Looking for farm animal crafts for kids? This Cow Paper Bag Puppet is super easy with the free printable template!
I grew up on a farm and my dad is an Illinois dairy farmer so creating this little cow puppet has been on my to-do list for a while.
I have fond memories of watching the cows being milked in the milking parlor, helping feed the cows, and playing on the hay bales as we waited for the milking to be done.
To me, the cow is the quintessential farm animal….so it’s absolutely a necessity to add a cow craft to any farm themed unit!
I hope you’ll find that this printable cow craft is great for a farm animals theme as well as the letter C. You could also incorporate this cow puppet into a nursery rhyme unit for Hey, Diddle Diddle!
This paper bag cow puppet craft is perfect for younger kids. It’s a great way to help kids in preschool and kindergarten work on their scissor skills and fine motor skills.
Older kids may enjoy making a puppet as it’s a classic craft that sparks imaginative play!
Let’s begin our easy cow puppet craft.
Supplies for a Paper Cow Puppet
You need just a few simple craft supplies for this easy paper bag cow craft!
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– Lunch size paper bag (We used a white paper bag to make a classic Holstein dairy cow, but you could use a brown bag to make a Jersey or Brown Swiss cow).
– The Free Cow Template Printable
– Crayons (or markers)
– Scissors
– Glue Stick or School Glue
That’s it! Let’s begin!
How to make a Cow Puppet Craft
First, download the free printable cow puppet template and print it out onto white paper.
Next, it’s time to color! We prefer to use crayons, but markers or colored pencils will work too. Have your child color the cow template printable.
We colored our cow black and white to make it a Holstein dairy cow, but cows can be variety of different colors.
For our cow puppet, colored the ears black and pink and the mouth area pink. Then we added some black spots to the face and paper bag to create our dairy cow.
Once the cow template is colored, it’s time to cut! Give your child with some kid safe scissors.
Explain which pieces of the cow need to be cut out. I created this cow template printable with little ones in mind, so the pieces to cut are large and spaced far apart for cutting ease.
Kids that are kindergarten age and up will likely have no trouble with this, but smaller kids may need some help with the cutting.
How to make the Cow Paper Bag Puppet Craft
Once your pieces are cut out, it’s time to assemble the cow paper bag puppet!
Lay your paper bag with the bottom of the bag at the top, as though you were ready to put the paper bag on your hand.
The large circle will be placed on the bottom of the bag. This will be the cow’s face.
Next, lay out all of the other pieces of the cow puppet template before starting to glue. This helps kids figure out where everything should go on the face.
On top of the large circle head, we added the mouth with nostrils towards the bottom. Then we added the eyes to the face, ears on top of the cow head, and the little horns on the top. (It’s important to note that the horns look best curving inwards….if they curve outwards it starts to look like a goat! LOL)
Once your child has placed all the pieces, it’s time to glue it down.
We like to use a glue stick for paper bag crafts to keep them low-mess. Another perk to using glue sticks is that they dry quickly, so kids can play with their puppets right away!
Elmer’s School glue will work for this easy craft, but it will take longer to dry.
After all of the pieces have been glued, you can add details to the cow! Kids might like adding more spots or possibly drawing a tail on the back of it!
And…. the puppet cow is finished! Kids can put their hand inside the bag to make the puppet move!
Get the Free Cow Template Printable
Ready to make this paper bag cow craft? Grab the free cow paper bag puppet pattern directly below and make it today!
You instantly download the free printable template here:
More Printable Paper Bag Puppets for Kids
Want more Paper Bag Craft ideas? You can find more fun themed paper bag puppets here on my blog!
There’s a cute Horse Paper Bag Puppet here. A fun craft for your farm theme!
Kids can make their own paper bag Pig Puppet here. These farm animal puppets are super easy with the free printable.
There’s a Cat Paper Bag Puppet here. It works well for the Letter C or a black cat craft for Halloween!
You can find a Unicorn Puppet with a free template here. Perfect for unicorn loving kids and the letter U.
Get ready for the holiday season with this free printable Reindeer Puppet. It’s a great way to dive into the Christmas season.
Check out the cute Groundhog Puppet here. Perfect for a zoo theme or a Groundhog day craft!
More Farm Crafts for Kids
Need more Farm Activities?
This Tractor Paper Craft is so much fun! The wheels even move with the help of a paper fastener.
There’s a sweet Muddy Pig Craft here. It’s easy for young children with the free printable template.
My kids loved this Cotton Ball Sheep. This fun activity is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.
There’s a Big List of Farm Activities here. You’ll find over 50 amazing farm animal crafts and sensory play ideas for preschoolers!
Don’t miss this Farm sensory bin idea. Filled with the farm animals, kids will enjoy plenty of pretend play.
Plus, download some free Tractor Coloring Pages here. Great for a rainy day activity or a fun addition to your farm unit!
Want to save this cow paper bag puppet for later? Pin the image below to your preschool farm crafts board on Pinterest.
