Bird Crafts With Movable Wings

For children, watching birds fly can be fascinating. Help them to create their own craft bird with movable wings to teach them about birds and how they fly. Bird crafts can be made in a variety of ways with a selection of different materials. Choose a bird made of paper for a quick project or choose a more durable material for a longer lasting bird toy that your child can play with both inside and outside.

Use the Japanese art of origami to fold a square piece of paper into a bird that has flapping wings. This craft is best for older children who have folding and cutting skills and are able to follow clear directions. Similar to folding a paper airplane, an origami bird with flapping wings is created through a specific set of folds. The completed bird does not fly like a paper airline; however, when the tail of the paper bird is pulled, the wings of the bird flap up and down.

Create a bird puppet with children of any age. This craft allows children to move the wings of the birds with their hands. Use a large sock as the body of the bird, glue on googly eyes and craft a beak and wings from paper. Glue all of the pieces onto the sock in the appropriate spots. Attach the wings -- only at the top edges -- with glue. When you place your hand in the sock and move the sock up and down, the wings will flap up and down.

Nothing causes movement like wind. Consider crafting a hanging bird to place outside. When a gust of wind comes along, the wings will flutter. Use cardstock, plastic or cardboard to draw the profile of a bird. Cut the bird out and cut a slit in the body of the bird. Fold tissue paper accordian style and place the tissue paper through the slit on the body of the bird to act as wings. Hang your bird craft outside and watch as the wind moves the wings.

Consider crafting a propeller bird on a stick for kids who are full of energy. This craft is made by cutting out a bird shape from cardboard and punching a hole in the cardboard. One end of a string is then tied onto a long dowel and the other is attached to the cardboard bird through the hole. Use plastic from a food container to cut out a strip of plastic, and place a thumb tack in the center of the strip and through one end of a cork. Cut a slit into the other end of the cork and slide the tail of the bird into the cork. Hold the contraption by the dowel and run around to watch the wings rotate in circles.