Octopus are such interesting animals. Inspired by our eight-legged aquatic friend, we gathered some basic craft supplies and made our own paper cup octopus craft puppet.
Paper Cup Octopus
Here are some random octopus facts for you. They each have three hearts, blue blood, and nine brains. Sounds almost like space aliens don’t they?
This being said, octopuses are a fabulous focal point for learning the letter ‘o’ and counting to 8. Our paper cup octopus craft was a welcomed conversation starter for both of these little lessons!
We love matching our toddler activities to books and "Octopus Escapes Again" is perfect for this activity. You can find the book HERE on Amazon.
What you need to make a Paper Cup Octopus:
How to make your Paper Cup Octopus:
With the base of the cup destined to be your octopus head, flip the cup over to begin to cut the tentacles. Using the scissors, make eight cuts, two-thirds the height of your cup.
To ensure the tentacles were of equal width, we made our cuts at each quarter, and then in half again.
Cutting the legs is a great fine motor, hand-eye coordination, and bilateral coordination exercise. If you feel your child would benefit, draw guidelines on the cup for them to follow. Remember, when snipping, thumbs up, elbows in, and encourage them to watch out for their helping hand.
Once the eight legs have been cut, gently turn up each leg by rolling the strips up, towards the head of your octopus. This is a great time to practice counting. Counting each leg by correspondence will help your child understand the value of the number. The larger the number, the more legs it represents.
Now for the creativity to flow! Using the paint and paint brush, decorate your paper cup octopus. Will your child use one colour or more? There are no incorrect answers! Let your child choose to allow them to express themselves as the budding artists they are.
While painting, why not sing a little tune to develop the ‘o’ sound further.
“O {name of letter} is for octopus, o {phonic} - o - octopus”
What else can you brainstorm that starts with an ‘o’ sound?
Once your musical number has been sung and the paint is dry, use the glue stick to secure the bobble eyes to your octopus and you are ready to play!
This paper cup craft is very versatile. Simply leave your octopus as a stand-alone character or add a popsicle or string to turn your under the sea buddy into a puppet. Whichever way, your paper cup octopus is a great craft to add to your toddlers' play.
For more fun toddler activity ideas why not join our Facebook Group or follow us on Instagram – follow @myboredtoddler and use #myboredtoddler.
SOME MORE FUN TODDLER ACTIVITY IDEAS YOU MIGHT ENJOY ARE:
12 Easy Crafts for Toddlers
Under the Sea Crafts and Activities for Toddlers
About the Author
Dani is a busy stay-at-home Mum of 3 and an early childhood teacher in training who is passionate about play-based learning throughout early childhood. For educational play ideas that you can do at home and parenting tips visit Play Inspired Mum Check her out on Instagram andFacebook