Eric Carle Crafts for Kids

📝 This post, Eric Carle Crafts, was originally published in 2013 and has been updated with new information and resources.

If you’ve been reading Boy Mama Teacher Mama for a while, you probably know that I love a good author study! And few authors inspire creativity quite like Eric Carle.

His colorful collage illustrations, memorable characters, and predictable stories make his books perfect for combining reading, art, and hands-on learning. Over the years, my students and my own boys have created all kinds of Eric Carle-inspired projects, and today I’m sharing our favorites all in one place.

Whether you’re planning an Eric Carle author study or simply looking for a fun afternoon craft, I hope these ideas inspire your own young artists!

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Eric Carle Letters

This project was way too much fun! The day before Memorial Day—the final day of our Eric Carle author study—I only had seven students in class. With so many students absent, it didn’t make sense to introduce new learning that I would have to repeat the following week. Instead, we declared it Eric Carle Art Day and created Eric Carle-inspired letters!!

These letters were my inspiration for this activity!!

Together we created a paper plate palette filled with acrylic paints for each student and invited them to create four different Eric Carle-inspired painted papers. They experimented with colors, textures, and patterns just like Eric Carle did when creating the illustrations for his books.

Once the paint dried, we used large letter stencils to spell each child’s name.

If you don’t have bulletin board letter stencils, don’t worry! They’re easy to make yourself. Simply choose a favorite font on your computer, enlarge it, and print the letters you need.

Each student traced the letters of their name on the back of their painted paper so pencil marks wouldn’t show on the finished project. Be sure to trace each letter backwards so it faces the correct direction once it’s cut out.

After cutting out the letters, students arranged and glued them onto construction paper. I encouraged them not to place every letter on the same line because the staggered letters created much more interesting artwork.

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💡Teacher Tip: Be sure to have some Eric Carle books available when doing this project to inspire those who need it!

More Eric Carle Crafts

Over the years, Eric Carle’s colorful illustrations have inspired all kinds of art projects in my classroom. Here are a few more favorites!

Eric Carle Inspired Seahorses

After reading Mister Seahorse, we created our own Eric Carle-inspired seahorses.

Students first painted watercolor papers before cutting them into small pieces to create colorful collages. Once the collages dried, they traced a seahorse stencil onto the back, cut out the shape, and added fins, eyes, and other details.

The finished seahorses looked absolutely beautiful displayed together around the classroom. No two were alike!

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Eric Carle’s Art-Art Inspired Sculptures

Many people know Eric Carle as an author and illustrator, but fewer realize he also created sculptures outside of children’s literature. Below is an example of his work.

Inspired by his colorful “Art-Art” sculptures, students designed their own creations using black paper and colorful strips of paper.

💡 Teacher Tip: Pipe cleaners work wonderfully if you’d like a sturdier classroom version that’s easier for little hands to assemble.

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Eric Carle Crafts at Home

Eric Carle’s books inspired plenty of creativity at home, too!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Piñata

One beautiful spring day, my boys and I decided to make our own Very Hungry Caterpillar piñata. Using balloons, paper mâché, paint, tissue paper, and plenty of patience, we created a life-sized caterpillar that became one of our favorite family projects.

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar Puzzle

After my son’s kindergarten class performed The Very Hungry Caterpillar, we decided to make our own giant caterpillar puzzle.

We each painted a few circles before turning them into individual caterpillar puzzle pieces with painted eyes, pipe cleaner legs, and antennae. Once all the pieces were finished, we had our very own Very Hungry Caterpillar puzzle! My youngest loved building the caterpillar again and again, while my oldest was happy just creating it. We kept all the pieces together in a large zip-top bag, making it easy to pull out whenever we wanted to build it again.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Cupcakes

And I justI couldn’t resist making a special treat to celebrate the performance…

I decorated cupcakes to look like the Very Hungry Caterpillar using colorful frosting and candies. They were simple to make, the kids absolutely loved them, and they were the perfect way to celebrate such a memorable school performance.

💚 They disappeared almost as quickly as the Very Hungry Caterpillar ate his way through all that food!

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Wrapping Up with Eric Carle Crafts

One of the things I love most about Eric Carle’s books is how naturally they inspire creativity. Whether you’re painting colorful papers, making collages, or creating your own Very Hungry Caterpillar, his stories encourage children to read, imagine, and create.

I hope these Eric Carle crafts inspire you to bring his beloved books to life in your own classroom—or at home.

💚 What’s your favorite Eric Carle book or craft? I’d love to hear in the comments!