Air Dry Clay Animals for Kids – 10 Adorable Creatures Step by Step

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Looking for creative clay diy projects that keep little hands busy and imaginations growing? These fun and simple air dry clay projects are perfect for beginners and make wonderful keepsakes. Whether you’re planning a weekend craft session or searching for an easy air dry clay toddler craft, this guide will walk you through ten adorable animals step by step.

These ideas are ideal clay crafts for kids, and most of them use basic shapes like balls, cones, and clay “worms.” If you’re new to diy air dry clay, don’t worry these are truly easy air dry clay crafts for kids. Let’s get started!

Materials

You will only need some basic clay sculpting tools and some air dry clay to make these animals.

I use two different types of air dry clay. The colored clay, that you see in the images below, is air dry foam clay. This is a quick drying clay that is avalible in many different colors. It becomes soft foam once it dried.

The other type of clay, that I used, is regular air dry clay from DAS. Either in white or in earth color. This clay dries slowly and can be painted, once it cured. It will become very rigid once it has dried fully.

1. Penguin

Almost every single one of the animals on this list is made by using very simple shapes and then refining them.

Step-by-step instructions:

The head of the penguin is a simple ball.

2. And the body is a simple bigger ball that is slightly elongated and tapered down on one side.

3. The wings of the penguin are just two clay worms that are slightly thicker on one end.

4. Roll out a piece of white clay and use it to make two patterns for the face and one big flat oval shape for the stomach.

5. Attach the pattern to the face and add two small black balls to the pattern as eyes.

6. Add the large white shape to the stomach of the penguin.

7. Finally, add some feet and a beak that are made out of two yellow clay balls and a cone shape.

8. And then, put it all together.

Let your penguin dry completely before painting or sealing. This is one of the most popular air dry clay crafts for kids easy enough for preschoolers with supervision.