Easy lion craft activity with counting practice for kids

Arts and crafts give little ones the opportunity to be creative and express themselves. They can also be educational too, helping them to develop their fine motor skills which are crucial for later on in life.

This easy lion craft activity from Creative Mama Che is the perfect combination of fun and creativity whilst being mathematically stimulating. Plus, this number counting craft uses everyday household items such as old toilet rolls and cardboard, meaning it's affordable too.

Discover our step-by-step guide for how to recreate this lion mane craft activity and get ready to start counting, 1, 2, 3…!

What you will need

Blu Glu stick
REMOVABLE GLU DOTS
Coloured pens or pencils
Black marker pen or felt tip
Scissors - child friendly or to be used by an adult
Wooden craft pegs
Colourful pipe cleaners
Old cardboard
Old toilet roll

Difficulty

Average time

10-25 mins

Cost

Print version!

Instructions

Step 1: Draw your lion's head on coloured paper

Begin by drawing your lion's head on coloured paper. You will need to create one lion head per child completing the craft activity.

Tip:

Trace the outline and facial features of the lion with a pencil and once you're happy, draw over your lines with a black marker pen or felt tip to get a nice, bold outline.

Step 2: Cut out your lion's head

Important: Steps 2, 4, 5 and 6 involve using scissors. Please ensure children are supervised when using scissors. If necessary, an adult should complete the cutting on the child's behalf.

Next, carefully cut out your lion's head from the paper.

Step 3: Stick your lion's head to cardboard

Flip your lion's head over and apply Blu Glu stick to the back of the paper. Then, turn and stick it to a piece of cardboard and press together to create a strong bond.

Did you know?

Blu Glu Stick goes on blue so you can see where you're sticking, before drying clear.

Step 4: Cut the excess cardboard

Carefully cut the excess cardboard to leave only your lion's face.

Tip:

Recycle old cardboard boxes to help save money and reduce waste!

Step 5: Create colourful pegs with pipe cleaners

Cut coloured pipe cleaners to the length of your wooden pegs and stick in place using Removable Glu Dots.

You will need to create approximately 10 pegs per lion's head.

Step 6: Flatten a toilet roll

Flatten a toilet roll in half, open out and then flatten again in the opposite way to create two seams or bends in the roll.

Step 7: Cut the toilet roll

Cut the flattened toilet roll in strips that are approximately 2-3cm in width and unflatten to create a small, square-like ring.

Step 8: Make a dice from the toilet roll

Slot one of the toilet roll rings inside the other so that you create a cube that has all 6 faces or sides showing.

Ta-da! You've created a DIY dice - you just need to number each side one to six.

Step 9: Roll your dice

Roll your dice. Whatever number the dice lands on, you must add the same number of coloured pegs to your lion's head to create its mane. For example, if you roll a 5, you must add 5 coloured pegs to your lion's mane.

Feeling competitive?

Don't just add pegs to your lion, take them away too! Create some friendly competition by creating a race to be the first one to get all 10 pegs on your lion and then to be the first to take all pegs away.

Alternatively, you could make a rule that every odd number you roll, you must remove that number of pegs from your lion, and for every even number you roll, you must add that number of pegs to your lion. It's a fun way to help your children learn to count!

Step 10: You've recreated our easy lion craft

And you're done! You've now learnt how to recreate this easy lion craft activity from Creative Mama Che and the little ones have had fun whilst practicing their number counting skills.