10 Neat-O Letter O Crafts and Activities for Preschool

| Last Updated: December 16, 2022

Adding crafts and fun activities when teaching letters to young children will help keep lessons exciting and engaging. These crafts will help children practice different skills and increase their creativity. 

Check out our list of ten crafts and activities that will make learning the letter O a fantastic event for the little ones.

Science | Fine Motor | Letter Recognition

1. O Is for Owl Craft

Photo credit: coolkidscrafts.com

Turn the letter O into a brown owl that will fascinate children. Complete with round eyes, pointy ears, and wings, this craft will make learning the letter O exciting. 

Include a science lesson with this craft to discuss the characteristics of owls. If possible, show videos of these owls and discuss their habitat, food, and unique abilities. 

Show the different species of owls and let children know that the bird’s name starts with the letter O. As children make this craft, they will improve their cutting and pasting skills. 

Outline a letter O on brown paper. Let children cut this out. This will help them practice cutting curved lines. Cut out two long teardrop shapes from a different shade of brown paper for the wings and two triangles for the ears. 

Cut out two brown circles for the eyes, a yellow beak, and two yellow feet. Next, glue the letter O on white construction paper. Add the rest of the pieces to complete the owl. Finally, glue the googly eyes on the brown circles. 

For this activity, you will need: 

  • Construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue 
  • Marker 
  • Googly eyes 

For more information on this activity, go to CoolKidsCrafts.com. Also check out our selection of owl crafts for preschoolers!

Sensory Motor | Hand Dominance | Letter Recognition

2. Letter O Playdough Mat

Playing with playdough provides a sensory experience for children. This is important when learning letters because it helps children understand the letter’s form. 

This letter O mat is a great activity to help young learners recognize the letter in its uppercase and lowercase forms. It is a simple activity and will help increase their hand muscle strength. 

Download and print the Letter O mat from the site. If possible, have this laminated so that it is reusable and to make it last longer. Provide children with playdough to use. Let them knead, squeeze, and roll into logs. 

Form the letter by pressing the dough inside the letter bubble. Guide children in positioning the clay if they need help with this step. Have children trace with their fingers the letter O. 

Next, let children trace the dotted letters with a pencil or marker. Once finished, allow them to write or copy the uppercase and lowercase O on the line.

For this activity, you will need: 

  • Printed letter mat
  • Pencil or markers 

For more information on this activity, go to EducationOutside.org.

Social Skills | Fine Motor | Creativity

3. O Is for Olaf

Photo credit: craftymorning.com

One of the most beloved snowmen, Olaf, takes the spotlight in this letter O craft. The letter O Olaf craft is perfect for winter-themed lessons. Cutting different sizes of round shapes will challenge children’s fine motor skills. 

Extend this activity by letting children find different objects that begin with the letter O. Let children play a treasure hunt game as they look for things around the room that start with the letter O. 

Outline and cut out a letter on white construction paper. Draw and cut out the parts of Olaf. There are no templates provided for Olaf. Refer to the pictures on the sites for this step. 

Use white construction paper for Olaf’s body, orange for his nose, and dark brown for his hair and arms. Assemble the craft once the pieces are ready. 

Glue the letter O on green construction paper. Add Olaf’s body, arms, and hair. Use a black marker to draw the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and buttons. 

For this activity, you will need: 

  • Construction paper 
  • Scissors
  • Glue 
  • Black marker 

For more information on this activity, go to CraftyMorning.com.

Hand-eye Coordination | Hand-muscle Strength | Fine Motor

4. Letter O Art Project

Photo credit: sarajcreations.com

Make learning the letter O easy and enjoyable for young children through a simple stamping activity. As children make letter O prints on paper, they will improve their hand-eye coordination skills and hand-muscle strength. 

Modify this activity by using different sizes of cups or round materials for making circles. Use different colors to teach color recognition. Make this extra challenging by asking children to make their version of Kadinsky circles. 

Take a paper plate and squeeze some paint on it. Use one paper plate for every color to prevent the colors from mixing. Provide a plastic cup for each color. 

Flip the cup over so that the opening is at the bottom. Let the children hold the cup on its end and gently dip it in the paint. Next, let them press the paint-covered cup on construction paper. Repeat the process until the paper is covered with colorful circles. 

Let children sing songs inspired by the letter O as they stamp the paper to make it more fun. 

For this activity, you will need: 

  • Plastic cups
  • Paint 
  • Paper plate 
  • Construction paper 

For more information on this activity, go to SaraJCreations.com.

Fine Motor | Following Instructions | Creativity

5. Toilet Paper Roll Octopus Craft

A lovable-looking octopus made from toilet paper rolls will make a great craft to teach the letter O. Painting and cutting will help improve children’s fine motor skills. 

This is a simple craft for young children, but it can provide a good opportunity for them to learn how to follow instructions. As they follow the step-by-step directions given, their listening skills will improve. 

Start by squeezing some paint on the paper plate. Paint the toilet paper roll until fully covered with color. Allow the paint to dry. 

Next, cut slits to make the tentacles. Dip a cotton swab in white paint. Press on the slits to make white dots. These will be the suckers. 

Stick the googly eyes on the toilet paper roll. Use a black marker to draw the mouth. 

Extend this activity through a science lesson. Discuss the octopus’s food, habitat, and unique features. If possible, show videos of the animal in its natural habitat.

For this activity, you will need: 

  • Toilet paper roll
  • Paint 
  • Paintbrush
  • Paper plate
  • Googly eyes
  • Cotton swab
  • Marker 
  • Glue 
  • Scissors 

For more information on this activity, go to EastCoastMommyBlog.blogspot.com.

