Fun Pickle Craft for Kids (for Christmas or any time!)
Here in western Pennsylvania, pickles are sort of a way of life. Heinz ketchup factory (also known for its pickles) is right here in Pittsburgh. So, we grew up with pickles on everything. There’s also a Christmas tradition that has to do with a pickle…yes, you heard me right…that I’ll tell you all about in a minute. But first, let’s make this adorable pickle craft.
If you love this pickle craft, you’re also going to love making other food crafts, like this taco craft, this cookie craft or this pizza craft!
I bet you’ve never heard of craft flashcards…Of course you haven’t…because I totally made it up 🙂 As a pediatric Occupational Therapist, I’ve witnessed kids struggle to complete multi-step activities. So, I came up with this brilliant (if I do say myself) way to break down crafts into bite-sized pieces in the form of flashcards.
These are especially perfect for those kiddos who have limited attention spans.
Crafts are such a great developmental tool for kids (improves motor planning, attention span, executive functioning, fine motor skills, language development and more), and using flashcards makes planning crafts for your kids to enjoy even easier.
Just print out a few of your favorites onto cardstock, cut them into the cards with a hole in the corner and place them on a keyring that you can connect to your craft supply bag (which you can fill using our master list of supplies that we stick to for every single one of the projects in the flashcard collection). It’s so simple.
And the best part is that there’s not a screen in sight. Technology is such a great thing, but it’s also nice to take a break from it once in awhile and let the brain explore in other ways. Click the image to learn more about our collection of 100 Craft Flashcards for Kids.
Fun Facts about Pickles
- There’s a National Pickle Day every year in the US in the month of November.
- Americans eat about 9 lbs of pickles per person every year.
- The word “pickle” comes from the Dutch word “pekel”, which means to salt or brine something.
- Cleopatra was known to eat lots of pickles because she believed they would keep her looking beautiful.
- The phrase “in a pickle” means to find yourself in a difficult position and was coined by William Shakespeare.
- Roman emperors like Julius Caesar believed that eating pickles could provide strength.
Learn even more about pickles in this article from Easy Science for Kids.
Save this food-themed craft for later. Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board…
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How to make a Simple Pickle Craft
This pickle craft is not only fun to make, but it’s perfect for kids of any age. Even toddlers can scribble on the paper plate to get this one started. And older kids will enjoy not only making it but then turning it into an activity that they can enjoy over and over again.
BASIC SUPPLIES FROM THE BAG
- Paper plate (9-inch coated)
- Crayons
- Scissors
- Black Sharpie marker
- Googly eyes
- Green pony beads (optional)
- Elmer’s glue (optional)
- Green pipe cleaners
- Tape
- Pickle craft template (optional)
Kids craft ideas are no good if they only sit exist on the internet but are never actually made by kids. We want to make crafting with your kids something that you do regularly and enjoy together. So, we’re removing some of the roadblocks, like too much prep time, lots of mess and hefty pricetags.
Fill your bag using our master list of craft supplies, and you’ll be ready to make any of the fun and simple crafts you see here. We stick to this list so that you can get right to the good stuff. Grab these items and fill your bag so that you’re ready to craft some memories at a moment’s notice whenever the opportunity strikes.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Step 1: Color It Green
- Turn the plate bottom side up.
- Then use a green crayon to color the center.
Step 2: Draw and Cut
- Turn the plate over again and draw a pickle shape, about 6 inches long.
- Once drawn, cut the pickle shape out.
*There’s a template available for this step if you would like to download it.
Step 3: Give the Pickle More Detail
- Add more details to the crayon so that it looks more like a cucumber.
- Now give your pickle character a face. Add some googly eyes and draw on a smile. We also gave him some rosy cheeks.
Step 4 (optional): Add Some Texture
- For a little added special detail, use the Elmer’s glue to add some green pony beads to the body of your pickle.
Step 5: Bring Your Pickle Craft to Life
- Take one green pipe cleaner and lay it across the back of your pickle for the arms.
- Tape it down in place.
- Now fold the other green pipe cleaner into a V shape and tape it in place for the pickle’s legs.
Step 6: Create the Hands and Feet
- To create the pickle’s feet, roll up the end of each end of the pipe cleaner. Then bend them out to create the feet.
- For the arms and hands, first trim about 1 inch off of each side of the pipe cleaner.
- Then roll up the ends to form hands.
Creating Your Own Christmas Pickle Traditions
Every Christmas morning we have a pickle hidden somewhere in the Christmas tree. No, it’s not a real pickle. It’s a pickle ornament. The first kid to find it has the honor of opening the first gift.
You can turn this fun little pickle craft into a Christmas pickle ornament simply by cutting out a red triangle from some contruction paper and gluing it on as a hat. Then fluff up a little cotton and glue it in place to finish off the Santa hat. Punch a hole in the top of your pickle and add a hanger to turn it into the perfect Christmas ornament for this cherished tradition.
Making a Pickle Puppet
To turn this fun craft into a puppet, you only need one more basic craft supply…a popsicle stick. Grab a craft stick from your bag and tape it to the back of the pickle. Then use it as a handle to make your puppet dance and tell stories. Put on your very own pickle puppet show!
How to Create a Still Motion Video with Your Pickle Craft
This activity is for older kids and can keep them having fun all day long as they create their own stop motion video production. Here’s what you do:
- Find a flat neutral background somewhere in your house (or outside) where the lighting is good.
- Place your pickle there and position the arms and legs however you want for a starting position.
- Now put your camera over the pickle craft pointing down at it. The camera and pickle should be in the same place for every single picture that you take. If you have a tripod, use it. But if not, just figure out a way to prop your camera in a place where it is stable. One time, I taped my phone to the edge of a chair for this project.
- Take your first picture.
- Now move the pickle a little, take another picture, move the pickle a little, take another picture…and so on…until you have at least 20 pictures, if not more.
- Then upload you photos into a video editor. There are lots of apps. I use Videoshop, and there is a free version in the app store. Once you have all of your photos in, reduce the time of each pic to about 30 seconds (or less if you want the skeleton to move faster).
- Optional: If you have an iphone, you can also use the
- Add some music or whatever other effects you want and download.