Cardboard Tube Hippo Craft

This hippo craft made with a cardboard tube and a few other simple materials will be loved by your little ones. Toddlers and preschoolers are going to have a blast making it and playing with it, trust me! Scroll down below for the instructions and the free Hippo Template we made for you!

hippo craft


If you've ever taken your kids to a zoo or watched a wildlife documentary with them you probably know how crazy kids go for the huge hippopotamus! And you can't really blame them. Although huge in size, there's something really cute about hippos!

This hippo craft is easy to make using our hippo template and young children love playing with crafts like this once they have made them. Make several and you can have a whole family of hippos.

We have made several cardboard tube crafts of different animals holding hearts. If you want to try making some other cardboard tube animals check out our unicorn cardboard tube craftbear cardboard tube craft (one of my personal faves!), monkey cardboard tube craft or our penguin cardboard tube craft.

Our toilet paper roll peacock craft is pretty cute too! 

All of these crafts are guaranteed to make your kids have so much fun. They'll love it. And how can they not? These little animals are cuteness overload!

Scroll down for your free hippo template and for full instructions to make your hippo craft.

hippo cardboard tube craft

Cardboard Tube Hippo Craft


Hippo Craft Supplies:


  • Hippo template and eyes page (printed onto paper or a thin cardboard piece)
  • Grey paint
  • Glue
  • Scissors 

How to make your own Hippo Craft


STEP 1: Prepare your materials


Gather all of your supplies and have them nearby. Print out your hippo template and the eyes. You can find the printable templates at the bottom of this page.

cardboard tube craft supplies

STEP 2: Create your hippo's body


Paint the cardboard tube with grey paint until all of it is covered. Check if you missed any spots! Leave to dry.

cardboard tube hippo craft

STEP 3: Colour your hippo


Grab your hippo template and colour the hippo. You can use markers, crayons or paint.

hippo craft printable template

Cut out and save the pieces.

printable hippo template

STEP 4: Put your hippo together


Once the paint on your cardboard tube has dried you are ready to put your hippo together. Grab your hippo pieces and glue them to the cardboard tube (as shown in the image below).

cardboard tube hippo craft for kids

Glue the eyes to complete this easy and fun craft project! And there you have it, a super cardboard tube cute hippo craft!

hippo cardboard tube craft for kids


DOWNLOAD YOUR PRINTABLE HIPPO TEMPLATE BELOWTo download the printable hippo template for free click on the link below and use the discount code: hippo.  For personal or classroom use only. Not for redistribution. All images are copyrighted. Thank you.

printable hippo template

The great thing about this hippo craft is how simple it is. The printable hippo template makes it so much easier for kids to work on their little hippos in a frustration-free way. We hope you enjoyed making this cute cardboard tube craft following our step by step tutorial. A super easy-peasy craft that your hippo-lovers preschoolers will love!

An easy cardboard tube craft with printable hippo template to make a hippo craft for kids


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