Paper Turtle Crafts for Kids

A small children's toy turtle may inspire craft ideas.turtle image by Aleksandr Ugorenkov from Fotolia.com

Paper crafts are enjoyed by children and adults alike. Creating from paper encourages the development of fine-motor skills, the ability to follow directions, and also nurtures a child's imagination and creativity. Turtles are a favorite animal of many children, and a favorite craft theme as well.

Paper Plate Turtle

Paper plates serve as the base for many paper crafts. Their round shape makes an ideal turtle's shell. Items needed are paper plates, green or brown construction paper, green paint or crayons, scissors, and glue or tape. Have kids color or paint the bottom side of the plate green and draw a turtle-shell pattern if desired. If the children are old enough to use scissors, have them cut a 4-inch circle (the turtle's head) and four, 4- by 1-inch rectangles (the turtle's legs) green or brown construction paper. Have the children glue or tape the pieces to the uncolored side of the plate and draw a face and claws if desired.

Collage paper craft can be done as a group or individually. With a large piece of blue paper, or paper that has been colored blue, have the children cut out and paste turtles, fish, plants, and bubbles made out of construction paper on the blue paper. If the children are not old enough to use scissors, an adult can cut out these items, stickers can also be used. Another variation of the project can have the children draw these items on the paper.

Hanging turtles are ornaments that can be hung on fridges, walls or from trees. Using thick card-stock paper, have the children cut out two circles from a piece of green card-stock, one should be approximately half the size of the other. These circles will serve as the head and shell of the turtle. Have the children cut out four rectangular legs, the length of each should be approximately one-half the diameter of the shell. Have the children draw a face or glue googly eyes on the head. A pattern can be drawn on the shell. Ask the children to then glue or tape the head and legs to the bottom of the shell. Use a hole-punch to make a hole where the tail would be, and tie a piece of yarn in a loop fashion so that it may hang on a nail or tree. Use discretion, if a child is not old enough to use scissors, an adult should cut the pieces out for them.