Since we’re all cooped up indoors, I thought I’d bring a touch of Spring inside with a new craft for the kids. This bird door hanger doesn’t chirp, but it looks adorable hanging from a doorknob. Plus, your child can make it with supplies that you already have in the house. That makes this project a great option for passing time during a quarantine!

Materials

• chipboard (or an empty cereal box)
• paper or cardstock
• ribbon
• crayons and/or markers
• scissors
• glue
• stapler (optional)

First, print out the bird templates and trace the templates onto the chipboard. If you don’t have chipboard, an empty cereal or pasta box will do the trick. Since this layer will be covered, this is the perfect opportunity to reuse whatever you can get your hands on. The important thing is that the material is thick enough to provide a little structure for the door hanger but thin enough that little hands can cut through it easily.

Next, cut out your chipboard and trace these shapes onto your paper or cardstock. We used fabric because I had some scraps leftover from previous projects that were the perfect size. If you have old wrapping paper or decorative paper, now’s the time to use it. Plain white paper is also an option if you have budding little artists. Let them cut their shapes out of plain white paper and create their own patterns using crayons, markers and paint.

The next step is to glue the decorative layer onto the chipboard layer. Once the pieces are dry, attach the wing to the body and add the beak. For the eyes, the kids can simply cut circles out of their paper, or they can experiment with things that you have lying around the house such as buttons and beads.

Now it’s time to create the hanger. Cut a 40-inch length of ribbon and fold it in half. Staple or glue the ribbon together approximately 7 inches from the fold. Place the ribbon underneath the bird so that the part that was glued together in the previous step is just below the top of the birds head, centered between the eye and the wing. The ends of the ribbon that are hanging below the bird’s body will become the legs. Fold each end of the ribbon about 1 inch from the bottom and glue in place in order to create the feet.

Are you ready for the last step? This one is important! Ask your child to find a doorknob that is in desperate need of a Spring makeover and update it with their new door hanger.