15+ Playful Monkey Crafts For Kids To Make And Smile Over
Monkey crafts for kids bring such a playful burst of color and personality to craft time, whether you’re making them for a rainy afternoon, a classroom project, or a weekend family activity. From soft paper shapes to cheerful little jungle-inspired details, there’s something especially fun about turning simple supplies into friendly monkeys.
The best part of monkey crafts for kids is how easy they are to personalize with big smiles, silly faces, and bright finishes that feel instantly kid-friendly. They’re budget-friendly, beginner-safe, and wonderful for keeping little hands busy while creating something cute enough to display, gift, or play with later.
Cheerful Paper Bag Monkey Puppet
A playful paper bag monkey puppet brings instant charm with its big ears, curly tail, and happy open mouth. The simple brown base makes it a fun beginner craft that kids can decorate, pretend with, and show off right away.
What you need
- 1 brown paper bag
- Brown, tan, black, white, and pink construction paper
- Glue stick or school glue
- Safety scissors
- Black marker or crayon
- Optional: craft stick or wiggly eyes
How to make it
- Turn the paper bag so the flap becomes the monkey’s face area
- Cut out ears, eyes, muzzle, nose, mouth, and a curly tail from colored paper
- Glue the facial pieces onto the bag and add a marker smile and details
- Attach the tail to the back and let kids move the flap like a puppet
Adorable Painted Cup Monkey Face
A painted cup turns into a sweet little monkey face with big ears, bright eyes, and a cheerful smile. The rounded shape gives it a friendly, playful look that kids will love.
What you need
- 1 cardboard cup or small paper bowl
- 2 brown acrylic paint
- 3 tan paper or paint for the muzzle and ears
- 4 googly eyes
- 5 black marker
- 6 scissors
- 7 glue
How to make it
- Paint the cup or bowl brown and let it dry
- Cut out two round ears and a muzzle shape from tan paper
- Glue the ears, muzzle, and googly eyes in place
- Draw on a nose and smiling mouth with a black marker
Rustic Pinecone Monkey With a Sweet Felt Face
A pinecone body gives this little monkey a cozy woodland look, and the soft felt face makes it extra charming for kids to display or gift.
What you need
- 1 pinecone
- Brown and beige felt
- 1 pair of googly eyes
- Brown pipe cleaner
- Craft glue
- Scissors
How to make it
- Cut a brown felt head and beige face circle, then trim two round ears
- Glue the face, ears, eyes, and a small nose onto the head piece
- Attach the finished head to the top of the pinecone body
- Twist a brown pipe cleaner into a curly tail and glue it to the back
Sweet Clay Monkey With a Curly Tail
A tiny clay monkey like this brings such a cozy handmade feel, with its rounded body, soft tan face, and cheerful smile.
What you need
- Brown modeling clay
- Beige modeling clay
- Small black and white clay pieces for the eyes
- A clay tool or toothpick
How to make it
- Shape the brown clay into a head, body, arms, legs, ears, and a curled tail
- Flatten beige clay for the face, belly, and inner ears
- Press on the eyes, nose, and smile with small clay pieces or a tool
- Assemble all the parts together and smooth the seams gently
Stretchy Paper Accordion Monkey for Playful Fun
A bouncy paper accordion monkey like this brings instant charm with its long stretchy limbs and sweet smiling face. The folded arms and legs make it feel extra playful, so kids can have fun posing it after the craft is finished.
What you need
- 1 brown paper or cardstock
- 1 cream paper for the face and belly
- 1 sheet of tan or light peach paper for hands, feet, and face details
- 1 strip of brown accordion-folded paper for each arm and leg
- 1 glue stick or craft glue
- 1 black marker
- 1 pair of scissors
How to make it
- Cut out a head, oval body, ears, belly, hands, feet, and a curly tail from the papers
- Fold long paper strips back and forth to make the accordion arms and legs
- Glue the face, ears, belly, hands, feet, and limbs onto the body
- Draw the eyes, nose, and smile, then add the tail and gently stretch the monkey to play
Smiling Painted Rock Monkey
A smooth round rock turns into a cheerful monkey face with a cozy handmade look. The soft painted features and friendly smile make it a fun little keepsake for a desk, shelf, or gift.
What you need
- 1 smooth round rock
- Brown acrylic paint
- Light beige acrylic paint
- White, black, and red paint or paint pens
- Paintbrushes
How to make it
- Paint the rock brown and let it dry completely
- Add a light beige face shape, ears, and muzzle
- Paint the eyes, eyebrows, nose, smile, and tiny red tongue
- Let the details dry, then add a clear sealant if you want extra shine and protection
Banana-Hugging Paper Monkey with a Big Smile
A cheerful monkey clutching a bright banana makes a playful cut-and-paste craft kids will love. The rounded shapes, soft brown tones, and happy face give it a friendly look that feels full of personality.
What you need
- Brown paper or cardstock
- Tan paper for the face, hands, and feet
- Yellow paper for the banana
- Black paper or marker for the eyes, nose, and mouth
- Scissors
- Glue stick
How to make it
- Cut a large brown circle for the head and body pieces, plus arms, legs, ears, and a curled tail
- Cut a tan face shape, paw shapes, and feet shapes, then add a yellow banana with dark tips
- Glue the face onto the head and layer on the ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and small hair tuft
- Assemble the body, attach the banana across the front, and finish by adding the hands and feet
Cute Tube Monkey with a Curly Pipe Cleaner Tail
A simple cardboard tube turns into a cheerful little monkey with a rounded belly, bright face, and springy tail. The mix of paper shapes and soft pipe cleaners gives it a playful look that kids will love.
What you need
- 1 brown cardboard tube 2. Tan and brown construction paper 3. 2 googly eyes
- 2 brown pipe cleaners 5. Glue 6. Black marker
How to make it
- Cover the tube with brown paper and let it dry
- Cut out the monkey face, ears, belly, hands, feet, and tail pieces
- Glue the face, belly, ears, hands, and feet onto the tube
- Twist the pipe cleaners into arms and a curly tail, then add the eyes and smile with a marker
Painted Hanging Monkey with a Curly Tail
A playful painted monkey with a curled tail brings instant jungle charm to any kid-friendly craft time. The layered paper face, bright eyes, and leafy branch give it a sweet handmade look that feels cheerful and easy to love.
What you need
- 1 brown paper or cardstock
- 1 light tan paper circle
- 1 pair of googly eyes
- 1 black marker
- 1 glue stick
- 1 brown paint or paint stick
- 1 paintbrush
- 1 green and brown paper strips for the branch and leaves
How to make it
- Paint the monkey body, arms, legs, and tail shape on the paper with brown paint
- Cut out the face, ears, branch, and leaf shapes from cardstock or paper
- Glue the face pieces together, then add the googly eyes and draw a smiling mouth and nose
- Attach the branch, leaves, and body parts to finish the hanging monkey
Playful Popsicle Stick Monkey Hanging from a Branch
A charming little monkey hangs from a branch with long stick arms, rounded ears, and a happy smile that feels ready for jungle playtime.
What you need
- Brown craft sticks
- Light tan paper or cardstock
- Googly eyes
- Craft glue
- Black marker
- Small round embellishments or brads
How to make it
- Glue brown craft sticks together to form the monkey body, arms, and legs
- Cut a tan face, belly, ears, hands, and feet from paper or cardstock
- Add googly eyes, a drawn smile, and small details with a black marker
- Attach the monkey to a branch or stick with glue or brads so it can dangle
Happy Paper Plate Monkey Face Wall Craft
A round paper plate turns into a sweet smiling monkey face with big ears, soft colors, and a friendly jungle look. The simple shapes make it a cheerful project kids can finish and proudly hang up.
What you need
- 1 brown paper plate
- 2 tan and peach construction paper
- 3 black marker
- 4 glue
- 5 scissors
- 6 hole punch or tape
How to make it
- Cut a tan face shape, peach ear centers, and a small tuft of hair from construction paper
- Glue the face and ear pieces onto the paper plate
- Add eye cutouts, then draw the nose and smile with a black marker
- Punch holes or add tape so the monkey face can be displayed
Leafy Paper Monkey with a Sweet Smile
A happy paper monkey sits right in the center of a leafy jungle scene, with a round brown face, big ears, and a friendly smile that kids will love.
What you need
- Brown construction paper
- Light tan paper
- White paper
- Black marker or crayon
- Green and yellow paper leaves
- Glue stick
- Scissors
How to make it
- Cut a large brown circle for the monkey face and smaller circles for the ears
- Cut a tan muzzle and inner ear pieces, then glue them in place
- Add white eyes with black pupils, a nose, and a curved smile with a marker
- Arrange the paper leaves around the face and glue them down for a jungle look
Felt Monkey Ornament with a Sweet Handmade Smile
A soft felt monkey ornament like this brings a cozy handmade feel to any kid-friendly craft collection. The rounded face, stitched edges, and tiny curled tail give it a cheerful, cuddly look.
What you need
- Brown felt
- Tan felt
- Pink felt circles for cheeks
- Black felt or buttons for eyes
- Small piece of black felt for the nose
- Brown embroidery floss
- Stuffing
- Ribbon or cord for hanging
- Fabric glue or needle and thread
How to make it
- Cut out the monkey body, head, ears, arms, legs, tail, and face pieces from felt
- Stitch or glue the tan face, belly, cheeks, eyes, and nose onto the brown base
- Layer the front and back pieces together and add a little stuffing before closing the edges
- Attach the loop at the top and finish with a smiling mouth and stitched trim
Yarn-Hair Monkey Face with a Big Smile
A fluffy yarn-hair monkey face makes a cheerful little project with lots of texture and personality. The round brown face, soft yarn fringe, and friendly smile give it a playful handmade look kids will love.
What you need
- Brown paper or cardstock
- Tan paper for the muzzle and inner ears
- White paper for the eyes
- Black marker or paper scraps
- Brown yarn or thick string
- Glue stick or craft glue
- Scissors
How to make it
- Cut a large brown circle for the face, then cut tan ovals for the muzzle and ears
- Glue the tan pieces onto the face and add the white eyes with black pupils and a simple smile
- Cut short lengths of brown yarn and glue them across the top and sides for shaggy hair
- Let the glue dry flat so the monkey face stays neat and sturdy
Curly-Tailed Clothespin Monkey with a Big Grin
A sweet clothespin monkey with outstretched arms and a curly tail brings instant cheer to any shelf or play corner. The simple shapes, bright smile, and little wiggly details give it a handmade look kids will love.
What you need
- 1 wooden clothespin
- Brown and tan cardstock or craft foam
- 2 googly eyes
- Glue
- Scissors
- 1 brown paper strip for the tail
- Small brads or gold fasteners
How to make it
- Cut out a round head, ears, arms, hands, and a curly tail from the brown and tan paper
- Glue the face pieces together and add googly eyes, a nose, and a smile
- Attach the arms and tail to the clothespin with glue or small brads
- Let everything dry, then stand the monkey up for a playful display