Some kids are absolutely obsessed with snakes. The long winding body, the flickering tongue, the incredible patterns and colours. Snakes are genuinely fascinating creatures and they make the most brilliant subject for kids crafts.
And here is the thing about snake crafts. They are so easy to make.
The long simple body shape means even the youngest crafters can create something that looks really impressive with very little effort. Every material works for snakes. Paper, fabric, clay, paint, recycled materials. All of it comes together beautifully in snake form.
If you have been creating gorgeous summer artwork lately, go check out 35 Summer Art Projects for Kids That Deserve a Spot on the Fridge because those projects pair so perfectly with snake crafts for a full creative day that produces a really stunning collection of artwork.
So let us get into these 19 snake craft ideas that kids will genuinely think are super cool.
1. Paper Plate Spiral Snake
Draw a spiral line from the outside edge of a paper plate all the way to the centre. Cut along the spiral line carefully. Decorate with scale patterns, stripes, and spots using paint or markers. Add a forked tongue cut from red paper at the narrow centre end.
Paper plate spiral snakes are one of those crafts that look incredibly impressive for such a simple technique.
When you hold the narrow end and let the spiral hang down it creates a beautifully realistic dangling snake that kids absolutely love. Hang them from the ceiling at different heights for a genuinely dramatic display that always gets a reaction from anyone who walks into the room.
For more wonderful spiral and hanging craft ideas that create this kind of dramatic display effect, go explore 29 Farm Animal Craft Ideas That Bring the Barnyard to Life because those projects create equally impressive and eye catching display pieces that look amazing grouped together.
2. Toilet Roll Snake
Connect several toilet paper rolls together in a line using split pins or string threaded through holes in each end. Paint each section a different colour or pattern. Add a head at one end with googly eyes and a forked tongue.
Toilet roll snakes are wonderfully long and satisfying to make.
The jointed sections give the finished snake a realistic wriggling movement that kids find completely irresistible. Make them as long as possible by collecting tubes over several weeks before the craft session.
The longer the snake the more impressive the result and kids always want to make theirs the longest one possible.
3. Sock Snake
Fill a long sock with rice, sand, or stuffing. Tie off sections with rubber bands or string to create a segmented body. Add button eyes, felt features, and a forked felt tongue to the toe end.
Sock snakes are wonderfully tactile and satisfying to hold and squeeze.
The weight of the filling gives them a realistic feel that kids love. Use brightly patterned socks for an instantly colourful result without any painting needed.
Kids carry their sock snakes around, drape them over their shoulders, and incorporate them into imaginative play for weeks after the craft session is finished.
Go check out 31 Dinosaur Craft Ideas for Kids That Feel Roarsome for more wonderful stuffed and tactile creature craft ideas that kids love making and playing with long after the craft session is done.
4. Painted Rock Snake
Collect a long line of smooth oval pebbles in graduating sizes from large to small. Paint each one with scale patterns in bright colours. Arrange them in a winding snake shape on a piece of wood or card and glue them down.
Painted rock snakes look absolutely stunning as display pieces.
The natural weight and texture of real stones gives the finished snake a really satisfying permanent quality. Use metallic gold and copper paint alongside bright colours for a particularly striking result.
These look gorgeous displayed in a garden border, on a shelf, or as a centrepiece on a nature table.
5. Paper Chain Snake
Cut strips of coloured paper. Link them together into a chain by gluing each strip into a loop that passes through the previous one. Add a head cut from card at one end with googly eyes and a tongue.
Paper chain snakes are quick, colourful, and endlessly extendable.
Kids can keep adding links to make their snake longer and longer throughout a whole afternoon. Use alternating colours for a striped effect or random colours for a more playful rainbow snake.
The flexible chain body moves and drapes beautifully which gives paper chain snakes a surprisingly realistic quality.
For more wonderful paper chain and linking craft ideas that kids find completely absorbing, go check out 27 Zoo Animal Craft Ideas for Kids That Spark Creativity because those projects use that same simple paper linking technique to create an impressive range of beautiful animal crafts.
6. Clay Coiled Snake
Roll a long sausage of air dry clay. Coil it into a resting snake position with the head raised. Press scale patterns into the surface using a toothpick or a fork. Paint once dry and seal with varnish.
Clay coiled snakes look genuinely professional and kids are always really proud of them.
The coiling and raising of the head requires real thought and spatial planning that builds fine motor skills and three dimensional thinking simultaneously.
