Soccer Ball Craft Projects for Toddlers

Whether your tot is a budding soccer star, or is just learning to kick the ball around, a fun craft can excite him about the sport and get the creativity flowing. As an added bonus, you might even be able to sneak a little learning into playtime with these fun soccer-themed activities. Be sure to have your shin guards and cleats handy, because your little one may want to take to the field after learning about this fun sport.

Help your toddler make his own soccer ball decoration to hang on the wall. All you need is a paper plate, construction paper, glue sticks and child safety scissors. Assist your child in cutting out the patches for the ball. Traditional soccer balls have black pentagon shapes on them, but who says they can’t be pink circles or green triangles? Use this activity to teach about shapes and colors. After you have cut out the shapes, have your toddler glue them on the back of the plate. If you can brave the mess, let your tot try his hand at painting the spots on the plates instead.

Satisfy your little one’s sweet tooth by making soccer ball cookies. Whip up a batch of sugar cookies, roll the dough out flat and cut out cookies using a round cutter. After the cookies have cooled, help your toddler use a butter knife or spatula to frost them with white icing. Add black shapes and lines to make it look like a real soccer ball, using a piping bag. No worries if you don’t have an icing bag; simply scoop your icing into a sandwich baggie and cut the tip of the corner off. As you squeeze the bag, the frosting will come through the tip of the bag in a fine point, making it easier to add detail to the cookie. Spark creative thinking in the decorating; try Pull and Peel Twizzlers or pretzel sticks for the lines and Mini Oreos, M&Ms, or chocolate chips for the spots.

Many kids love to play with play dough. Start with some white play dough and show your child how to roll the dough between her hands into a ball. Give her black or colored play dough to make the spots for the soccer balls. Ask your kiddo to make soccer balls of different sizes and colors, and you can even set up a goal on the table using two play dough canisters or cups. Take turns making goals by rolling the balls across the table. Use this game as an opportunity to practice numbers by asking your tot to count how many goals are made.

To make this fun little ball, you will need two black balloons, one white balloon, a funnel, lentils or birdseed, and child-safety scissors. Start by stretching all of your balloons out. An easy way to do this is to blow them up and let the air out. Place the funnel in the neck of a black balloon and fill with the birdseed or lentils. Have your little one help by holding the funnel in the balloon while you pour, filling only to the neck of the balloon. Cut the neck off the filled balloon, being careful not to spill the seed. While those scissors are handy, cut the necks off the other two balloons as well. Take the remaining black balloon and stretch it over the filled balloon, making sure the opening goes to the back of the balloon to keep the seed from spilling out. Grab those scissors again and cut 5 or 6 holes in the white balloon, spacing them out evenly. When you stretch the balloon over the ball, the black will show through the holes you cut, making it look like a soccer ball. Your toddler now has a mini soccer ball to kick around.