Flapping Bat Craft
This flapping bat craft is SO COOL and it’s really easy to make! The perfect craft for fall and Halloween, this simple paper bat flaps its wings with the help of plastic drinking straws. It’s such a fun STEM activity!
Flying Bat Craft
We had so much fun making our flapping butterfly craft this summer, we knew we had to try it with bats! And we’re so glad we did because this flapping bat craft is so much fun!
It’s a fun craft for Halloween, or really for any time of year. You can easily use these bats as a fun storytime prop or as part of a lesson.
Older kids and adults might have to cut and tape the straws, but this is a fun interactive craft for all ages. Make these bats with supplies from the dollar store, and decorate them for a fun Halloween art project!
Check out our Flapping Bat Craft video tutorial:
*Note: Scroll down for the step-by-step photo tutorial.
Looking for more bat themed crafts? Here’s some of our favourites:
Here’s what you’ll need:
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The full printable instructions are at the end of this post, but here’s a list of products on Amazon and Target that are similar to the supplies we used:
- Bat template
- Black cardstock
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Tacky glue
- Plastic straw (smaller)
- Plastic straw (larger)
- Scotch tape
- Googly eyes
- Glue tape
Where can I get a bat template?
We have 6 different bat outlines for you to choose from! We used the large #4 bat template for our flapping bat craft.
What type of straws do I need?
You need 2 different sizes of straws, one with a larger diameter. However, the difference in size doesn’t have to be large – ours only have a 1 millimeter size difference between them.
You can buy a smoothie straw for the larger straw if you want to make sure one straw is bigger than the other.
How to Make a Flapping Bat
Materials:
- Bat template(see tips section for link)
- Black cardstock
- Tacky glue
- Plastic straw(smaller)
- Plastic straw(larger)
- Tape
- Glue tape
- Googly eyes(6 mm size)
Instructions:
Step 1: Cut out the bat
- Print out a free bat template and cut it out. (See Tips section below for link)
- Trace the bat onto black cardstock.
- Cut out the bat.
Step 2: Add backing to the bat
- Measure a rectangle that’s 1 by 4 inches and then cut it out.
- Measure and make a mark about 1/2 inch in on both ends of the rectangle.
- Fold the rectangle in half, and then fold the two ends down where marked.
- Fold the bat in half, then open it up again.
- Add tacky glue to the tabs of the folded rectangle.
- Attach the tabs to the center of the bat, lining up the crease in the bat with the tabs and the fold.
Step 3: Cut the straws
- On the smaller straw, cut a slit 2 inches long.
- Rotate the straw 180 degrees and cut another 2 inch slit, directly across from the first.
- Cut off the bendy part from the larger straw (or about 2 inches).
- Cut a 3 inch slit in this straw, again rotating it 180 degrees before making another 3 inch cut.
Step 4: Tape straws to back of bat
- Open the two flaps of the smaller straw and slide it over the folded backing of the bat. Center it and tape it into place on both sides.
- Fold the bat in half and slide the larger straw over the smaller straw, pushing the straw flaps up as far as they will go.
- Attach a long piece of tape vertically to one flap of the larger straw, but don’t fully press down the tape yet.
- Attach a smaller piece of tape horizontally behind the straw.Wrap this piece of tape around the straw and the first piece of tape, allowing the straw to move freely away from the wing.
- Repeat the taping process on the other wing.
Step 5: Add bat eyes
- Use glue tape on the back of two googly eyes.
- Attach the eyes to either side of the bat head.
- Hold the smaller straw with one hand, and with the other hand move the larger straw up and down. Marvel at how the bat can flap its wings!Your flapping bat craft is complete!
Helpful Tip:
How can I decorate my flapping bat?
You could use glitter cardstock or paint on regular cardstock with glow in the dark paint. You can also use white cardstock and then colour it with markers or paint pens. Glitter, stickers, pom poms, or sequins would all be fun additions to the bat.
For an extra spooky Halloween touch, cut out little vampire fangs from a craft foam sheet and use coloured googly eyes.
Kids will love playing with this creative craft and watching it flap its wings like a real bat! It’s so fun to see kids interact with the crafts they’ve made.
Here’s even more fun bat craft ideas:
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books- A- Million | Indiebound | Indigo | Amazon Canada
