Craft a fish or bird mobile using coloured card.
Children often have more imagination than us adults and can come up with all kinds of great ideas given a bit of paper, pens, glue and a pair of scissors. And if we want to join in too, the kids are even happier. Making a mobile using different paper shapes is a really fun paper craft for kids. Have a look at our ideas and get crafting!
Paper craft for kids
Here’s what you will need to make a mobile from cut-out paper shapes.
- Coloured paper/card
- Nylon thread
- Yarn or string
- Decorative materials like beads, foam or sequins
- Some kind of frame to hang the designs off, e.g. a metal ring.
- Glue
Decide on the designs you want to hang on your mobile. We have made two different mobiles as examples; one with fish and starfish and another with birds and leaves.
Fish and starfish mobile
For this mobile, we made four slightly longer strings with two fish on each and four shorter ones with one starfish on each.
Instructions:
- Cut out the shapes of 16 fish. There are 16 because you are going to glue them together in pairs with a nylon thread in between. Of course you can just glue one fish to each thread but it looks neater if you have one each side of the thread. You can find the templates here.
- Cut out four pieces of nylon thread all the same length. 60 cm is a good length and gives you a bit extra if you need it.
- Start at the bottom and tie a big bead to the thread. This gives the string a bit of weight. Take four fish and glue them to a piece of thread in pairs with a space in between. Decorate the space between the fish with whatever you like. See the picture above.
- Make three more strings with two fish on each one.
- Then make four short strings with a starfish on each one.
- Wrap the thread tightly round the metal wring. Tie four pieces of yarn to the ring, all the same length, the same distance apart. Tie the four ends of the yarn together higher up.
- Finally glue the strings to the ring.
If you want to make sure all your fish are level, it’s helpful to tape the strings to a door, for example.
Bird and leaf mobile
For this mobile, we made four strings with three birds on each one. In the middle, we made an extra long string with green leaves, with a tassel at the bottom. You tie this string higher up together with the four strings that will be attached to the ring.
We have also glued some yarn bows to the ring. See how to make them below.
Yarn bows
- Cut a piece of hard cardboard 5 cm wide and wrap a piece of yarn around it four or five times.
- Take the yarn off the cardboard. Keep it in the shape of the loops you have created.
- Wind a different coloured piece of yarn around the loops.
- Pull this yarn to form a little bow. Tie off with a double knot.
Make four bows and glue them onto the ring for the mobile. It’s a nice little detail and the bows look a bit like little butterflies.
Paper craft for kids of all ages!
One of our popular craft kits contains everything your child needs to make a beautiful mobile for their room. The box contains sheets of card in different colours, yarn, nylon thread, a metal ring, different kinds of beads, glittery foam circles and glue.
Read more about how Club Creo’s fun craft club works.
