This cute hedgehog craft is such a lovely paper craft for the autumn season. Children will love turning simple tissue paper into an adorable textured hedgehog, with a soft tan tummy and lots of dark brown, spiky-looking fur.
It is a fun fall craft for young kids, big kids, and kids of all ages. Crumpling and sticking the small tissue-paper pieces is also a great way to build fine motor skills while making something they will be proud to display. It’s something really simple you can make with a hedgehog printable template, and works well for all ages.
Hedgehogs are among our favourite woodland animals, and this activity makes a sweet addition to fall crafts, a woodland animals topic, or even a classroom bulletin board. You could pair it with a nature walk to look for autumn leaves and talk about the hedgehog’s natural habitat.
Materials Needed for your Crumpled Tissue Hedgehog Craft
To make this simple hedgehog craft, you’ll need the following basic craft supplies. You might already have most of these at home.
- White paper or cardstock
- Hedgehog craft template or a hand-drawn hedgehog outline
- Brown tissue paper
- Tan/beige tissue paper
- Black paper or a black marker
- Googly eye
- Scissors
- White glue
A glue stick can work well for lighter tissue paper, but PVA glue or white glue is usually the best choice for helping the crumpled pieces stay in place. You may also like to use a black marker to make any details clearer once the craft is dry.
How to Make a Crumpled Tissue Hedgehog
This easy step-by-step guide is simple to follow and gives children lots of room to make their hedgehog’s body look unique.
Crumpled Tissue Hedgehog
Make an adorable textured hedgehog with crumpled tissue paper in this easy autumn craft for kids. It’s perfect for building fine motor skills while creating a sweet woodland animal to display.
Materials
- White paper or cardstock
- Hedgehog craft template or a hand-drawn hedgehog outline
- Brown tissue paper
- Tan/beige tissue paper
- Black paper or a black marker
- Googly eye
- Scissors
- White glue
Tools
- Printer for template
Instructions
- Prepare the hedgehog template.
Draw or print a simple hedgehog on white paper. Include the body,
pointed face, nose, legs, and spiky back.
- Prepare the tissue paper.
Cut the brown and tan tissue paper into small squares or pieces.
- Crumple the tissue paper.
Gently crumple each piece into a small ball. Prepare plenty of
brown pieces for the hedgehog’s spines and tan pieces for its face
and body.
- Apply glue to the body.
Spread a thin layer of glue over the hedgehog’s spiky back,
leaving the face and lower body area uncovered. - Add the brown tissue paper.
Press the crumpled brown pieces onto the glued back. Arrange
the pieces close together and slightly overlap them to create a
textured, spiky appearance. - Cover the face and belly.
Apply glue to the hedgehog’s face and lower body. - Add the tan tissue paper.
Press the crumpled tan pieces onto the glued areas. Continue
until the face and belly are covered.
- Add the nose.
Cut a small circle or oval from black paper and glue it onto the tip
of the hedgehog’s nose.
- Add the eye.
Glue one googly eye onto the face. Position it above the nose. - Check the legs and edges.
Make sure the legs and outline remain visible. Add small pieces of
tan tissue paper if needed. - Fill in any gaps.
Add extra crumpled tissue paper wherever the white background
is showing through the hedgehog’s body. - Let it dry.
Leave the artwork flat until the glue is completely dry.
- Finished!
Your crumpled tissue paper hedgehog is complete!
Our free printable hedgehog template is a helpful starting point (download below in this blog post), especially for younger children who may find drawing their own outline tricky.
Try using dark brown paper alongside lighter brown tissue paper to give the hedgehog’s spikes more depth. Children can add two googly eyes for a more cartoon-style look, or draw the eye with a black marker instead.
For a lovely mixed-media version, add natural materials around the finished hedgehog. A few dry autumn leaves, small twigs, or pieces of grass can turn it into a little woodland scene. This makes it a great way to talk about the animal kingdom and where hedgehogs might hide at this time of year.
You could even make this into a cute fall craft card for Valentine’s Day with a little message such as “Hedge-hugs for you!” Or use brown paint to paint a background before adding the tissue paper hedgehog.
Related: Valentines Hedgehog Craft with Free Printable Template
What Children Learn Through This Craft
This is more than just a cute hedgehog craft. Scrunching each small piece of tissue paper is a fun way for little hands to practise grip strength, coordination, and fine motor skills.
It is also a lovely opportunity to talk about woodland animals, the autumn season, and the world of hedgehogs.
Children can notice how different textures change the look of the hedgehog’s body and experiment with arranging the tissue paper to create the hedgehog’s spikes.
Download the Hedgehog Template PDF
Download the PDF file below to get your hedgehog template ready to print. It’s an easy way to get started with this cute fall craft at home, in the classroom, or as part of an autumn animals activity.
Terms of use: This hedgehog printable template is free for personal use and classroom use.
This crumpled tissue hedgehog is a simple, hands-on craft that children of all ages can enjoy. Whether you make it during the autumn season, alongside a woodland animals topic, or just for a fun creative afternoon, every little hedgehog will have its own adorable personality!
More Easy Hedgehog Crafts for Kids
If your children enjoyed this paper hedgehog craft, there are so many other easy hedgehog crafts to try. A leaf hedgehog craft is another favourite for the fall, using autumn leaves to create a textured back. You could also try a paper plate hedgehog, a toilet paper roll hedgehog, or a painted hedgehog using brown paint and a black outline.
- Easy Hedgehog Craft with Free Printable Template
- Felt Hedgehog Sewing Craft for Kids
- Sonic the Hedgehog Shadow Craft
More Crumpled Tissue Crafts
This type of craft is a lot of fun, and a great fine motor workout for little hands. Here are a few more versions of this craft here at intheplayroom.co.uk
- Fine Motor Rainbow Tissue Paper Craft for Kids
- Scrunched Tissue Paper Autumn Leaf – Fall Craft
- Crumped Tissue Leprechaun Craft
- Scrunched Tissue Cherry Blossom Tree Craft
- Scrunched Tissue Paper Valentines Heart Craft
These fun craft ideas are perfect for classroom use, home learning, or a cosy afternoon of fall crafts at home. A free printable hedgehog template can make preparation even easier, and it is always lovely to see how differently every child decorates their own hedgehog.
Please share this craft with us if you make it. We would love to see your adorable hedgehogs!
