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[Childcare] Collection of snake craft ideas using various materials

[Childcare] Collection of snake craft ideas using various materials

Last updated:2025/3/3

20 years of experience as a nursery teacher / kindergarten teacherhiyoko sensei
I’m Hiyoko-sensei, a former nursery school teacher from Hyogo Prefecture. Ever since I was five, my dream was to become a childcare worker, and before I knew it, 20 years had passed since I achieved that dream. Through singing and playing with the children, I kept working with the spirit of someone in their twenties, even as I increasingly felt my physical limits year by year (haha). From here on, I’d like to share helpful information carefully and thoughtfully, drawing on my on-site experience.

We’re excited to introduce crafts for making snakes that wiggle adorably!

In this article, you’ll find ideas for creating snakes using various materials and recyclables like paper cups and paper plates.

Some children may not be fond of snakes, but we’ve included lots of craft ideas that make the most of snake-like features—such as their slithering movement and springy jumps—so please try making them together and have fun playing!

Because the items children make are treated as works or projects, we use the term “seisaku” (production/creation) in the text.

[Childcare] A collection of snake craft ideas using various materials (1–10)

Snake made with paper chains

Amazing Paper Snake | Moving paper toys | Easy paper crafts

Snake made with paper chains

Here’s how to make a simple snake toy using paper chains! Prepare strips of construction paper in two colors you like—eight strips of each color, sized 2.5 × 11 cm—and for one of the colors, prepare nine strips.

You’ll also need glue and parts for the snake’s face.

First, glue the two colors into alternating paper chain links.

For the last link, cut it into the shape of the snake’s head.

Glue on the face parts like the eyes and mouth, then loop the head through as the final link to finish.

It’s also fun to add more paper strips to make a longer snake.

For the face parts, it’s recommended to use easy-to-handle items like round stickers, adjusting to the child’s age.

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Dancing Snake

Let's Make and Play: Let's Build a Snake (Matsubushi NLP #62)

Dancing Snake

Let’s make a snake toy that dances on top of a paper cup! You’ll need chenille stems (pipe cleaners), a thick straw, an awl, a permanent marker, and scissors.

First, draw a snake on the paper cup however you like.

When you’re done, make a hole around the center of the cup and insert the straw.

Seal the hole with wood glue so no air can escape, and that part is complete.

Next, wrap a chenille stem around a thick straw to make the snake, and place it on top of the paper cup you just made—that’s it! Now put the straw to your mouth and make some sounds! The snake’s movement will change depending on how you use your voice, so give it a try!

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a wiggly, wriggling snake

Moving snake with origami - DIY paper snake

a wiggly, wriggling snake

Here’s how to make a wiggly snake toy out of colored construction paper.

You’ll need two sheets of colored construction paper, additional colored paper for the snake parts, glue, and a pen.

First, place the long side of a sheet toward you, fold it into eight equal sections, and cut along the folds.

Next, line up strips of different colors perpendicular to each other and weave/fold them alternately.

Keep gluing as you go and connect all 16 strips.

Finally, glue on the snake parts made from colored paper, and draw the eyes with a pen.

Using round stickers for the eyes also works great and is recommended!

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A snake made with origami

[Origami] Cute: How to Make a Snake | Origami Snake Tutorial

A snake made with origami

We’ll show you how to fold a snake that looks two-toned using a single sheet of origami paper.

First, fold the paper into a triangle twice to make a cross-shaped crease, then open it with the colored side facing up.

Fold the top and bottom edges to the center point and unfold.

Next, fold the bottom corner up to the topmost crease to make a crease, then open it.

Fold up to the very bottom line, open it again, rotate the paper, and repeat the same steps on the other side.

Now, starting from the bottom, accordion-fold up to the center line, and do the same on the opposite side.

Finally, fold the whole piece in half, then adjust the angle of the snake’s head and add bends to create a wavy body, and you’re done! It looks super cute when you make it with different kinds of origami paper!

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Snake-in-the-box

@hannah1000c
Aspiring childcare worker Jack-in-the-box #HandmadeToys Childcare student Arts and crafts #Milk carton
♬ son original – FRENCH FUSE

I’m going to show you how to make a jack-in-the-box with a jumping snake! Materials: three colors of construction paper, additional construction paper for the snake parts, a milk carton, rubber bands, clear tape, glue, and a box.

First, cut the construction paper to match one-third of the height from the bottom of the milk carton, and glue it on.

Then, with the construction paper as a guide, cut the milk carton itself into three equal sections.

On the four short sides of each section, cut small slits so rubber bands can hook on.

After hooking rubber bands onto all the slits, connect the short sides with clear tape.

Make the snake’s face parts with construction paper and glue them on, then fold the snake and place it in the box.

When you open the box, the snake will spring out—your jack-in-the-box is complete!

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A walkabout snake made with stick-on seals

@kichijyo
I went for a walk with the wiggly snake 😆✨.#Nursery school Production Snake #Walk #1212 Gunma Fujioka City #Kichijo Nursery School
♬ Whistling you want to go for a walk – Ken Nakagawa

Sticker time is fun! Here’s how to make a “Walkable Snake.” You’ll need colored construction paper, your favorite stickers, clear tape, and a pipe cleaner.

First, cut the colored paper into a snake shape with scissors.

Since you’ll be sticking stickers on it, it’s best to cut it a bit wide.

Next, fold the head area so there’s a flap where the pipe cleaner can be inserted.

Bend the pipe cleaner to a length that’s easy to hold, and secure it inside the fold with tape.

Once you decorate the paper with your favorite stickers, it’s done—hold the pipe cleaner and take your little snake for a walk! Making a face for the snake out of construction paper is super cute too, so give it a try.

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A realistically moving snake made from construction paper

@hoikushi_bank
drawing paperCheck out my snake 🐍 Instagram from the profile link 🚀 Tap the share button if you found this helpful!Nursery teacher / Childcare worker Childcare student Aspiring childcare worker #Nursery school #Kindergarten #Childcare Crafting #Nursery School Craft Production work #craft #kids
♬ Violin – Cookiee Kawaii & Dear Silas

Fun to play with! Here’s how to make a snake toy using colored construction paper.

Materials: one square sheet of colored construction paper, additional paper for the snake parts, glue, and crayons.

First, fold the colored paper using the “octopus” folding method.

Unfold it and draw the snake’s pattern in the center with crayons.

Fold it into a triangle so the pattern faces outward.

With the edge toward you, make narrow vertical cuts with scissors along the patterned area.

Glue the unpatterned ends so they overlap, then attach the eyes and mouth pieces you made from paper—and it’s done!

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