They’re cute and some of them know Kung Fu – our playful panda crafts for kids celebrate the cute and cuddly national animal of China – the panda!

Did you hear of the woman whose job is to hug pandas? Yes, she gets paid for doing something so many of us would do for free!

Yes, pandas are that adorable, and even though they’re native to China, their charm extends across the globe. So much so that the panda is the animal chosen to be represented in the logo of the World Wildlife Foundation.

Pandas are amazing creatures and can do some cool things. We’re not talking about martial-arts expert screen pandas, of course! For instance, despite weighing 200-300 pounds, pandas are excellent tree climbers. How cool is that?

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Fun Facts about Pandas

A panda eats up to 30 kg of bamboo a day and poops 28 kg!
Only around 1,000 pandas are left in the world
When born, panda cubs are 900 times smaller than their mothers
Baby pandas are born pink
Female pandas raise their cubs alone

With 16th March being Panda Day, we’re all set to celebrate this awesome animal whose habitat is under threat. Let’s learn about them along with some playful panda crafts that even little kids can make.

20 Playful Panda Crafts for Kids

1. Printable Panda Paper Crown

Want to be a panda yourself? It’s easy when you have a printable panda paper crown like this one! Just download, print and assemble, and get ready to be hugged!

2. DIY Panda Hug Bookmark

Pandas are great cuddlers, but they’re also excellent swimmers and climbers! Well, our panda here is good at holding on to pages too, and is the perfect reading companion!

3. Endangered Animal Corner Bookmark

Pandas used to be endangered till recently, but thanks to the efforts of the Chinese government and others, they have now been moved to ‘vulnerable’ status. Learn more about the panda’s status as you make these corner bookmarks.

4. Paper Plate Panda Craft

We love paper plate crafts, which is why this paper plate panda features in our list of panda crafts for kids! Check out our video that shows you how to make this panda completely out of paper plates.

5. Kawaii Panda Bookmark

As if pandas weren’t already cute, Ayelet Keshet has gone and made them cuter with these Kawaii bookmarks! Perfect gift for your Kawaii obsessed friend!

6. 3-D Bobble Head Panda Craft

How about playing with a panda that moves? Arty Crafty Kids shows us how this is possible, using just paper! Get the template or draw it yourself, and put it together as shown in the instructions.

7. DIY Sock Panda

If you’ve got some sewing enthusiasts, this project from Craft Passion will be a hit! With a black sock and a white one, anyone with basic sewing skills can make this sock panda.

8. Coffee Filter Panda Craft

This is probably the easiest of all the panda crafts for kids! This craft from Our Kid Things is a good idea for younger kids who may get overwhelmed with projects that require more steps or materials.

9. Fork Printed Panda Bear Craft

There’s a lot you can do with paint and a fork, as Crafty Morning shows us with this cute panda art! Let your little one go crazy making those spikes and then stick on the other pieces when the paint dries.

10. DIY Panda Mini Notebook

These little Panda notebooks from Red Ted Art would make great classroom Valentines, teacher appreciation gifts or back-to-school goodies. They’re ridiculously easy to make!

11. Panda Corner Bookmark

Get ready for your summer reading with this too-cute-for-words panda bookmark from Red Ted Art. It’s so cute I’d rather keep it outside than hide half of it behind the page!

12. Printable Pom-pom Panda

About a thousand years ago, Chinese Empress Wu Zeitan sent a pair of pandas to Japan as a gift. Since then, this has become a tradition in China, giving gifts as a symbol of goodwill and diplomacy. You can extend your own goodwill using these pom-pom pandas from The Craft Train!

13. Rocking Panda Coloring Card

Arty Crafty Kids tries to capture the cute, playful nature of pandas in this adorable rocking craft! Young kids will enjoy playing with the craft after making it, and it’s also a great pick for Valentine’s Day!

14. Paper Roll Panda Craft

Non-Toy Gifts has a craft that features a panda family busy munching on bamboo! Since pandas rely almost entirely on bamboo for food, they’re restricted to areas where bamboo is abundant, like the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu.

15. Handprint Panda Craft

Pandas have an extra extension on their wrist that looks and functions a lot like a thumb. This ‘thumb’ helps them hold on to bamboo stalks and break them to eat. If you want to use your own hands to make panda crafts for kids, check out this project from Made to be a Momma.

16. DIY Newspaper Panda Craft for Kids

Did you know that the black and white fur of a panda helps with camouflage? It may seem unlikely at close quarters since they’re surrounded by brown and green, but at a distance, it does work! In the Bag Kids Crafts celebrates this fact by using a black and white newspaper sheet to make a panda craft!

17. Panda Paper Box Craft

Pandas spend a good part of their day looking for food; almost 14-16 hours! Well, this panda from Easy Peasy and Fun certainly doesn’t have to worry about that – it’s already full of yummy goodies!

18. Panda Paper Bag Puppet Craft

We love this cute little panda craft from Simple Everyday Mom, although he does look like he wants to visit the toilet! In fact, pandas can only digest about 17% of their food, which means a lot of it has to come out as waste – that’s why pandas poop about 100 times a day!

19. Panda Texture Art Project

Thinking of making an art project featuring a panda? Check out this step-by-step tutorial from Craft Project Ideas, which shows you exactly how to create panda art with a background of a bamboo forest.

20. Paper Plate Panda Bear Craft

We’ve seen a few pandas made from paper plates, but this one from I Heart Crafty Things wins the prize! This craft is so simple, but so cute, you feel like the panda is indeed smiling at you!

Aren’t these panda crafts for kids super cute? The best part is that you don’t need a lot of supplies to make them – even plain paper will do! Otherwise, just use whatever you have lying around – newspaper, toilet paper rolls, paper bags or paper plates. It’s really easy to turn anything into an adorable panda craft!

If you’d like to learn more about other endangered species, check out these crafts: