Jumping Frogs
Make playtime extra fun with this Jumping Frogs craft. Kids can color their frog to look like a real frog or create a silly bright version all their own. Once assembled, the frog pops up and down on folded paper springs, making this a simple craft with a fun surprise.
This is a great activity for spring, pond lessons, animal units, or just an afternoon of easy crafts for kids.
Supplies
- Green paper or cardstock
- White paper or cardstock
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Pencil
- Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
Instructions
- Print the frog pattern on white paper or cardstock.
- Color the frog before cutting if you would like to decorate it first.
- Cut out the frog and the four long strips attached to it. Keep the strips connected as shown on the printable. Do not cut them apart from the frog piece.
- Take one set of strips and fold one middle strip so it sits at a right angle to the outer strip.
- Fold the outer strip up and continue folding the strips back and forth by following the arrows on the printable. This creates a paper spring.
- When you reach the end, glue the flaps down to hold the folded spring in place.
- Repeat the same steps with the other set of strips.
- Fold the frog upright so it can stand up on the finished springs.
- Cut a lily pad shape from green paper or cardstock.
- Glue the frog’s feet or lower edge onto the lily pad base.
- Let the glue dry. Then press the frog gently and watch it jump up and down.
Fun Facts
Frogs have been on Earth for a very long time and are among the oldest animal groups still living today.
Frogs begin life as tadpoles and slowly change into adult frogs through metamorphosis.
Some frogs are bright green, while others can be brown, gray, red, or even spotted to help them blend into their surroundings.
Patterns, Templates and Printables
Print the Jumping Frogs template and follow the folding guide to make your frog spring up and down. This printable template is a fun addition to your collection of animal crafts, classroom activities, and easy crafts for kids.
Teacher Friendly Educational Extension
Turn this jumping frog craft into a fun classroom activity by pairing it with a lesson about frog life cycles, ponds, or amphibians. Invite children to color their frogs to match a real species and then write one or two facts on the back of the lily pad. This also works well as a spring classroom activity or a homeschool science extension. For younger children, practice folding skills and fine motor control. For older children, compare frogs and toads or talk about how frogs use their powerful back legs to jump.
Supplies
Green paper or card
Scissors
Glue stick
Pens/pencils/crayons
Instructions
1. Cut out the frog and the 4 strips it sits on. Cut it as one piece – do not cut off the strips.
2. Fold one of the middle strips so it is adjacent (at a right angle) to the outer strip.
3. Fold the outer strip up.
4. Follow the arrows on the illustrated instructions.
5. At the end of the strips, glue the flaps down to secure.
6. Repeat with the other 2 strips and fold the frog over so it stands straight up.
7. Cut a lily pad shape from the green card and glue the frog’s legs to the pad.
8 The frog can now spring up and down.
You will find even more frog patterns at Jellyfish Jelly - Creative Kids.
Patterns, Templates and Printables
Click on a pattern to open it in a new window
Contributor
Jellyfishjelly is the work of Miya Maeda."My work is intended to be a simple guide for non-crafty, “creatively-challenged” parents. The concept behind this site arose from what I perceived to be the near universal need for parents of small children to find novel and challenging activities to occupy what can sometimes seem like a very long day."
