3 Pig Craft Activities for Preschoolers

Pigs are one of the earliest animals that are easily recognizable for a toddler. Fascination with the animals does not wane when the preschool years come around. It is uncertain if it is the color, the shape, or the sound that appeals to the kids, but the fact that pigs are sure to bring squeals of delight from children is indisputable. Why not capitalize on this easy recognition and engage in some preschool-friendly pig craft activities that are sure to be as fun as they are educational? Paper bag puppet projects, a farm cutout, and a pig puppet craft involving sticks are just some of the ideas.

Paper bag pig crafts

Make a hand puppet from a paper lunch bag. Download free pig face clipart from Clker and print it out. Encourage the preschooler to color the face — allow for plenty of artistic touches — and then help the youngster to cut it out with safety scissors. Glue the face to the folded-over bottom of the paper bag. Consider making multiple paper bag puppets with which the pig may interact in pretend play.

Farm cutout with pig craft

Wondertime offers a great farm cutout page. It includes the basic animals you would find at the farm, as well as the farm house front itself. This is a great opportunity for preschoolers to practice their cutting skills. Print out the farm setup on construction paper or cardboard stock.

Pig puppet craft stick

Use the cutout page from Wondertime, but rather than using paper rectangles for letting the pig crafts stand up, attach the pigs to craft sticks. This pig puppet craft is now easier to hold for small hands, which makes pretend play a lot more fun.

Using a pig craft for fun and learning

Western Illinois University highlights that “dramatic play permits children to fit the reality of the world into their own interests and knowledge.” It focuses on creativity, the development of individual expression, and does so with or without the interactions of other pretend-play participants.

Let your preschooler use the puppets and make up a story. In the alternative, you may choose to enact the story of the “3 Little Pigs.” Depending on your child’s temperament, he may decide to switch sides in mid play and alternately be the wolf trying to blow down the house, or the pig taunting the wolf from behind the farm cutout. These pig-related activities combine learning experiences that encompass story telling, an understanding of cause and effect, motor skills, art development, and acting.

Sing “Old MacDonald had a Farm,” allow the farm animal cutouts to interact via imaginary conversations, and feed the pig. Give each farm animal a different voice, and let the pig take the lead in play. You can add another physical dimension to these preschool pig activities by hiding the pig — depending on the age of the preschooler, you may need to do so in plain sight — and letting the child find it. (Within a preschool setting, these types of play ideas would fit in perfectly with a lesson segment on animals and movement.)

Caveat when doing pig activities involving scissors and small craft objects

Cutting, even with safety scissors, requires undivided adult supervision. Do not allow your preschooler to work with small items if she still has the habit of putting things in the mouth.

Sources

Clker; “Piggy Outline clip art”

Wondertime; “Cutting Page At the Farm”

Western Illinois University; “Dramatic Play”

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