Oral Language | Fine Motor | Communications

6. Lowercase o Activity Mat

Here is a no-prep activity sheet that will keep children occupied while learning the lowercase letter o. This activity sheet comes with four tasks children will need to complete. 

As they do, their fine motor skills will improve. They will learn to discriminate and recognize the correct letter. They will also be able to associate the picture with the letter o. 

Download and print the activity sheet from the site. Point to the letter on the upper left and have the children say the letter’s name. Next, let them write as many letters as they can on the line. 

Next, point to the group of circles in the lower left-side corner. Ask the children to find the letter o. Once they locate them, give them a marker or crayon to color the circles with the correct letter. 

Finally, ask the children to identify the picture. Mention that the word ox begins with the letter o. Point to the word on the picture and ask what the first letter they can see is.

For this activity, you will need: 

  • Printed activity sheet
  • Marker, crayons, or pencil

For more information on this activity, go to EducationOutside.org.

Fine Motor | Observation | Oral Language

7. O is for Orange: Paper Pasting Activity

Photo credit: theteachingaunt.com

The orange paper pasting activity is a straightforward task for children. This collage activity requires children to cut the colored paper into small sections and paste them on an outline of an orange fruit. Doing this will improve their fine motor skills. 

Change the shapes of the orange paper to teach shapes. Use different basic shapes such as hearts, circles, rectangles, triangles, diamonds, and stars. This will help children identify the shapes. 

Outline an orange fruit on white construction paper. Take an orange piece of paper and have the children cut it into strips. Next, cut the strips into smaller pieces and paste them onto the fruit. Let this dry. 

Use this activity to discover the orange fruit. If possible, show children a real fruit to observe. Let them touch, smell, and look at the fruit. Ask children about their observations. 

Peel the fruit and let the children continue to observe. Ask children what they see after peeling the fruit. 

For this activity, you will need: 

  • Construction paper 
  • Marker 
  • Glue 
  • Scissors 

For more information on this activity, go to TheTeachingAunt.com.

Science | Letter Recognition | Fine Motor

8. O Is for Ox

This ox craft is a very creative take on turning letters into animals to provide a visual representation and will lead to children strongly associating the letter with a picture. 

Making this craft requires children to cut different shapes of pieces that will form the ox. This will provide a challenge to their cutting skills. Aside from learning about the letter O, use this craft to learn more about the ox. 

Discuss what the ox eats, its habitat, and its unique characteristics. Use pictures or videos for children who are not familiar with the animal. 

Download and print the free letter O and ox template from the site. On the template are instructions on what color of paper to use for the different pieces. Cut out the pieces and trace them onto the colored paper. Cut these out and assemble them. 

Glue the bear, hair, and face. Add the horns and googly eyes. Complete the craft by drawing a mouth and nostrils using a black marker. 

For this activity, you will need: 

  • Printed letter O and ox template 
  • Printer paper
  • Cardstock 
  • Marker 
  • Googly eyes 
  • Scissors
  • Glue 

For more information on this activity, go to Blog.AllAboutLearningPress.com.

Phonemic Awareness | Fine Motor | Oral Language

9. Letter O Beginning Sound Coloring

This worksheet teaches children which words begin with the letter O by having children identify the picture and its beginning sound. This activity sheet is an excellent practice for children’s phonemic awareness skills. 

It also helps improve their auditory discrimination skills as they say the sounds and find the pictures with the similar sound of the letter O. As they color the pictures, their fine motor skills will also improve. 

Download the activity sheet from the site. Explain the task to the children. Have the children name each of the pictures. Provide the answer if they need to learn what it is. 

Next, say the sound of the letter O and have children find which pictures have the same beginning sound. Give children a crayon or marker and have them color the correct pictures. 

Extend the activity by asking children to use different objects they can think of with the same sound. They can also explore their names. Ask them to find the names of classmates and friends with the letter O sound. 

For this activity, you will need: 

  • Printed activity sheet
  • Crayons or markers 

For more information on this activity, go to EducationOutside.org.

Sensory Motor | Art | Following Instructions

10. Citrus Printing Process Art

Photo credit: rhythmsofplay.com

This process art activity teaches children to be creative and learn the letter O simultaneously. Show children that the citrus print looks like the letter O. Using different citrus fruits provides a unique pattern and design to children’s artwork. 

Their fine motor skills will also improve as they grab and press the fruit on paper. This activity also provides a sensory experience for children. They will be able to smell the citrus fruit’s scents while allowing for a tactile sensation when stamping. 

The site provides three ways to prepare the fruits for stamping. Each of these will have a different effect on the children’s artwork. The first option is to cut the fruit in half and use it as is. 

The second is to lightly squeeze the fruit to remove some of the juice before using. The third is to scoop out the juice sacs from each segment, leaving just the rind and the walls and making them hollow.  

Place some paint on the paper plate. Let children hold the fruit and dip it in the paint. Allow children to press down the fruit on the paper carefully. Repeat the process until the paper is covered with colorful prints. 

For this activity, you will need: 

  • Citrus fruits 
  • Paint 
  • Paintbrush
  • Paper plate
  • Painting paper 

For more information on this activity, go to RhythmsOfPlay.com.

Conclusion 

Letters can be learned better through activities that stimulate children’s sensory skills. Consider making or doing these crafts and activities to provide added learning and fun for children while improving their letter recognition skills. 

These letter O activities can be tailored to fit the children’s abilities and can be incorporated with other lessons to provide a meaningful experience to children. 

Thank you for reading!



Hi, I'm Amanda! Welcome to Education Outside! Im passionate about educating young minds and helping parents/teachers by providing easy and effective teaching resources. Check out all of my teaching resources on my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

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