Here we offer you very simple cardboard crafts that are quick and easy to make, even for children. Each craft has a template although you can do just as well without it.
To make these crafts, you will need to draw a character on a folded in half cardboard sheet, then cut it out, decorate, and add a few extra details. The folded sheet also allows you to stand your craft vertically.

What You Need:

• Colored cardboard sheets (colored paper will not do — it won’t be able to hold the craft upright);
• A writing pencil, a pair of compasses, scissors, glue, felt pens;
• Additional accessories like a design whole puncher, moving eyes, decorations.

Cardboard Crafts for Kids: A Step-by-Step Guide and Templates

A Cardboard Tree

To make this very easy cardboard tree, you can use our template or create your own design. Prepare a rectangular green cardboard sheet of a size of your choosing.

Fold the sheet in two. Draw your own tree or use the template. The treetop or the dashed line on the template must coincide with the fold.

Cut the tree out at the sides and the bottom leaving the top as it is.

This is how the tree looks if you unfold it.

The fold allows you to slightly “open” the tree and stand it vertically.

You can also glue some flowers, fruit, and leaves on your tree.

Other cardboard crafts we offer here use the same principle — you are supposed to cut them out of a folded cardboard sheet leaving the top untouched.

Cardboard Houses

The good thing about these cardboard houses is that you can make many of them in a short period of time and they can be of various shapes.

For your craft, you will need cardboard sheets. You can also use cardboard pieces left from other crafts. In our example, we will use a rectangular shape, but, as was already said, shapes may be different.

Fold the cardboard sheet in half. Draw a house of any shape you like or use our template. Remember that the upper line of your house must run along the fold. Cut your house out.

Add windows and doors to the house. Children can draw designs on the roof or the whole house.

Cardboard Cars

Another great craft for kids is a cardboard car. You know how boys like to draw cars all the time. Well, now they will be able to make a toy car with their own hands. Only they have to make sure the top line of their car runs along the fold.

Cut the car out leaving the top untouched.

Draw or glue on windows, wheels, and various designs.

And, finally, pull the sheets slightly apart to stand your craft vertically.

A Cardboard Sheep

You can make cute animal figures out of cardboard. In this guide, we will make a sheep. Using the template, cut the sheep shape out. Apply it onto the folded sheet of cardboard making sure the dashed line on the sheep’s back runs along the cardboard fold.

Cut the cardboard sheep out. Draw eyes and ears.

Open up the folded cardboard sheets at the bottom and stand your craft on a flat surface.

A Cute Cardboard Hedgehog

Print or copy the hedgehog template. Outline its shape on a cardboard sheet folded in half. The upper part of the hedgehog quills must go along the fold.

Cut the hedgehog out without touching the upper line of the quills. Make cuts on the hedgehog’s body. To do this, you can put the craft on a rubber mat and use a hobby knife.

Draw eyes, a nose, and a smile. Bend the quills to the sides. Bend each of the paws outwards to stand the craft vertically. The cardboard hedgehog is ready!

An Easy Cardboard Ship

This craft is easy to make even for small children and it doesn’t require a template.

Cut a circle and a sail (or a flag) out of cardboard.

Fold the circle in half. Make a little cut at the top — it can be round-shaped if you like.

Glue the flag into the middle of the cut. The ship is ready, and you can rock it. Open up the sheets at the bottom to stand your craft vertically.

A Cardboard Bird

This is a very easy way to create a bird. And with the template, you will be able to make a whole colorful flock of them!

Prepare a piece of cardboard or a whole sheet of it, if you want to make a big bird. Cut out the template.

Fold the cardboard in half and match the fold to the bird’s back — the dashed line on the template. The fold will help to keep your bird upright.

Cut out the bird and the beak.

Glue the beak to the middle and draw eyes.

A Cardboard Hare

Prepare two separate pieces of cardboard — one for the head and the other for the body.

Apply the templates to each of the folded cardboard pieces so that the dashed line runs along the fold.

Cut out the head and body. Draw the missing details.

Glue the head to the body. Now you have a cute DIY hare!

A Cardboard Cock

The bright cock will make a great craft for Easter and is overall a good option for a DIY bird. You will need a rectangular-shaped cardboard piece and a template.

Fold the cardboard piece in half. Using the template, draw the cock on the cardboard. Make sure the dashed lines on the crest and the tail coincide with the fold.

Cut the bird out and decorate it.

A Cardboard Camel

Another great craft idea is a cardboard camel. Since the pattern itself may be somewhat difficult for children to draw, it makes sense to use our template or any other camel template you can find on the internet.

Fold the cardboard in half. Outline the template adjusting the dashed line on the head and hump to coincide with the cardboard fold.

Cut the camel out and decorate it according to your liking. A camel made of thicker cardboard will be easier to stand upright.

A Cardboard Owl

To make this easy cardboard craft, you don’t even need a template. All you have to do is to fold a cardboard sheet in half and draw wings on the sides (you can also cut them out separately).

Cut off the upper edges and you will get an owl’s body with the head. Separately, cut out the following small elements:

• triangular ears;
• round eyes;
• paws and a beak.

Glue on all the parts in place and draw pupils and feathers with a felt pen.

A Cardboard Duck

A DIY cardboard duck for small kids is a super easy craft, so you won’t need a template.

Cut out a big cardboard circle for the body and a smaller paper one for the head. You will also need to add small elements like a wing, an eye, and a beak.

Fold the big circle in half. Glue the head with a drawn eye and a glued-on beak to one of its sides. Add a wing to the side. You can also make paws if you like.

Cardboard Crafts for Kids: Crab

The procedure of making this DIY crab differs from that of the previous cardboard crafts as here you won’t need to fold a cardboard piece in half. The craft requires using a template.

Outline the template on a sheet of colored cardboard. Make eyes from paper or buy moving ones.

Glue the edges of the cut in the back of the body together. This will give the crab a 3D effect.

Bend the paws and the claws along the dashed lines on the template. Glue on the eyes and draw a mouth. Your crab is ready!

A Cardboard Dog

On the website, we have many DIY dog ideas. Here’s one that you might like.

Using the template, cut out the head with ears.

Fold the cardboard piece in half and outline the dog’s body on it. The dashed line shows where to bend the cardboard (not cut it). Glue the head and the tail to the body and open up the cardboard pieces at the dog’s feet. Now you have a cute dog that you can stand vertically!

An Easy Cardboard Cat

To make this easy DIY cat, you don’t need a template. Take a piece of cardboard and draw the cat’s body and paws on it as shown in the photo.

Cut out the body and make cuts along the paws. Separately, cut the head, ears, and tail. Glue the ears and eyes to the head and draw the face.

Glue the head to the body. Bring the paws slightly forward and bend them at the ends. Your cat is ready!

These are only a few cardboard crafts for kids you can do, by far not all of them! The technique we used here can be applied to any other character you can think of. On the tratatuha.com website, in the section devoted to paper crafts, you can find many more guides for making DIY cardboard characters, animals, plants, and other objects, crafts made from toilet paper rolls, as well as many more creative craft ideas.

Many other ideas in the collection of Paper Animals Craft.

Crafts for Kids – learn how to make craft at home! Super cute crafts for all age groups!