At a Glance
These printable puffin masks let preschool, kindergarten and other young learners color, cut and wear their very own colorful seabird disguise. The hands-on craft builds scissor skills, fine motor control and pencil grip, then opens up a world of dramatic play, storytelling and imaginative adventures. Color and black-and-white templates are both included. A perfect fit for bird, ocean or Arctic animal themes.
This Printable Puffin Mask Craft is a wonderfully simple way to get your little learners crafting, colouring, and pretending to be one of the ocean’s most charming birds, the puffin!
Sometimes called the “clown of the sea” because of their bright beaks and playful personalities. Puffins are are also expert swimmers and divers. Here’s a fun fact: puffins can flap their wings up to 400 times a minute and dive more than 60 metres underwater to catch fish!
Whether you’re working on an ocean or coastal animals theme, celebrating World Seabird Day, or just looking for a fun low-prep printable, this puffin mask is sure to make your day a little brighter.
With both colour and black and white versions in the pack, your children can cut, decorate, and wear their very own puffin mask. This would be great for for storytime, classroom plays, or a quiet afternoon of crafty fun.
This simple paper puffin craft is great for developing your child’s cutting skills, and an awesome chance to practice some pencil control and creativity if you opt with the plain templates.
And a super thing about these types of crafts is not only are they great fun to make and your children can practice lots of skills when doing so, but then they have a toy they can play with at the end – and play is just such a great way for children to learn!
Win win!
So grab some crayons, scissors, and string, it’s time to spread those wings and get creative!
What Skills Can Your Children Learn And Practice?
When making these cute puffin masks, your children will have the chance to practice and develop some skills such as:
- Cutting Skills – if you feel they’re ready, you can let them have a go at cutting out the pieces all by themselves – they’ll need to be careful and have good scissor control if they want to cut out the pieces neatly
- Pencil Control – if you print off the black and white templates they can practice their pencil control and develop hand strength through decorating.
And when they’re done, they’ll also be able to use their imagination, storytelling and social / communication skills when going on adventures with friends and family!
How To Prepare These Printable Puffin Masks
First you’re going to want to download the mask templates by clicking on the download button at the bottom of the page – I’ve made a color and a black and white version for each mask.
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Other Materials You’ll Need:
- Safety scissors
- Card stock or craft paper
- Some coloring pencils or pens / other artsy materials for decorating
- Some elastic or string to keep them on your little one’s head
- Or you could add a popsicle stick if you’d like the masks to have a more ‘masked ball’ feel
These masks are fairly simple to make but your little ones will probably need a bit of help with attaching the elastic if you go down that route (*always be careful with little ones and string – keep an eye on them to ensure they’re safe while playing*).
Once you’ve downloaded the templates, you’ll need to print them off onto paper or card.
Then, you can cut them out. Or if you’d like your children to get some cutting practice, you can let them have a go. If you’re going with the plain templates it’ll probably be a good idea to decorate them first.
The next two steps will probably require some grown-up support:
The first is to carefully cut out the eyes holes.
Then, if you want to add elastic, simply make a couple holes near the edge (either with scissors or a hole punch). It’s a good idea to add a little clear tape on the area you’re making the holes for some added support.
Thread the elastic through the hole and tie a knot on the face side to stop it slipping back through.
Then loop around with enough elastic so it’s not too loose or tight, do the same on the other side and you’re good to go!
Some Other Ways You Could Use This Puffin Mask Craft
Ocean-Themed Role Play
Set up an imaginary seaside adventure where the puffins go fishing, build nests, or protect their eggs from those pesky seagulls!
Science and Nature Topic
Use the masks during a lesson on seabirds. Discuss where puffins live, what they eat, and how they survive colder climates.
Storytelling Activity
After making their masks, children can create short stories or act out A Day in the Life of a Puffin.
Photo Booth Fun
Create a “Puffin Colony” classroom photo wall — add waves, cliffs, and fish cutouts for a cheerful group display.
Movement and Music
Play a short song or ocean soundtrack and let the children “fly” and “dive” like puffins – it’s a great way to mix art and movement!
Design Your Own Wings Extension
Give each child large paper or card sheets to design and attach matching wings then fly around the room flapping proudly!
However you use them, I hope they enjoy becoming little cute cardinals!
And if your little ones just love these colorful birds, they may also want to check out this cute puzzle and this build a puffin craft!
Enjoy!
