Manatee Paper Craft for Kids – Free Template
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Manatee Paper Craft for Kids – Free Template
If your little ones love ocean animals, this Manatee Paper Craft is going to be an absolute favorite! With a beautifully layered purple body, a soft white belly, chunky little arms hugging the sides, a rounded snout with the most endearing expression, a wide paddle tail, giant googly eyes, and an adorable optional ribbon bow perched on top, this manatee is as charming and huggable looking as the real thing. Whether you're exploring ocean and sea animals at home, planning a Florida wildlife or coastal theme in the classroom, or just looking for a fun summer craft, this Manatee Paper Craft is guaranteed to steal hearts from the very first snip of the scissors.
Why Kids Love This Craft
There's something wonderfully lovable about this manatee — the layered shades of purple from the dark head and tail down to the lighter body and the soft white belly give the finished craft a beautiful dimensional quality, and kids absolutely love adding the ribbon bow for that extra touch of personality. The chunky rounded shapes make every piece satisfying to cut out and assemble, and the moment the snout goes on and the googly eyes are added the manatee suddenly comes to life in the most irresistible way. It's a wonderful craft for building fine motor skills through coloring, cutting, and gluing, and because every kid chooses their own purple shades and bow style, no two manatees ever look exactly the same.
What You'll Need
- Free printable Manatee Paper Craft template from CraftyYak.com
- Purple, lavender, and dark purple construction paper or paint
- White paper or cardstock for the belly
- Googly eyes
- Dark blue or black marker for the nostrils
- Ribbon for the optional bow
- Scissors
- Glue
How to Make a Manatee Paper Craft
Step 1 — Print and color the template. Download the free Manatee Paper Craft template from CraftyYak.com and print it out. Color the body in a medium lavender purple, the head arms and tail in a darker purple, and leave the belly white or color it a very light grey for a realistic manatee look.
Step 2 — Cut out all the pieces. Carefully cut out all the template pieces — the body, belly, head, snout, two arms, tail, and eyes. Take your time on the rounded edges for the cleanest finished look!
Step 3 — Glue the belly onto the body. Center the white belly oval onto the larger purple body oval and glue it down firmly. This layered effect gives the manatee its wonderfully dimensional and realistic appearance.
Step 4 — Attach the head and arms. Glue the dark purple head to the top of the body, then glue the two chunky arms onto the sides of the body slightly overlapping the belly. Press everything down firmly and let the glue set.
Step 5 — Add the tail. Slide the tail tab behind the bottom of the body and glue it in place so just the rounded paddle tail peeks out from below. This finishing touch completes the manatee's classic silhouette!
Step 6 — Glue on the snout. Glue the rounded purple snout piece onto the lower portion of the head. This is the step that really brings the manatee's face to life and gives it that irresistible gentle expression!
Step 7 — Add the eyes and nostrils. Glue two googly eyes onto the upper portion of the head, then use a dark blue or black marker to draw two small curved nostrils on the snout. These tiny details make a huge difference to the finished personality of your manatee!
Step 8 — Add the optional bow. Tie a small piece of ribbon into a bow and glue it to the top of the head for an extra touch of charm. This optional step is a favorite with kids and makes the manatee look absolutely adorable!
Your lovable manatee paper craft is ready to float!
Tips for Making It Even Better
- Use multiple shades of purple construction paper for the different body pieces instead of coloring them — the contrast between the dark head and tail and the lighter body gives the finished manatee a beautiful and realistic layered look.
- Use a large googly eye size for maximum personality — the bigger the eyes the more expressive and lovable the finished manatee will look!
- Add a small white highlight dot inside each googly eye with a white paint pen to make the eyes look bright and alive.
- This manatee looks amazing displayed on a blue ocean background with some green seagrass strips added around the bottom — manatees love seagrass and it makes for a gorgeous finished display piece!