This red building called a barn is a classic representation of farm life. It has inspired different books, stories, songs, and rhymes. Children are drawn into this bright and inviting structure, which houses different farm animals.
Take a look at our list of simple activities aimed to help children improve their different learning skills while having fun.
A fantastic material to frame or turn into a refrigerator magnet, this barn craft looks exactly like the real thing. It is easy to make, using only popsicle sticks, paints, and colored paper.
These materials are transformed into a work of art that can be displayed for everyone to look at and admire.
This craft is an excellent activity to help children develop their fine motor skills through painting, cutting, and pasting. It can also be used in teaching colors, shapes, and different lengths.
Use paint to cover the mini popsicle sticks and six regular-sized sticks in white. Paint the rest red.
Use colored papers to make the background blue for the sky and green for the ground. Have the children snip the green paper to create fringes representing the grass. This barn comes in two parts-the bottom and top part.
Make the bottom part of the barn by sticking together the regular-sized popsicle in the following order: two red, one white, five red, one white, and two red.
Stick two whites horizontally on the edges of the sticks. Stick the remaining two whites diagonally to complete the barn door.
Next, make the top part by cutting a red cardstock following the shape of the barn’s roof. Refer to the picture on site for this. Add the mini white popsicle sticks to the edges of the roof.
Cut a small black square and stick it on white paper. This part is the window. Cut this out, ensuring that the white creates a narrow border that will make the window stand out.
Glue this in the middle of the top part. Cut strips of brown paper and crumple them. Stick these on the window to make it look hay.
For this activity, you will need:
- Fifteen regular-sized popsicle sticks
- Four mini popsicle sticks
- Colored papers
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Cardstock
- Glue
- Scissors
For more information head over to Parents.com
This interactive paper plate barn has flaps for a door and window that can be opened to store items like cut-out pumpkins and leaves. For the farm theme, use animals like cows and chickens.
This activity will not only teach colors and farm-themed vocabulary but also help them learn to follow instructions by listening intently to an adult as steps and guides are given.
Start with outlining the barn on the paper plate and cut it out. Ensure that both paper plates are identical in shape.
One way to do this is to secure both paper plates with masking tape to hold them together as the child cuts through. Instruct the child to follow the line when cutting. Once finished, ask the child to paint red one of the paper plates.
Once the paint has dried, have an adult cut out the windows and doors using a craft knife. Fold the doors and windows to make the flaps.
Next, let the child glue the red paper plate on the white, ensuring only the edges are attached and not the whole plate. Let this dry. Finally, hide inside the doors the cut-out symbols of fall or farm animals.
For this activity, you will need:
- Paper plates
- Scissors
- Glue
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Cut out symbols of the fall season
- Craft knife
For more information head over to KidsActivitiesBlog.com
Easy is the magic word for this craft. It is as simple as printing the template, cutting the pieces, and gluing them together. Children can do this task on their own or with minimal help from an adult.
Customize this barn by printing the black and white version of the template. Have children use their favorite colors to personalize their work.
To make the barn, print out the free template from the site. Cut out the pieces and assemble them using glue.
Use this craft to talk about what the barn is for, where it can be found, and who uses a barn. If possible, show children a video clip of a barn to make better connections on what life is like in a place with a barn.
Point out facts like the actual barn is massive compared to their craft. It can also be loud when all animals are making sounds at the same time. It can be messy with all the hay used to feed the animals. Ask the children if they would like to live in a barn.
For this activity, you will need:
- Printed template of the barn
- Scissors
- Glue
For more information head over to SimpleMomProject.com
Here’s another interactive barn craft that children will love to make. This barn has huge door flaps that open to animals hiding inside.
Details such as trees and haystacks are added to make the scene authentic.
This craft will provide loads of enjoyment for children as they put together this picture-perfect farm scene.
Use this craft to teach children songs and rhymes such as “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep,” “The Farmer in the Dell,” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
This craft is also an excellent tool for teaching animal sounds.
Head to the site to print the templates for the barn and animals. Cut out the pieces and trace them onto colored paper, and cut. Another option is to color the parts using markers or crayons.
Once pieces are ready, cut the barn door in the middle to make the flaps. Use red paper to cover the inside of the barn door. Attach this on green paper.
Glue the window, tree, haystack, and animals. Allow the children to choose which animal will go inside the barn, except for the chicken, which belongs in the window.
For this activity, you will need:
- Printed templates for the barn and animals
- Construction paper
- Glue
- Scissors
For more information head over to AllKidsNetwork.com
Margaret Wise Brown’s book, “The Big Red Barn,” is one of the most popular books on the farm theme. The words are simple enough for young children to understand with the rhyming pattern that soothes the listener’s ears.
This barn craft pays homage to this classic tale that depicts farm life from sunrise to sundown. Use this craft to retell the story. As the animal is mentioned in the story, use the stick puppet to highlight the character.
Put together the barn by gluing two sets of four popsicle sticks horizontally. Make sure to add a space between the two sets. Next, glue two popsicle sticks on the top and bottom edges. These will hold the first two sets well.
Cut a roof from the red cardstock and glue it on the barn. Use the black marker to add a border on the roof.
To make the puppets, cut out the animals from the printed template provided on the site. Glue these on the popsicle sticks. Let these dry.
They are now ready for the puppet play!
