You have come to the right place if you are looking for fun, engaging and exciting Elephant themed activities to do with toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners. Our activities are used by teachers, moms, dads, child care providers and more!
All our activities are available at no cost and are free to print and share. Select below to get started.
Elephant Arts and Crafts
Cutting and pasting Elephants
Paint elephant shapes with shaving brushes. Paste on shiny white tusks.
Elephant Puppet (Adult made)
Small paper bag (lunch size), Gray construction paper, Brown construction paper, red construction paper
Cut an elephant head and body out of the gray paper. Make the mouth a large opening. Cut out several peanuts out of the brown paper. Glue the elephant onto the bag so that it can actually stand up on the table on the bottom of the bag. With an exacto knife, cut the same mouth opening out of the paper bag. Cut a rectangle sign out of the red paper and write on it: DO NOT FEED THE ELEPHANT! (put an X over NOT, so it says do feed the elephant) Glue it into the elephant’s hands. The peanuts that you cut out can be “fed” to the elephant and fall into the bag.
Stand Up Elephant
Fold a 9 x 12 gray construction paper to form a 6 x 4 1/2 rectangle. Cut a half circle from the open edges to form legs and a body. Save the scraps to make ears later. Clip on the fold to make a slot for the head. Cut a circle from a 6″ square of gray paper for the head. Add the half circle scraps for ears. Trim them up if you need to. Add a 1 X 6 strip for the trunk. You can roll it on a pencil to make it curl up. Put the head in the slot on the back. Use a gray scrap for a tail. Draw on eyes or glue on wiggly eyes. Stand up your elephant and give him/her a name.
Edible Peanutty Play dough
1/4 cup. peanut butter
1/2 cup. dry milk
1/2 tbs. honey
Knead all ingredients in a zip lock bag. Use the dough to make edible sculptures (even peanut-loving elephants!). You can even decorate the sculptures with raisins or candies. A fun activity and a yummy snack.
Art
Encourage children to paint elephants. Fold 2″x18″ strip of gray construction paper accordion style to make an elephant trunk.
Elephant Film Canister Finger Puppet
1. Remove the lid from a 35 mm plastic film canister.
2. Glue gray paper around the sides and a paper circle on the bottom of the canister. Add eyes and trunk by gluing to the circle (trunk can be fan folded to make 3 D).
3. Cut ears and glue to sides (close to front circle edge ). Add a tail to the back top.
4. Place tissue inside the canister to help your finger fit snugly.
Elephant Masks
Materials:
large paper plates, pantyhose (stockings), markers or crayons, newspaper or packing peanuts, elastic
Take large paper plate and cut a hole in the middle. Cut one leg of a pair of panty hose and fill it with scrunched up newspaper or packing peanuts. Pull the opened end through the hole in the paper plate and knot it. Decorate the rest of the elephant mask with ears, eyes and mouth. You could use elastic on the back to hold the mask on.
Elephant Games and Activities
What Shape Is An Elephant?
Give a child a sheet of construction paper and tell them they will have to tear 6 shapes from this.
1. The largest shape needs to be a square.
2. Next tear a triangle about half the size of the square.
3. Tear 4 rectangles all the same size.
4. Put the shapes together to make an elephant that looks like he is walking.
5. Add details with felt pen (eyes, wiggly lines for wrinkle skin, a tail)
The Elephants Are Here!
A movement song to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”
The elephants are here! (Look excited)
The elephants are here!
Look at all the elephants! (Shade eyes as if looking)
The elephants are here!
They’re exercising now. (March in place, keeping feet on floor, pumping arms)
They’re exercising now.
Look at all the elephants!
They’re exercising now.
(Have kids name various exercises and do them–tricky while singing!)
They’re jumping up and down!
They’re jumping up and down!
Look at all the elephants!
They’re jumping up and down!
