Elmer Elephant Milk Bottle Craft

Now we’re a bit more into a ‘lockdown’ routine (including homeschool), I’ve managed to carve out more time and energy to do more craft activities with my 3, which actually we all love. Yesterday we had a go at an Elmer Elephant milk bottle craft, making the colourful elephant character out of large plastic milk bottles (although you could use any size to be honest). I’d seen this this activity over on a Facebook ‘lockdown’ group, but thought I’d share how to do it over here on the blog, although it’s dead easy to be honest!

Why Elmer Elephant Crafts Are Great for Kids

Elmer the Elephant crafts provide your little ones with both something bright and cheerful craft-wise to get involved with, as well as having substantial educational benefits. Elmer is a well-loved character in children’s books who provides an entertaining method to teach young readers vital life lessons. Children subliminally explore diversity and individuality themes, while participating in Elmer the Elephant activities, which help to honour personal uniqueness through Elmer’s gorgeous, distinct patchwork colours. Kids develop their creative abilities and fine motor skills when they make their own Elmer character from recycled milk bottles, while using their imagination. Educational crafts for young children can also teach eco-conscious behaviours through using and upcycling household materials – such as plastic milk bottles! This fun, preschool elephant craft serves as an enjoyable activity for parents, caregivers, and teachers, to blend storytelling with sustainable practices and creative expression. Let’s begin!

You will need…

• 1 (or more) empty and clean plastic milk bottle containers
• Scissors
• Brightly coloured tissue paper cut into equal size and shape squares
• PVA glue and glue spreader
• Black pen
• Googly eyes

Instructions…

Stand the milk jug up, and draw around the top half to just below where the handle finishes (the handle will be the trunk), including an ‘arch’ on either side to cut out to form ‘legs’ for your elephant. and cut into it just below the handle. This will form the elephant’s trunk. Then cut off the entire bottom half of the milk bottle. 

Using an Elmer picture book that we had, we talked about how the square pattern went on his body and that there should be no gaps. My 7 year old was very adept at forming the patchwork pattern for herself and gluing the tissue paper squares on, where as my two year old was definitely from the school of ‘more is more’!

He’s good with his colours now, but this was a great activity for reinforcing them, and also talking about the ‘square’ shape for shape recognition. 

Once the bottle was completely covered, including the trunk, we stuck the googly eyes on, and left our elephants to dry.

Such a fun activity, with lots of scope for playing with them afterwards, and led to conversations about where elephants lived etc etc.

So here you go, 3 Elmer Elephants!

I think we might use some little milk bottles and add some baby Elmers to the family!

Add Learning Extensions

The Elmer the Elephant milk bottle craft opens up multiple opportunities to deepen learning beyond the craft table. The Elmer activity ideas provide methods to strengthen essential concepts while maintaining student interest. Read the original Elmer book by David McKee first and then discuss how differences contribute to diversity, and why they should be appreciated, while highlighting themes of acceptance, self-worth, and community.

To connect crafts to early maths learning, introduce children to colour-matching activities and pattern recognition exercises. Ask children to form a colour pattern on Elmer’s body, or organise coloured paper scraps prior to decorating. Educators and homeschooling parents could integrate Elmer lesson plans into extended topics about emotional intelligence and compassionate storytelling. Through stimulating craft activities based on Elmer, little ones can develop fundamental skills AND use the experience as a basis for meaningful discussions and advances their emotional and fine motor skills.

See some of my other crafts and activities for children

Becky

Meet the award-nominated UK lifestyle blogger behind Spirited Puddle Jumper – a mum of three living in South East London! Becky shares the real ups and downs of family life, parenting tips, and lifestyle inspiration, proving that being a mum doesn’t mean you stop being fun or having other interests! Follow along for honest insights into UK family life and opinions on a whole range of topics, from travel and food, to beauty reviews, home and DIY, business and health and wellness.