For this activity, you will need:
- Colored popsicle sticks
- Printed template for the animal puppets
- Scissors
- Glue
- Crayon
- Sticky tape
- Red cardstock
- Black marker
For more information head over to TheOTToolbox.com
Look at this simple craft that goes well with the song “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” The simplicity of this project will enable young children to work independently or with minimal assistance from adults.
This activity is excellent for children to learn to follow instructions, develop eye-hand coordination, and will help improve their concentration as they complete the task.
Arrange the large popsicle sticks to form a house and glue them together. Once dry. Attach this on red cardstock. Use markers or crayons to add details and design to the barn.
Ask the children to add the raffia to the bottom of the barn. Give them the stickers to place on the barn.
Use this craft to talk about the farm animals in the barn and the sounds they make. Point to the animal on the craft and ask the children to identify the animal and the sound they make.
This craft can also be used for a counting activity. Ask the children to count the animals on their barn craft.
For this activity, you will need:
- Six large popsicle sticks
- Red cardstock
- Raffia
- Glue
- Crayons or markers
- Scissors
- Farm animal stickers
For more information head over to GluedToMyCrafts.com
This cute little barn is partnered with a windmill for a more realistic prop for stories and songs. The site provides a free template and a set of photos describing the step-by-step process.
Children will learn to cut smaller pieces and glue them together to do an adorable project.
Prepare the pieces for this craft by printing the template. Trace and cut out the pieces on the red and black cardstock. Use construction papers for the other details. Once everything is ready, assemble the barn and the windmill.
Glue the pieces that go together. Assist children in sticking smaller parts, such as the windows and the overlapping roof pieces. Once complete, let this dry before using it for play.
Use this craft to discuss the different animals that live in a barn. Talk about the colors of the barn and its parts, like doors and windows. Compare their size, colors, and other features to the windows and doors in the children’s houses.
For this activity, you will need:
- Printable barn template
- Red and black cardstock
- Construction papers
- Glue
- Scissors
- Pencil or pen
- Ruler
For more information head over to MyNourishedHome.com
Have you ever wondered what to do when there are not enough farm-themed toys to play with and share with other children? Or when the toys kept breaking, and there was no means to replace them?
Well, worry no more! This craft is the answer to both problems. This farm animal craft is easy to make using simple materials found at home or school. They are ready to play with in no time.
Use this craft to go with the book “Mrs. Wishy Washy’s Farm” by Joy Cowley. These animals can also be used for lessons on animal sounds.
Gather several toilet paper rolls and cut them in half. A craft knife may be used for this step. However, for children to complete this task independently, use scissors. Flatten the paper roll slightly and cut. Assist the children when necessary.
Next, use construction paper to cover the paper rolls. Use pink for the pig, yellow for the duck, white or brown for the cow, and white for the chicken.
Give the children markers to add details such as eyes and mouth. Googly eyes are options to make the eyes more appealing.
To make the barn, cut out red craft foam and use a craft knife to cut the window and the barn door. Attach this to a cereal box.
For this activity, you will need:
- Toilet paper rolls
- Construction papers
- Craft foam
- Markers
- Scissors
- Glue
For more information head over to InspiredByFamilyMag.com
Here’s another craft to go with the book “The Big Red Barn” by Margaret Wise Brown. It uses recyclable materials such as card envelopes and toilet paper rolls. This barn craft is an activity that targets the sensory skills of children.
Begin with painting the envelope red. Remember to open the flap. The triangular part of the envelope will serve as the barn’s roof.
Paint the toilet paper roll and egg carton cup red as well. Allow the paint to dry. Next, cut a square for the window and a rectangle for the barn door from construction paper.
Use the marker to add details to the door. Attach the window and door to the envelope. Glue the egg carton cup on top of the toilet paper roll to make the silo.
Attach this to the barn. Let the craft dry before playing. Use cut-out pictures of farm animals to play with the barn.
For this activity, you will need:
- Greeting card envelope
- Toilet paper roll
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Egg carton cup
- Markers
- Scissors
- Construction papers
- Glue
For more information head over to KidCreativeChaos.com
A craft to go with word study is excellent for children learning to read and write. The open barn flaps are a plus in keeping children excited and interested. These flaps open to an adorable surprise-a cute mouse.
Download and print the template from the site. This printable comes in two options- for a single craft and multiple crafts.
The single craft printable would require one page to print all the parts. Just cut and assemble. Each page has several identical pieces of the barn for multiple craft printables. This option is great when preparing for a group of children.
Once the template is printed, have the children cut, color, and assemble the barn. Use the ar word worksheets to practice reading. Have children read the word.
If the printed word belongs to the -ar family, cut and paste the word on the blank form. Older children, they may write or copy the word on the paper.
Reuse this same reading activity by not pasting the word cards on the blank form. Instead, add a small Ziploc bag to store the word cards at the back of the barn. Use this to review the -ar word family.
For this activity, you will need:
- Printable template and word cards
- Scissors
- Crayons
- Markers or pencils
- Glue
For more information head over to TeachersPayTeachers.com
Conclusion
On this list are ten wonderful barn crafts that can be modified to suit the learner’s needs. Children are encouraged to personalize their work by making them creative and reflective of their personalities.
This step is vital in helping children learn to make choices and decisions in simple tasks. In this process, they learn to build their identity as unique individuals.
Give these crafts a try. Thank you for reading!
