DIY Penguin Christmas Tree Ornament

This Felt Penguin Ornament Christmas Craft Activity is perfect for kids, tweens and teens who can sew. This penguin is actually cute all year round. You can add some Christmas scent to this little fellow as a scented gift idea.

List of Supplies:
1. Felt fabric –black, white, orange and another color of your choice
2. Pencil or pen – for tracing the template
3. Scissors
4. Needle and thread
5. Ribbon
6. Pink sharpie

Penguin Template

Step 1:
Trace the 2 main body parts on black felt fabric (you can choose any other color if you want to).
Trace the other body part on white felt; the beak and feet on orange felt and lastly, trace the strip
(muffler) on any colored felt you want.

Step 2:
Prepare orange thread in needle and stitch the beak on the white body part.

Step 3:
Use black thread to stitch the eyes. Trace the eye shape on the white body part using a pencil.
Simply stitch along the traced eye pattern.

Step 4:
Use the pink sharpie to draw 2 blush patterns on both cheeks. Place the white body part on any one
of the black body parts. Prepare white thread in needle and stitch along the outer edge of the white
piece to join it with the black piece.

Step 5:
Done stitching the white piece? Now place the prepared piece (from the previous step) on the other
black body part. Make sure that all sides are matched.

Step 6:
Take a small piece of ribbon (about 6 inches will do) and fold it into half.

Step 7:
Insert the 2 open ends of the folded ribbon between the 2 black body parts, on the top end. Prepare
black thread and needle. Start to stitch the 2 black body parts together from the top end, stitching
both black parts and the ribbon together.

Step 8:
Keep a small opening to stuff the felt penguin.

Step 9:
I am using left over felt fabrics. Cut the left over felt penguins into small pieces to prepare them for
stuffing.

Step 10:
Simply insert the felt pieces into the felt penguin through the open end.

Step 11:
Stitch to close the open end once you are done stuffing.

Step 12:
Take the felt strip and wrap it around the penguin’s neck. Do a small stitch on the join of the muffler
to secure it.
Add more details if you want to.
Enjoy!

Learning numbers actually involves a few different skills, from recognizing the shape of the number and knowing the word that goes with it to understanding one to one correspondence for counting and what order the numbers go in.

A lot of this is learned best through play and activities that get kids counting and tracing and otherwise interacting with numbers. These activities can help.

I specifically mentioned tracing above because of these number formation rhymes cards from Teaching Mama, which can be used in lots of ways to practice making the shapes of the numbers, including tracing, lining up items on the number shapes (and counting them!), using playdough to shape the numbers and so on. Each number has a little rhyme to help you remember how to make it, which is cute.

And speaking of playdough, you can find lots of playdough number mats with different themes for kids to use as they learn about numbers. Preschool Play and Learn, for example, has these cute apple themed ones that also teach one to one correspondence as you learn the numbers and count to 10.

Or use these tree-themed ones from Live Over Cs to form the numbers, count out items on a ten frame and place the correct number of items in the tree to match the number (do this with playdough, little buttons or whatever manipulatives you have on hand). Your little builders will also love these Duplo number mats from Life Over Cs, which allow you to shape the number out of blocks and count out the number of blocks that corresponds to each number.

I also love these mats from The Savvy Sparrow that include the number and the word you can trace with playdough or marker, showing how to count the number on your fingers, a tens frame and a number line.

Finger plays and counting songs are lots of fun for little ones, too, and Childhood 101 has a great collection of songs and rhymes having to do with numbers (as well as printable song cards you can use with them.

This cardboard roll number chain form Hands On As We Grow would be a fun addition to singing number songs or to use in other play and counting games. And we all love something easy to make with stuff we already have.

Older kids who already know the order of numbers can also use these connect the dot number printables from Fun Learning for Kids. Or use the shapes for playdough mats or to practice tracing even for kids who don’t know all the numbers in order yet.

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