Craft sticks can be turned into just about anything. The cute characters found in a barnyard are a great example! Cows, horses, pigs, chickens and more, all in craft stick form! I’ve always loved craft sticks as a surface. They are inexpensive and have so many possibilities.
Looking for a teen craft? Try these fun popsicle stick bracelets are great for girl scout groups, camp, or for them to do with friends!
Craft Stick Farm Animals
You can make animals out of them, as you can see here, but their boundaries are almost limitless. Snowmen, superheroes, jewelry boxes, scarecrows, mummies, monsters, puppets, the list goes on and on!
Farm animals are fun because your child can choose whatever color they want. Who says a chicken has to be white? Why not purple or pink? Horses can have long manes, short manes, spots or no spots. Cats can be solid in color, have stripes or splotches, or why not polka dots?
What You’ll Need
- 5 jumbo craft sticks
- Googly eyes
- Tan and pink Buttons
- Small pink bead
- Scissors
- Glue or glue dots
- Felt: light brown, dark brown, black, pink, orange, and red
- Paint: white, black, light brown, pink and orange
- Fine point marker
Let your child’s imagination run free or if they like, follow the colors and designs in these instructions. Whatever is most fun for them!
[Printable instructions below] Once your child has decided on colors, have them paint their jumbo craft sticks.
You can use buttons for noses and snouts and felt for embellishments like manes and beaks.
As you can see I drew mine out first to get an idea of what mine would look like.
And there you have it! A set of barnyard animal puppets your child can play with or use as bookmarks!
More Craft Stick Crafts
- Craft Stick Scarecrows
- Craft Stick Puppet Theater
- Craft Stick Watermelon
- Craft Stick Beach Plaque
- Tons of projects made with craft sticks – Fun Family Crafts
Other Farm Animal Crafts
- Farm themed crafts – Fun Family Crafts
- Cardboard tube farm animals – Crafts by Amanda (pictured below)
- Chocolate Pretzel Farm Animals – Hungry Happenings (pictured below)
My friend Beth from Hungry Happening wrote to me and showed me the most adorable edible farm animals I’ve ever seen! She was inspired by my craft stick version and I absolutely LOVE them! You can see these adorable farm animal pretzels here.
Craft Stick Farm Animals
Supplies
- 5 jumbo craft sticks
- Googly eyes
- Buttons tan and pink
- Small pink bead
- Scissors
- Glue or glue dots
- Felt: light brown, dark brown, black, pink,orange, and red
- Paint: white, black, light brown, pink and orange
- Fine point marker
Instructions
- Begin by painting the craft sticks. Two of them will be white and the other three will be pink, light brown, and orange. paint some black splotches randomly on one of the white sticks.
- Use a thin paint brush (or you can use a black Sharpie!) to add stripes to the orange stick.
- Pig’s ears – pink
- Cow’s ears – black
- Horse’s ears and snout – light brown
- Horse’s mane and forelock – dark brown
- Chicken’s comb: red
- Chicken’s beak: orange
- Cat’s ears: orange
- You can use glue, or if you like Glue Dots, to attach the googly eyes to each craft stick. Glue the felt pieces in place for each animal and glue on buttons and the cat’s nose bead, and you have yourself a barn full of new friends!
This post originally appeared here on Feb 15, 2013.
- How to Make a Pom Pom - January 20, 2026
- Foam Cup Snowmen - January 16, 2026
- Great Big Button Tree Art - January 14, 2026
Terra says
These are so cute!! I made some with my book club kids and I’d love to send you a picture (if you want one). We are doing a small winter craft fair at our school. Would it be okay for the kids and me to make some to sell at the fair (all proceeds would go towards books for our book club).
Nick says
Amanda,
I recently subscribed to your website. I applaud you for your resourcefulness. Loved your idea of a fairy garden, rainbow button chime and of course the barnyard farm animals. Keep up the great work & looking forward to your next projects. You’ve given me ideas for making my niece and goddaughter’s bedroom happier with lots of color!
Nick
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks Nick, I appreciate your kind comment!
irma says
lindas y llamativas
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you Irma!
hative says
These Popsicle Stick Farm Animals are simple yet so cute. Featured you on Homemade Popsicle Stick Crafts.
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you so much for the feature!
meenakshi says
awesoooommmmeeee these r really cute
VALÉRIA GOMES says
OLÁ AMANDA,MUITO LEGAL SEUS PROJETOS,PARABÉNS.VALÉRIA.(BRASIL).
Kelly says
Adorbs!! Wish I had kids to do some of these with.
Rena says
So cute!
Angie @ Big Bear's Wife says
the little cow is my favorite!
Ashley Spain (@AshleySpain7) says
Oh these are adorable!