Woodland Animals Cut and Glue Craft

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Build a whole forest of friendly animals with this woodland animals cut-and-glue craft! The printable pack includes nine full-color animals for children to cut apart and assemble: a raccoon, fox, hedgehog, deer, owl, bear, skunk, squirrel, and rabbit.

Each page shows the finished animal in the corner, providing a visual guide as children decide where the body, ears, paws, tails, and tiny facial features belong. Once assembled, the animals can become puppets, story characters, room decorations, or the beginning of an imaginative woodland scene.

This simple paper craft works especially well for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and early elementary children who are practicing scissor skills. Younger children can assemble pieces prepared by an adult, while more experienced cutters can complete an animal independently.

What Is Included in the Woodland Animal Printable?

The PDF contains one terms page followed by nine animal craft pages. Every animal is already colored and has its pieces arranged on a US Letter-size sheet.

The printable includes:

• Raccoon
• Fox wearing a scarf
• Hedgehog
• Deer wearing a hat and scarf
• Owl
• Bear wearing a blue sweater
• Skunk
• Squirrel
• Rabbit wearing a small hat

The number and size of the pieces vary by animal. Some pages have large, simple shapes, while others include smaller eyes, noses, paws, ears, or accessories. This variety allows children to progress from easier cutting practice to more detailed assembly.

Children who enjoy these forest friends may also like our woodland animals preschool coloring pages. The coloring set is an easy companion activity for a woodland, forest, or animal theme.

Supplies Needed:

You only need a few basic supplies:

• Woodland animals printable PDF, available at the bottom of this post
• White printer paper or lightweight white cardstock
• Color printer
• Child-safe scissors
• Glue stick
• Optional: construction paper or cardstock for a background
• Optional: craft sticks, paper bags, or magnetic tape for displaying the animals

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Regular printer paper is suitable for a quick activity. For animals that will be used as puppets or handled during storytime, print on cardstock or glue the completed animals to a second sheet of paper.

A glue stick usually creates less wrinkling than liquid school glue.

How to Make the Cut and Paste Woodland Animals

1. Download and print the pages

Download the PDF from the form or printable box at the bottom of this post. Open it in a PDF reader and select the animal pages you want to use. Print in color at Actual Size or 100% on US Letter paper.

You do not have to print all nine animals at once. Choose one page for a short activity or make the entire collection over several days.

2. Look at the completed animal

Before cutting, help your child study the small example in the upper corner. Identify the largest body shapes first, followed by the face, ears, legs, tail, and accessories.

This quick observation makes assembly easier because the loose pieces will no longer feel like a puzzle without a picture.

3. Cut out the pieces

Cut around each colored piece. Children do not need to cut perfectly along every curve; leaving a narrow white border is completely fine and often easier for new scissor users.

An adult should pre-cut the smallest pieces for children who are not ready to manage tiny shapes safely. The child can still sort and glue the animal together.

4. Arrange the animal before gluing

Place the largest body piece on the table and layer the other shapes on top of it. Use the picture guide to check the position of the head, feet, ears, tail, eyes, nose, and clothing.

Do not apply glue yet. Children can move pieces around, notice which parts go behind the body, and correct their arrangement without tearing the paper.

5. Glue the pieces together

Once the animal looks right, lift one piece at a time, apply a small amount of glue, and press it back into place. Begin with pieces that sit behind the body, such as tails or back legs, and finish with facial features and other small details.

Allow the craft to dry flat before displaying or playing with it.

Which Woodland Animal Should Children Make First?

The best starting page depends on the child’s cutting experience. The hedgehog has several large shapes that are easy to recognize and arrange.

The squirrel and skunk also have bold body sections and distinctive tails that help children understand the finished picture.

The deer, raccoon, owl, and bear include more small pieces and are better choices after a child feels comfortable turning the paper while cutting curved lines. The fox and rabbit fall somewhere in the middle.

For a mixed-age family activity, let older children cut their own pieces while younger children assemble pieces prepared in advance. There is no need for every child to complete the craft in exactly the same way.