The scale pressing step is wonderfully tactile and meditative. Finished clay snakes make beautiful desk ornaments and garden decorations that last for a very long time.
7. Handprint Snake
Paint a child’s arm from elbow to fingertips in snake colours. Press the arm and hand onto a large piece of paper. The arm becomes the body and the fingers spread naturally to create a head shape.
Arm print snakes are one of the most original and unexpected handprint craft variations.
The length of the arm creates a beautifully proportioned snake body that looks really striking. Add details like scales, eyes, and a tongue with a fine brush once the print is dry.
These make really impressive keepsake artworks that capture exactly how small a child’s arm was at a particular age.
Go take a look at 23 Fish Craft Ideas for Kids That Are Perfect for Ocean Themes for more wonderful arm and hand print craft ideas that use the body as a creative tool in this same clever and charming way.
8. Egg Carton Snake
Cut egg carton cups apart and string them together through holes punched in each cup. Paint each cup with scale patterns. Add a decorated head at the front with googly eyes and a forked tongue.
Egg carton snakes have a wonderful bumpy three dimensional texture that looks really interesting.
The individual cups create natural scale like segments that suit the snake form brilliantly.
These look great hanging from a string or displayed on a surface where the three dimensional quality of each cup can be fully appreciated. Make them in different colour schemes for a whole family of egg carton snakes.
9. Fabric Snake Draft Excluder
Sew or glue a long tube from patterned fabric. Fill with rice, dried beans, or stuffing. Sew the ends closed and add a head with button eyes and a felt tongue at one end.
Fabric snake draft excluders are genuinely useful as well as brilliant to make.
Kids love the idea that their craft creation has a real practical purpose in the home. Place it at the bottom of a draughty door and the snake becomes a permanent member of the household.
Use brightly patterned fabric remnants for a really colourful and cheerful result that looks great in any room.
For more wonderful practical craft ideas that kids love making because the finished result is genuinely useful, go explore 19 Rainbow Crafts for Kids That Brighten Any Rainy Day because those projects combine beautiful making with practical and decorative results that brighten up any space.
10. Newspaper Snake
Roll sheets of newspaper into a long tight tube. Tape along the length to secure. Bend and curve the tube into a snake shape and tape in place. Cover with papier mache. Paint and seal once dry.
Newspaper snakes can be made as long and as dramatic as you like.
The papier mache covering creates a smooth paintable surface that takes colour really well. Drape the finished snake in a natural looking coil or stretch it out to show its full length.
The lightweight nature of newspaper means even very long snakes can be hung as wall decorations without any difficulty.
11. Beaded Snake
Thread large beads onto a pipe cleaner or a thick piece of wire. Bend the beaded length into a snake shape. Twist the wire at the head end to create a raised head shape and add googly eyes.
Beaded snakes are wonderfully tactile and the finished result looks really colourful and charming.
The threading process builds fine motor skills and hand eye coordination in the most natural and enjoyable way.
Use beads in a specific colour pattern for a striped snake or mix colours randomly for a more playful and eclectic result. Kids love wearing their finished beaded snakes as bracelets before putting them on display.
Go check out 21 One Year Old Activities That Keep Tiny Hands Busy for Hours for more wonderful threading and beading activities that build these same fine motor skills in young children through simple and satisfying hands on play.
12. Origami Snake
Fold a long strip of paper in a continuous zigzag fold to create an accordion body. Add a triangular head folded from a separate piece. Attach the head and add details with markers.
Origami snakes are brilliant for older kids who love the precision and patience of paper folding.
The accordion body creates a beautifully flexible snake that springs and bounces when touched. Use patterned origami paper for an instant scale effect that requires no additional decoration.
The finished origami snake looks remarkably realistic and kids who make them are always really proud of the skill involved.
13. Sponge Painted Snake
Cut a snake shape from thick card. Use sponges cut into scale shapes to stamp overlapping scale patterns across the whole body. Layer colours for a beautifully complex scale effect.
Sponge printed scale patterns are incredibly satisfying to create and the result always looks really professional.
The overlapping of different sized scale stamps in multiple colours creates a depth and complexity that looks far more difficult than the simple stamping technique involved. Display the finished snake on a wall or cut it out and attach it to a stick for a brilliant snake puppet that kids love using in imaginative play.
For more wonderful sponge printing and stamping techniques that produce results this impressive, go check out 17 Caterpillar Craft Ideas That Are Almost Too Cute to Make because those projects use the same satisfying printing techniques to create equally beautiful and charming results.