They’re doing push ups now
They’re touching all their toes
They’re spinning ’round and ’round
Keep going until kids are EXHAUSTED
Sing the last verse slowly as sink to floor and lie down on backs
They’re all exhausted now…
They’re all exhausted now…
Look at all the elephants…
They’re all exhausted now…
ZZZZZZZ (Lots of snoring)
Hey Elephant
The poem:
One elephant went out to play
all on spiders web one day
they had such ENORMOUS fun
that they called for another elephant to come
HEY ELEPHANT
How to play
Have a child walk bent over swing his/her arm for a trunk then after the song the child chooses another child. If old enough have the children hold hands putting their “trunk” between their legs. For little ones you can just have them hold hands, and not bend over. Do this until all the kids are called and walking back and forth holding hands.
Elephant Recipes and Snacks
Baked Elephant Ears
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Start with this snack that’s shaped like an elephant ear.
You will need:
1 stick of pie crust mix
Medium mixing bowl
Measuring spoons
Hot water
Fork
Wood board
All-purpose flour
Baking sheet
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Shaker or spoon
1. Have adult break pie crust into little pieces in the bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of hot water. Mix with fork till the dough sticks together.
2. Sprinkle the wood board with flour. Pat your hands with flour. Form the dough into a big ball on the board and divide into 4 parts. Form each part into a ball.
To make elephant ears, use your whole hand to flatten each ball. Press hard so that the dough gets thinner. It should be about 1/4 inch thick.
3. Place each piece of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. Mix sugar and cinnamon. Place in shaker. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar topping on your elephant ears. Be careful not to get the sugar on the baking sheet.
4. Have adult bake at 350º for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.
Elephant Heads
Needs:
Can biscuits (each child needs two biscuits)
Cinnamon sugar
2 raisins
A craft stick and the foil or baking paper
Give each child two biscuits. Have them place one biscuit and flatten just a little. Next with craft stick have them cut other biscuit into 3 pieces with the middle piece being narrow (this is the trunk) the 2 outside pieces are the ears.
Add to the biscuit – the 2 ears and put trunk in the middle. (Have them press the edges down so they stick to the biscuit . Add raisin for eyes. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake until golden brown. The children love to eat them while still warm.
Elephant Songs, Poems and Finger Plays
Miss Mary Mack
Miss Mary Mack, Mack, Mack
All dressed in black, black, black.
With silver buttons, buttons, buttons
All down her back, back, back.
She asked her mother, mother, mother,
for fifty cents, cents, cents,
To see the elephant, elephant, elephant,
jump the fence, fence, fence.
He jumped so high, high, high,
he reached the sky, sky, sky,
And didn’t come back, back, back,
till the fourth of July, July, July.
He fell so fast, fast, fast,
He fell so hard, hard, hard,
He made a hole, hole, hole,
in her back yard, yard, yard.
He went bumpy thump, thump, thump!!
Did You Ever See an Elephant?
Tune: Did You Ever See a Lassie?
Did you ever see an elephant
An elephant, an elephant,
Did you ever see an elephant
Spray water with her trunk?
Spray water all over,
Spray water all over,
Did you ever see an elephant
Spray water with her trunk?
Did you ever see an elephant
An elephant, an elephant,
Did you ever see an elephant
Eat peanuts with her trunk?
Throw peanuts in her mouth,
Throw peanuts in her mouth,
Did you ever see an elephant
Eat peanuts with her trunk?
Did you ever see an elephant
An elephant, an elephant,
Did you ever see an elephant
Hug her baby with her trunk?
Wrap it this way and that way,
And this way and that way,
Did you ever see an elephant
Hug her baby with her trunk?
Five Gray Elephants
Five gray elephants, marching through the glade,
Decide to stop and play like they are having a parade. The first sings his trunk and announces he’ll lead;
The next waves a flag which of course they need.
The third gray elephant trumpets a song;
The fourth beats a drum as he marches along.
While the fifth makes believe he’s the whole show
And nods and smiles to the crowd as they go.
Five gray elephants, marching through the glade,
Having a lot of fun during their parade.
Dear Reader: You can help us make this theme even better!
All of our theme ideas have come from our imagination and from reader submissions. Please use this form to contact us if you have crafts, activities, games, recipes, songs or poems that you would like us to add to this theme.
