This moving eyes scarecrow craft has the sweetest little face, a floppy brown hat, and a fun surprise. Move the paper inside and his eyes look from side to side! It’s a lovely fall paper craft for kids who enjoy making something they can play with afterward.
With straw-style paper hair, an orange triangle nose, and a stitched smile, this friendly scarecrow fits right in with harvest activities, farm themes, and autumn crafting afternoons. You only need a few basic supplies, and there’s no template to print. We’ll show you how to draw the simple shapes yourself.
Paper Scarecrow Craft with Moving Eyes
The moving eyes are made using a loose white piece tucked between the front and back of the scarecrow’s face. A small opening in the back lets children move that piece with a finger, making the pupils shift behind the eye holes.
It’s a simple idea that adds so much personality to a paper craft. Can your scarecrow look left, look right, or sneak a peek at something nearby?
Drawing, cutting, and sticking the pieces gives children a chance to practice fine motor skills, while working out how the eyes move adds a little problem-solving too. Younger children can help assemble and decorate their scarecrow with an adult preparing the eye holes and back opening.
Materials for Your Moving Eyes Scarecrow
Gather some paper in warm fall colors and a few everyday craft supplies. Brown and yellow give the scarecrow a classic look, but children can choose their own colors for the hat and little details. Stiffer paper or thin cardstock works well for the face, helping it keep its shape as the eyes move.
You will need:
- Light brown or kraft paper for the face
- Dark brown paper for the hat
- Pale yellow paper for the straw hair
- Bright yellow paper for the hat band
- Orange paper for the nose
- Light tan paper for the cheeks
- White cardstock for the moving eye piece
- Cream or white cardstock for the back
- A pencil
- A black marker
- Scissors
- A glue stick
How to Make a Moving Eyes Scarecrow
Follow these steps to build the face, add the moving eye layer, and decorate your scarecrow. Draw your shapes lightly in pencil first so you can adjust them before cutting. They don’t need to be perfectly even. A slightly wonky hat or an uneven tuft of straw gives your scarecrow its own character!
Moving eyes scarecrow
Bring a little autumn fun to craft time with this paper scarecrow! With straw hair, a stitched smile, and eyes that move from side to side, he’s just as fun to play with as he is to make.
Materials
- Light brown construction paper for the face
- Dark brown paper for the hat
- Pale yellow paper for the straw hair
- Bright yellow paper for the hat band
- Orange paper for the nose
- Light tan paper for the cheeks
- White cardstock for the moving eye piece
- Cream or white cardstock for the back
- A pencil
- A black marker
- Scissors
- A glue stick
Instructions
1. Cut out the face and eye holes
Draw a face on light brown paper with a straight top and a rounded bottom. Cut it out, then draw two oval eyes near the top. Carefully cut out the eye holes, asking an adult to help with this part. 
2. Cut out the two backing pieces
Trace around the face onto cream cardstock and cut it out. Cut a wide oval hole in the lower middle of this piece. This opening will let you move the eyes with your finger.
Cut a second, slightly smaller face shape from white cardstock. Leave this white piece solid, without any holes. 
3. Place the white piece on the back
Lay the cream backing down and place the smaller white piece on top, covering the oval opening. Leave a border around the outside so the white piece has room to move.
Do not glue the white piece down. This is the part that will slide around to move the eyes. 
4. Glue the face together
Apply a thin line of glue around the outer edge of the cream backing, keeping the glue away from the loose white piece.
Place the brown face on top and press the edges together. The white piece should be sandwiched inside, showing through both eye holes. Check that you can move it gently with a finger through the opening at the back. 
5. Cut out the decorations
Draw and cut out a dark brown hat with a rounded top and a wide brim.
For the hair, cut two pale yellow pieces that widen toward the bottom. Snip each one into several straw-like strands, leaving them joined at the top.
You will also need a narrow yellow strip for the hat band, an orange triangle for the nose, and two small tan ovals for the cheeks. 
6. Glue on the hair and hat
Glue the joined top of each hair piece near the top corners of the face, with the strands sticking out to the sides.
Glue the brown hat over the top, covering the ends of the hair. Keep the eye holes clear. 
7. Add the colorful details
Glue the yellow strip across the hat to make a hat band.
Stick the orange triangle between the eyes with its point facing down. Add a tan oval beneath each eye for the cheeks. 
8. Draw the eyes and smile
Center the loose white piece inside the face. Using a black marker, draw a small pupil on the white paper visible through each eye hole.
Draw a curved smile on the brown face, then add short lines across it to look like stitches. 
Once everything is dry, place a finger through the opening at the back and gently slide the white piece from side to side. Your scarecrow’s eyes will move!
Tips for Making Your Scarecrow
The most important part of this craft is keeping the white eye piece free to move. Use glue sparingly around the outer edges of the face, and check the movement before adding the hat and decorations.
If the white piece feels cramped, trim a tiny amount from its outer edge before sealing the face. Keep it large enough to cover both eye holes throughout the movement.
Children can also give their scarecrow a different personality with a colorful hat band, a paper patch on the hat, freckles, or a different smile. Once it’s finished, try giving it a name and making up a little story about what it can see in the pumpkin patch.
Watch Our Moving Eyes Scarecrow on TikTok
Want to see those cheeky little eyes in action? Watch our moving eyes scarecrow craft video on TikTok to see how the craft comes together and how the finished face moves.
Follow In The Playroom on TikTok for more easy kids’ crafts, seasonal activities, and creative ideas to try together.
More Moving Eyes Crafts for Kids
Ready to make more funny faces? These moving eyes crafts turn simple paper creations into playful characters that can peek, glance, and look around. Pick your favorite and keep the crafting fun going!
More Fall Crafts for Kids
Keep the autumn crafting going with more simple projects from In The Playroom. Our paper bag fox, rocking paper plate squirrel, and paper bag corn crafts are lovely activities to try alongside your scarecrow, especially if you’re putting together a woodland or harvest theme.
You could even make a whole collection of fall characters and let the kids use them to tell their own seasonal stories.
- Paper Cup Hopping Scarecrow Craft
- Moving Paper Plate Squirrel Craft
- Cute Paper Bag Corn Craft for Kids
- Fall Harvest Bingo Printable Game
- Torn Paper Autumn Leaf Craft
This little paper scarecrow is such a cheerful addition to an autumn afternoon, and the moving eyes give children something fun to come back to once the cutting and sticking are done.
If you enjoyed this moving eyes scarecrow craft, please share this post with friends or save it to your fall crafts board on Pinterest so you can find it when you’re ready to make your own!
