Movable Owl Paper Doll

Print out our template and make your own moving owl paper doll. It’s so much fun!

Glue it to a craft stick, add some wire (we’ll show you exactly how to do this), and you’ll have flapping wings in no time.

*This article contains affiliate links*

Owls are definitely cool creatures and make a great craft theme for fall and Halloween. This simple moving paper doll is perfect to start the whole art of making articulated dolls because it is super easy to make and really fun to play with.

It can be done with rivets or some “alternative” material that you probably already have at home. I think using rivets is best, but since I grew up making these dolls without them, there are definitely workarounds for rivets, but we’ll get to that later.

Now it’s time to grab your crayons, markers or other coloring materials and make your own paper owl mobile.

Time to get crafty!

How to make a moving owl paper doll

What you need:

• our moving owl paper doll template (you can get it at the end of this tutorial)
• printer
• paper (thicker printing paper)
• coloring materials
• drag
• string/thread/wool
• rivet
• craft stick
• transparent tape
• skewer (or other sharp object to poke holes)

Studs can be used in place of small buttons, when I was a kid I used two buttons and a piece of string instead of a stud. Place a button on each side of the hole and “sew” them together. The string needs to go through one hole, not two or four. Alternatively, just tie a large knot on each side of the hole.

Watch Video Tutorial

Or follow the step-by-step instructions

Print out the template. We recommend using thicker paper (160gsm), the thicker the better.

Once you have printed out the template, color all the parts of the template. We used markers because we like bright colors.

Done coloring? It’s time to cut out all the pieces of your moving doll.

Punch holes in the owl’s body with a skewer – all the spots are marked with a small circle. It’s best to place a craft mat or cardboard under the template as you punch the holes. Now it’s time to punch holes in the wings too. Nice and easy.

Now take the thread/wool/rope/(…) and thread it through the hole on the outside of the wing. Thread it through the other wing, again through the outside hole (see video).

Set aside.

Push the nail through the hole in the owl.

Go back, take one wing and push that nail through the hole in the owl’s wing.

Spread the rivet heads to secure. Do the same with the remaining hole.

Back to the string… Tie them together – the string connecting the wings should be a little loose, if you hold the puppet upright the wings will fall down when there is no tension on the string. You will need a bit of “hanging” string to pull on and make your puppet move.

Glue the craft sticks to the owl’s body. We used white school glue. You can also reinforce with clear tape.

If you haven’t already, glue the owl’s legs to the body.

Your owl paper doll toy is finished!

We hope you enjoy this tutorial and your child will make many moving dolls of their own!

Get the mobile paper owl doll template here

Click to open Owl Mobile Doll

Want instant access to all of our printable crafts, activities, and resources?

With thousands of printable crafts, activities, worksheets, coloring pages, and drawing tutorials, you’ll always have the resources you need at your fingertips. Perfect for parents and teachers alike!

Sign up now and start printing!

Categories: Activities for Kids
Source: fetb.edu.vn