14. Spiral Paper Snake
Cut a very long strip of paper and decorate it with scale patterns, stripes, or spots. Curl the strip loosely around a pencil and then release it to create a beautiful spiralling snake body. Add a head cut from card.
Spiral paper snakes are wonderfully springy and dynamic.
The coiled spring quality of the body makes them feel alive and bouncy in a way that flat paper crafts never do. Hang them from a string so they twist and turn in air currents for a really beautiful kinetic effect.
Make several in different colours and hang them together as a stunning group mobile.
15. Painted Sock Puppet Snake
Pull a long sock over your hand and arm. Use fabric paint to add scale patterns, eyes, and markings directly onto the sock. Let dry completely. Add a forked felt tongue inside the mouth opening at the toe end.
Sock puppet snakes are brilliant for combining craft making with imaginative play and storytelling.
Once the snake puppet is made kids immediately start creating snake stories and adventures. The sock puppet format means the snake moves and talks in a really expressive way that kids find completely captivating.
Use the puppet to learn about real snakes. Where they live, what they eat, and how they move.
Go explore 29 Fun Sleepover Activities Your Kids Will Never Forget for more wonderful puppet and storytelling activity ideas that turn craft making into extended imaginative play that keeps kids entertained long after the making is finished.
16. Snake Weaving
Draw a simple snake outline on a piece of card. Cut slots across the body of the snake. Weave strips of coloured paper or wool over and under through the slots to fill the snake body with colour and pattern.
Woven snake bodies have a really beautiful textile quality that looks genuinely impressive.
The over under rhythm of weaving is calming and meditative while also requiring enough focus to keep kids properly engaged.
Use colours that complement each other for an elegant result or bold contrasting colours for something more dramatic and striking.
Every woven snake looks unique and kids are always really proud of the patience and skill involved.
17. Bottle Cap Snake
Collect a long line of bottle caps. Paint each one with scale patterns in bright colours. Glue them together in a winding line on a piece of wood or thick card. Add a painted head at one end.
Bottle cap snakes are one of those wonderful recycled material crafts that looks far more impressive than the humble materials suggest.
The round caps create beautifully even scale segments that suit the snake form perfectly. Use metallic paint on alternating caps for a really striking two tone effect.
These make gorgeous wall decorations and they are a brilliant conversation starter because people always want to know what they are made from when they first see them.
For more wonderful recycled material craft ideas that produce results this impressive and unexpected, go check out 8 Learning Activities for 3 Year Olds That Feel Like Playtime for more brilliant creative making activities that use everyday materials in the most imaginative and beautiful ways.
18. Giant Collaborative Snake
Give each child in a group a section of a very long snake body to decorate however they like. Join all the sections together to create one enormous snake that belongs to the whole group.
Giant collaborative snakes are brilliant for classrooms, playgroups, and party craft activities.
Each child contributes their own unique section and then sees it become part of something much bigger and more impressive than they could have created alone. The variety of decorating styles across the different sections makes the finished snake look wonderfully eclectic and full of personality and individual creative expression.
Go take a look at 25 Learning Activities for 3 Year Olds That Feel Like Playtime for more brilliant collaborative and group creative activity ideas that celebrate individual contributions within a shared and beautiful collective result.
19. Snake Bookmark
Cut a long thin snake shape from thick green or brown card. Add scale patterns, a face, and a forked tongue at the head end. Laminate for durability or leave plain for a softer feel.
Snake bookmarks are the perfect quick craft for kids who love reading and love snakes equally.
They are practical, personal, and completely charming. Kids love using a bookmark they made themselves and the snake form means it can poke its tongue out cheekily from the top of any book.
Make a set of different snake species in different colours as a complete collection that any young herpetologist would absolutely love.
Final Thoughts
Snake crafts are genuinely one of those topics where the results always look cooler than kids expect.
The long fluid body shape translates beautifully into so many different materials and techniques. And kids who love snakes are always so proud to have made their own version of their favourite creature. Every snake on this list is different enough that you could make several without any repetition feeling tedious.
So pick your favourite techniques, gather your materials, and get ready to make some seriously cool snakes that kids will want to show absolutely everyone they know.
And when you are ready for even more brilliant creature craft ideas that kids find just as exciting and satisfying to make, go check out 35 Minute to Win It Games for Kids That Bring Instant Laughter because mixing fast paced silly games with calm creative craft sessions is honestly the perfect recipe for a brilliantly happy and well balanced day with kids.
