus, there’s also a shared reading version: each page the child reads has a complementary page for an adult to read aloud – perfect for RTI or for sharing with families.

The Mitten Story Activities

You might also like this roundup of 20+ activities to go with Jan Brett’s classic winter book The Mitten. You’ll find math and literacy ideas along with several more kids’ mitten crafts.

Penguin Days

Finally, there are two different days of the year dedicated to penguins: Penguin Awareness Day on January 20th (and by the way, <— that link has a wonderful penguin “blooper” video in it), and World Penguin Day on April 25th (<—and that link has a great “Penguins for Kids” section).

So take your pick of days, and celebrate and learn all about penguins.