If your bouncy toddler wants to dress up as a frog, grab a few craft supplies and get to work! Make a quick frog costume by gluing felt frog eyes to a headband and then adding webbed feet that the child can carry in their hands. Dress the kid up in green clothes, apply some face paint, and have fun watching your little frog hopping around.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Make a Frog Headband
Step 1. Choose a green headband
You can wear any shade of green, but make sure the headband is comfortable or the child won't want to wear it. If you can't find a green headband, consider wrapping a green ribbon around a black headband and fixing it with glue.
Use a sturdy, non-fabric headband. The flexible headbands are too slippery and will not support felt frog eyes. Instead, use a plastic or metal headband
Step 2. Cut 2 pieces of green felt into an 8 shape
Draw 2 connected circles on each piece of green felt. Each circle should be about 3 inches in diameter and should touch on one side. Then cut out the circles, but keep them connected where they meet. Repeat the procedure with the other piece of fabric.
The center of the piece where the circles meet should be about 2 inches (5.1 cm) wide
Step 3. Apply hot glue to each piece of felt and fold them over the headband
Carefully apply hot glue to a circle on each piece of felt. Place the top of the headband in the center of the felt piece and fold one circle so that it lines up with the other. Press the circles so that the glue sets them.
Remember to place each piece of felt slightly to the sides of the headband, as these will form the frog's eyes
Step 4. Create two white eyeballs to stick on each green eye
Cut out two 1 inch (2.5 cm) diameter circles from white felt. You will also need to cut out two small black dots that will make up the pupils of the eyes. Hot glue them in the center of each white circle before gluing each eyeball onto the green eyes.
- If you don't want to use hot glue, use textile glue and let the pieces dry completely.
- To recreate René the frog's eyes, glue a thin rectangle of black felt directly over each pupil.
Variation:
Instead of using black felt for the pupils, you can glue black buttons over the white felt circles.
Method 2 of 3: Create Webbed Feet to Cover Hands
Step 1. Trace two webbed feet on an orange felt
Have the child place their hands on the felt and use a pencil or chalk to trace around the fingers. Next, draw a small curved line between each of the knuckles to create the webbed effect.
- The chalk or pencil will not be visible once you cut the felt.
- If you don't want to go orange, try a dark green shade.
Step 2. Cut out the webbed feet and use them to trace two more pieces of felt
Remember to cut along the webbed line drawn between your fingers. Then place the cut pieces on a piece of green felt. Trace around the cut pieces, but add an extra 1⁄4 inch (0.62 cm) to create a border for the legs.
Step 3. Cut out the bottom pieces of felt and leave cloth to cover the dolls
Cut along the drawn line, but don't cut horizontally across the wrists. Instead, cut 2-3 inches from your wrists. This will create a small square of fabric that will be attached to the shirt sleeves.
Tip:
If you don't want to attach the felt legs to the sleeves of a shirt, consider taping them onto a pair of child-friendly gloves.
Step 4. Glue the orange felt onto the green felt
Apply the textile glue or hot glue to the orange felt pieces and place them directly on the green felt pieces. Press them into place and let them dry well.
Be careful when working with the hot glue because it can burn your skin easily
Step 5. Sew or glue the felt legs onto the sleeves of a green shirt
Find a long-sleeved shirt and tuck the wrists of the webbed feet into the tips of the sleeves. Then sew or glue the green felt for the legs onto the sleeves.
When the child puts on his shirt and puts his arms through the sleeves, the felt legs should cover his hands
Method 3 of 3: Putting the Costume Together
Step 1. Have the child put on a pair of pants and a green shirt
Have the child wear the shirt with the webbed feet attached to the sleeves and green pants. If the shirt has a design or image printed on it, cut a circular piece of green or white felt and glue it to the front of the shirt. This will hide the original design and will look like a frog's belly.
For an adorable frog, you can wear a green dress instead of your shirt and pants
Variation:
If you are making a frog costume for a baby, wear a green jumpsuit and instead of wearing a headband, glue the felt frog eyes onto a green hat that fits the baby.
Step 2. Give the child a mask if he doesn't want to wear a frog headband
Some kids don't like the feel of wearing a headband, so you may want to make a mask as an alternative. For example, you can cut a green felt mask and tie it around the head with a piece of ribbon. For a mask that can be held in front of the face, paint a green paper plate and cut holes for the eyes. Draw or paint a mouth and nose along with any spots the frog may have.
To make it easier to hold the paper mask on, glue a popsicle or toothpick to the back of the paper plate
Step 3. Spread green paint on the child's face and add some spots
You can use green makeup or face paint to cover your face. If you want the frog to look realistic, wear different shades of green around the eyes, chin, and cheeks. Then use black or dark green makeup or face paint to add a few smudges or dots on the cheeks. Make the stains the size you prefer.
Depending on the type of frog, you may want to highlight the cheeks or eyes with a bright yellow
Step 4. Add a green tutu or crown
Make your frog feel very special by putting a fluffy green tutu around his waist. To have a frog prince or princess, glue a small yellow crown to the top of the headband and let it carry a small scepter.
Sometimes kids like to rummage through the costume drawer. Don't be surprised if your little frog also wants to carry a sword, a medicine cabinet, or a fishing pole, for example
Advice
- Experiment with different colors to get different types of frogs.
- If you want your child to have sun protection, glue the felt eyes to the top of a green baseball cap.