Skills Children Practice With Cut and Glue Crafts

Cut-and-paste activities are playful, but they also give young children practice with several useful skills:

• Scissor control: Opening, closing, and turning scissors around curved shapes strengthens hand coordination.
• Fine motor skills: Picking up small eyes, noses, paws, and ears requires controlled finger movements.
• Visual discrimination: Children compare loose pieces with the finished example and notice differences in size, shape, and color.
• Spatial awareness: Deciding what belongs above, below, beside, in front, or behind helps children understand position.
• Following a sequence: Printing, cutting, arranging, and gluing introduces a clear order of steps.
• Animal vocabulary: Naming the animals and their body parts adds a simple language lesson to craft time.

For another activity that combines early learning with paper assembly, try the printable number animals craft. Children turn the numbers zero through nine into ten different animals.

Easy Ways to Use the Finished Woodland Animals

Create a forest picture

Glue the completed animals to green or brown construction paper. Add trees, leaves, mushrooms, logs, a stream, and a night sky. Children can decide which animals live together and where each one should hide or rest.

Make craft-stick puppets

Attach a jumbo craft stick to the back of each animal. Use the puppets to retell a favorite woodland story or invent a new adventure involving all nine forest friends.

Practice animal sounds and movements

Choose one completed animal at a time. Ask the child how it might move, what sound it makes, what it eats, and where it sleeps. Children can hop like the rabbit, scamper like the squirrel, or pretend to fly like the owl.

Sort and compare the animals

After assembling several pages, compare features. Which animals have long tails? Which have pointed ears? Which might sleep through part of the winter? Which can climb trees? Keep the questions appropriate to your child’s age, and use a book or a trusted wildlife source to check any uncertain answers.

Display them as a woodland banner

Glue each animal to a paper circle or rectangle, punch holes near the top, and string the pieces onto yarn. Hang the banner in a playroom, reading corner, or near a seasonal nature table.

You can find even more projects to pair with the printable in our collection of fun and easy crafts for kids.

Ideas for a Woodland Animal Theme

Turn the craft into a relaxed mini-unit by pairing it with a picture book, nature walk, or simple animal research. Choose one animal each day, assemble its page, and learn two or three facts about its habitat and behavior.

You might also:

• Match animal toys to the finished paper characters.
• Place the animals around the room for a woodland scavenger hunt.
• Count the animals, ears, paws, or tails.
• Arrange the animals from smallest to largest.
• Invite children to tell a story using three randomly selected animals.
• Make a simple forest sensory bin and add laminated animals for supervised play.

If the bear becomes a favorite, continue the theme with these teddy bear worksheets for preschoolers. Children who want to try another type of animal art can make an elephant handprint craft.

Tips for a Successful Cut and Glue Activity

Store unused printed pages flat in a folder for another day.

Print one sample animal for an adult to assemble before introducing the activity to very young children.

Keep each animal’s loose pieces on its original page or in a separate tray so pieces from different animals do not become mixed.

Cut the large shapes first and tiny facial features last.

Place a scrap sheet under the pieces while applying glue.

Use only a thin layer of glue to prevent curling.

Write the child’s name on the back before beginning.

If a small piece is lost, draw the missing eye, nose, or mouth with a marker instead of reprinting the whole page.

More Cut and Paste Printables

If you enjoyed the Woodland Animals Cut-and-Paste Printables, here are more creative cut-and-paste activities for kids.

• 3D Cut and Paste Penguin Paper Doll – A fun 3D penguin craft that kids can assemble and play with.
• Cut and Paste Printable Worksheets for Kids – A variety of worksheets to practice fine motor and learning skills.
• Cut-and-Paste Pumpkin Printable Craft – A seasonal pumpkin activity perfect for fall.
• Build a Rocket Cut-and-Paste Craft – An exciting rocket craft kids can cut, paste, and assemble.
• Woodland Animals Printable Masks

Download the Woodland Animals Cut and Glue Craft

This printable makes it easy to fill an afternoon with cutting, gluing, storytelling, and forest-animal fun. Make one favorite animal or assemble the raccoon, fox, hedgehog, deer, owl, bear, skunk, squirrel, and rabbit to create the complete woodland set.

Please remember that this printable is for personal, noncommercial use only. Do not share the PDF directly. Instead, share the link to this post so others can download it.

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