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PlayOwl
A green paper caterpillar made of six loops in a wavy row, with a round smiling face, pink cheeks and curly antennae.
The finished project.

Paper craft

Paper-Loop Caterpillar

  • Easy (level 2 of 5)
  • 25 min
  • 11 steps
  • Ages 4–8 (a guide, not a rule)
  • Uses scissors
  • Uses glue
  • Adult help suggested
Start Making Print with template

Paper strips turn into loops, and loops turn into a wiggly caterpillar. Cut out the strips and the face from the template, glue each strip into a loop, line the loops up and glue them together, then give your caterpillar a face and curly antennae.

Before you start

You need

Decorating (optional): Draw a face, color each loop a different shade, or add spots before you glue.

No printed template on colored printer paper (letter or a4)? No printer? Cut six strips 15 x 2 cm (6 x 3/4 in) and a 5 cm (2 in) circle by hand. Use more loops for a longer caterpillar.

For the grown-up: Help cut out the face with its tab and the thin antennae, and hold each loop for a few seconds while the glue grabs.

Use blunt-tip scissors and cut away from your fingers.

How to place the paper before the first step
Your paper: Print the template at 100% (Actual size) on colored paper. Check that the 5 cm bar measures 5 cm.
  • Mountain fold: pink dash-dot. Fold away from you, like a mountain.
  • Crease: a thin gray line where you folded before.
  • Cut: a thick solid line with scissors.
  • Glue: a yellow area marked "glue".
  • Hidden edge: gray dots show paper behind another layer.

Step by step

Each step shows what to do (left) and how it should look after (right).

  1. Step 1: cut, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 1 result Result
    Step 1 of 11 Cut Cut out the six long strips along their lines.
  2. Step 2: cut, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 2 result Result
    Step 2 of 11 Cut Cut out the face with its tab, and the two thin antennae. (The strips are put aside. The rest of the sheet has the face and the antennae.)
  3. Step 3: glue, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 3 result Result
    Step 3 of 11 Glue Take one strip. Rub glue on the end marked glue. (One strip, shown bigger.)
  4. Step 4: put together, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 4 result Result
    Step 4 of 11 Put together Bend the strip into a loop and press the plain end onto the glue. Hold it for a few seconds.
  5. Step 5: put together, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 5 result Result
    Step 5 of 11 Put together Make five more loops the same way.
  6. Step 6: glue, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 6 result Result
    Step 6 of 11 Glue Stand the loops in a row. Dab glue where two loops touch and press them together. (The six loops stand in a row, seen from the side.)
  7. Step 7: draw, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 7 result Result
    Step 7 of 11 Draw Draw a face on the circle: two eyes and a big smile. (The face piece, shown bigger.)
  8. Step 8: glue, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 8 result Result
    Step 8 of 11 Glue Glue the two antennae to the back of the face, near the top, so they stick up.
  9. Step 9: mountain fold, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 9 result Result
    Step 9 of 11 Mountain fold Fold the tab back, behind the face.
  10. Step 10: glue, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 10 result Result
    Step 10 of 11 Glue Rub glue on the tab and press it inside the first loop, so the face looks out. (The face and the row of loops, shown together.)
  11. Step 11: curl, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 11 result Result
    Step 11 of 11 Curl Roll each antenna around a pencil to make it curly. Your caterpillar is ready to wiggle!
A green paper caterpillar made of six loops in a wavy row, with a round smiling face, pink cheeks and curly antennae.

You made it!

Yours may look a little different. That is part of making things by hand.

Print the steps

Template

Print the template at 100% (Actual size), not "Fit to page". Then measure the check bar with a ruler: it must be 5 cm (2 in) long.

  • Six body strips, the face and two antennae (preview, not to scale) Six body strips, the face and two antennae · 156 × 194 mm. Each strip is 15 x 2 cm (about 6 x 3/4 in); the face is 5 cm (2 in) across. Print at 100% on colored paper, or color the sheet first.
Print the template

If something goes wrong

A loop pops open.

Add a little more glue, press the ends together and hold them while you count to ten.

The loops will not stay in a row.

Glue two loops at a time and let them dry before you add the next one.

The face falls forward.

Press the glued tab flat against the inside of the first loop, then hold it for a few seconds.

Helpful hints

  • Glue the loops on a flat table so the caterpillar stands straight.
  • Overlap the ends of each strip by the same amount, so all the loops are the same size.

An original PlayOwl project.

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