Turn a few scraps of tissue paper into the sweetest little woodland friend! This crumpled tissue paper owl craft has fluffy paper feathers, big googly eyes, and bright yellow feet, with plenty of scrunching and sticking to keep little hands busy.
There’s something so satisfying about transforming flat pieces of paper into a textured picture. The brown and tan tissue paper gives this owl a lovely feathery look, and those oversized eyes add so much personality.
This easy owl craft fits beautifully into a fall craft session, a woodland animals theme, or an afternoon of making things at the kitchen table. You only need a handful of simple supplies, and you can start with an owl template or draw your own outline.
An Easy Owl Craft for Little Hands
This tissue paper owl is a lovely activity for preschoolers, kindergartners, and children in the early elementary years. Younger children can help tear, scrunch, and stick the tissue paper, while older children can draw their own owl and cut out the smaller details.
Crumpling the paper gives children practice using their fingers, and placing each piece onto the outline brings in hand-eye coordination, too. There’s also plenty of room to make choices about colors, textures, and how fluffy their owl should be.
The paper pieces don’t need to be perfectly shaped or evenly sized. Those little folds and wrinkles are exactly what give the finished owl its character!
Materials for Your Tissue Paper Owl
You will need white paper or cardstock, an owl template or a hand-drawn owl outline, brown tissue paper, tan or beige tissue paper, yellow paper, two googly eyes, scissors, and white glue.
If you’re drawing the owl yourself, have a pencil or black marker ready, too. Cardstock makes a sturdier base for the glue and tissue paper, but ordinary white paper works as well.
You can cut the tissue paper ahead of time for younger children, or let them tear it into small pieces. Keep the two colors in separate piles or little bowls so they’re easy to grab as you work.
How to Make a Crumpled Tissue Paper Owl
Follow these simple steps to build up your owl’s fluffy feathers and add its cheerful face.
Crumpled tissue owl
Scrunch, stick, and create the cutest little owl! This easy tissue paper owl craft combines fluffy paper feathers, googly eyes, and a free printable template for a fun woodland activity kids will love.
Materials
- White paper or cardstock
- Owl template or a hand-drawn owl outline
- Brown tissue paper
- Tan/beige tissue paper
- Yellow paper
- Googly eyes
- Scissors
- White glue
Tools
- Printer if using the template
Instructions
- Prepare the owl outline. Draw or print an owl onto white paper or cardstock. Include a rounded head and body, wings at the sides, and little feet at the bottom. Mark where the eyes and beak will go to help with positioning later. Most of the drawn details will be covered with tissue paper, so there’s no need to make them perfect. Alternatively you can use our free printable owl template.
- Cut the tissue paper into pieces.Cut the brown and tan tissue paper into small squares or rough pieces. They don’t need to match exactly. A mixture of slightly different sizes will give your owl plenty of texture.
- Scrunch the tissue paper.Gently crumple each piece into a loose little ball. Keep the brown and tan pieces separate. Try not to squash them too tightly, as the loose folds help create that fluffy feather effect.
- Add glue to the outline.Spread a thin layer of white glue over one small section of the owl. Working a section at a time keeps the glue from drying before your child has finished adding the paper.
- Add the brown feathers.Press brown tissue paper onto the top of the head, around the outer edges, and along the wings. Follow the outline as you go, leaving the middle of the face and body ready for the lighter tissue paper.
- Fill in the face and tummy.Glue the tan tissue paper onto the center of the owl’s face and body. Place the pieces close together to create a wonderfully crinkly tummy. The lighter center helps the darker wings stand out.
- Build up the fluffy outline.Add a few extra brown pieces around the head and sides wherever you want more texture. Gently press each piece into the glue while leaving some of its folds sticking up.
- Cut out the beak and feet.Cut a small triangle or diamond from yellow paper for the beak. Then cut out two yellow feet, each with three rounded toes. Younger children may need an adult to prepare these smaller shapes.
- Attach the yellow details.Glue the beak in the middle of the face, with the point facing down. Attach the feet at the bottom of the body, covering the drawn feet if you included them in your outline.
- Add the googly eyes.Glue two googly eyes above the beak. Press them gently into place so they make good contact with the tissue paper. This is the moment your little owl really comes to life!
- Fill any gaps.Check for patches of white paper showing through inside the owl. Add a few more brown or tan pieces wherever you’d like fuller coverage, taking care not to cover the eyes, beak, or feet.
- Leave your owl to dry.Keep the picture flat until the glue has dried completely. Once everything is secure, your crumpled tissue paper owl is ready to display!
Tips for Making This Owl Craft with Younger Kids
For younger children, start with a large, simple owl outline and slightly bigger pieces of tissue paper. This makes it easier to pick up the pieces and cover the picture without needing lots of tiny scrunched balls.
You can also divide the activity into two short sessions. Prepare and crumple the tissue paper first, then come back to the gluing when your child is ready.
If the eyes are tricky to attach to the bumpy surface, gently flatten the tissue paper underneath them before adding glue. Paper eyes made from white circles with black pupils are another easy option.
Let children decide where their feathers go, even if the colors wander outside the suggested sections. A slightly wonky owl with uneven feathers is still a very lovely owl!
Watch the Tissue Paper Owl Craft Video
See this cute little owl come together in the video below! Follow along as we scrunch, stick, and add those big googly eyes, then have a go at making your own tissue paper owl.
Fun Ways to Make Your Owl Your Own
Brown and tan give this craft a cozy woodland look, but children can choose any colors they like. Try white and gray for a snowy owl-inspired picture, or use bright tissue paper scraps to create a rainbow owl.
You could draw a branch beneath the finished owl, add paper leaves around the edges, or decorate the background with a moon and stars. If several children are crafting together, their finished pictures would make an adorable woodland display.
This is also a sweet activity to pair with an owl story. Read together first, then invite your child to create a little owl character of their own.
Related: Dreamy Preschool Hibernation Books Kids Will Love This Winter
Download the Free Owl Craft Template PDF
Ready to make your own scrunchy little owl? Download the free owl template PDF below and print it onto white paper or cardstock. Then grab your tissue paper and glue, and let the crafting begin! This printable is for personal and classroom use only.
More Owl and Woodland Crafts for Kids
If your children enjoyed making this scrunchy little owl, keep the woodland fun going with more owl, fox, and hedgehog crafts. Paper bags, paper plates, and leftover tissue paper are all lovely starting points for a whole collection of forest friends.
- Easy Handprint Owl Craft
- Handprint Snowy Owl Craft
- Rocking Paper Plate Owl Craft for Kids
- Super Cute And Easy CD Owl Craft
- Easy Valentine Heart Owl Craft
More Scrunched Paper Crafts
You can use the same crumpled paper technique in other animal pictures, too. Once children get the hang of scrunching and sticking, they can experiment with different outlines and color combinations.
- Crumpled Tissue Paper Hedgehog Craft for Kids
- Crumped Tissue Leprechaun Craft
- Scrunched Tissue Cherry Blossom Tree Craft
- Scrunched Tissue Paper Autumn Leaf – Fall Craft
- Fine Motor Rainbow Tissue Paper Craft for Kids
With its crinkly feathers and big curious eyes, this tissue paper owl makes such a cute addition to the fridge or a fall art display. Every owl will look a little different, and that’s part of the fun.
If you enjoyed this crumpled tissue paper owl craft, please share this post with another parent or teacher, or pin it to your kids’ craft board on Pinterest so you can find it again!
