We love studying penguins in the winter! If you do, too, you HAVE to check out this great list of hands-on penguin activities for kids!
My daughter is obsessed with penguins. She collects penguin stuffed animals and penguin socks. Penguins also happen to be her favorite exhibit at the zoo and at the aquarium. So, when we read Mr. Popper’s Penguins a few years ago, it quickly became a favorite.
Today, I’m sharing twenty hands-on penguin activities. Below, you’ll discover crafts for kids of all ages along with some fun science experiments and sensory bins.
Hands-On Penguin Activities
Balancing Baby Penguins
Let your little ones pretend to be penguin parents balancing their baby penguins on their feet. Can they transfer ‘baby’ from ‘mom’ to ‘dad’?
Easy Penguin Bookmark Corner
I love these penguin corner bookmarks! They’ll be great for marking your reader’s page as they read Mr. Popper’s Penguins.
Mr. Popper's Penguins book and a movie night
After you’ve read Mr. Popper's Penguins, how about having a movie night? You can serve these fun penguin-themed foods to tie in to the book.
White Cotton Ball Penguin
This cotton ball penguin is perfect for young learners.
Preschool Penguin Learning Activities and Eco Craft
I love this Macaroni Penguin box craft! Turn Patricia the Penguin into a teaching tool by feeding her letter Pp cards!
Easy Origami Penguin Cards
Your crafty kids will enjoy making origami penguin cards. They’ll look great on display, and they’re sure to be treasured by anyone who receives one.
Cute Clay Penguin Craft
Kids will love displaying their artwork or their favorite pictures on these DIY clay penguin photo holders.
Penguin Water Bead Sensory Bin
Preschoolers could spend hours playing with this penguin water bead sensory bin!
Penguin Sensory Bin
Here’s another fun penguin sensory bin you can make if you don’t have any water beads.
Hands-On Learning: Blubber
Let kids explore for themselves how penguins stay warm in the Antarctic with this hands-on science activity about blubber!
Penguin Bracelet
I love love love this DIY penguin bracelet! With a few simple supplies from your local craft store, your kids can make these bracelets for themselves or for a friend.
Happy Paper Penguin Art Project
I’m a huge fan of open-ended art projects. These mixed-media penguin scenes are as fun as they are unique.
Kindergarten Penguins
Kids can show off what they’ve learned about penguins by making a simple penguin habitat triorama.
Heart Penguin Cookies
These heart penguin cookies are perfect for your penguin unit study and for your upcoming Valentine’s Day celebrations!
How to Make Pinecone Animals (Penguin, Owl, & Mouse)
Have your kids collect pinecones on your next nature walk, and then let them transform those pinecones into penguins!
Which one will you try first?
BOOKS ABOUT PENGUINS
Fill your book basket with a great collection of books about penguins. Most of these books can be found at your local library or used bookstore.
If you have a hard time finding them, you can order them through my Amazon affiliate links by clicking the images below.
Penguins – In Explore My World Penguins, curious kids ages 3 to 7 will be excited to learn about the delightful world of penguins: the extreme lengths they go to to care for their young and the relationship between baby penguins and their parents.
Tacky the Penguin – Tacky’s perfect friends find him annoying until his odd behavior saves the day.
If You Were a Penguin – In this simple, rhyming picture book, the youngest readers will learn about penguins. This is the perfect read-aloud for teachers and parents to share with young children as they imagine what life as a penguin is like!
TEACHING RESOURCES
Everyone’s a winner with this super fun, non-competitive game to practice colors and shapes vocabulary! Spin the spinner, match the fish and collect them in your net. But, wait! You might have to feed a fish to the Hungry Penguin!
Stack and sort five brightly-colored wooden rings, topped with an adorable penguin. The base of this wooden penguin stacker is curved for additional fun rocking movement!
Spark your Kiddo’s creative interest with this Penguin Pals Dough Kit! Sensory play and loose parts play rolled into one, this kit gives kids the unlimited ability to play, create and learn.
More Crafts for Kids
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Such great ideas! My youngest boy is obsessed with Penguins!
What a great collection!! I’ve added your resources to my post. Thank you for sharing:)