I love watching classical dance—whichever country it is from. There is something so soothing about those graceful movements, the poise, and the soft orchestral music. It really is one of my favorite calming activities to watch!
However, behind the tulle and the spotlight, I also deeply admire the dancers. We have all heard about how much hard work goes on behind the scenes for each performance. Training for professional ballet can start as early as 7 years old! It requires immense discipline, strength, and dedication to make something so difficult look so effortless.
With famous performances like Swan Lake and the holiday favorite The Nutcracker captivating audiences worldwide, ballet is a timeless theme that children adore. Whether your child is an aspiring dancer taking their first plié class or simply loves the pink and sparkly aesthetic, these crafts are the perfect way to celebrate the art form.
As we approach World Ballet Day and the festive season of ballet shows, it is the perfect time to get creative. Here are 15 Beautiful Ballerina Crafts for Kids that turn pipe cleaners, coffee filters, and paper plates into dancing masterpieces
The Ballerina Reading Corner
Before we dive into the glue and glitter, pairing a craft with a story is a wonderful way to enhance the learning experience. Here are some fantastic ballet-themed books to read while your paint dries:
- “Angelina Ballerina” by Katharine Holabird & Helen Craig – The classic tale of a mouse who dreams of dancing.
- “Tallulah’s Tutu” by Marilyn Singer & Alexandra Boiger – A relatable story about a girl who just wants the sparkle!
- “Dogs Don’t Do Ballet” by Anna Kemp – A funny, heartwarming story about breaking stereotypes.
- “Gwendolyn, the Graceful Pig” by David Ira Rottenberg – Proving that passion matters more than appearance.
- “Boys Dance!” by John Robert Allman – An empowering book from the American Ballet Theatre celebrating boys in dance.
Now, let’s get crafting!
15 Pretty Ballerina Crafts for Kids
1. Pipe Cleaner Ballerina Fairies
Best for: Fine Motor Skills
Who says ballerinas can’t be fairies? Or that fairies can’t be ballerinas? This craft uses the flexibility of chenille stems (pipe cleaners) to create poseable dolls.
- Materials: Pink and white pipe cleaners, wooden beads (for heads), embroidery floss, and faux flower petals.
- How to Make: Fold a pipe cleaner in half to form the body and legs. Twist another piece around the top for arms. Thread a wooden bead on top for the head. The magic happens when you wrap the “body” with embroidery floss to create a bodice and use an inverted faux flower as the skirt. They look like they are pirouetting in the garden!
2. Cotton Ball Tutu Paper Craft
Best for: Toddlers & Preschoolers
This tactile craft focuses on texture. The fluffy cotton balls mimic the volume of a tulle tutu perfectly.
- Materials: Cardstock, cotton balls, glue, markers.
- How to Make: Draw or print a simple outline of a ballerina. Let your child color the top half. For the skirt, apply a generous amount of glue and have the child stick cotton balls all over the skirt area. You can even dip the cotton balls in glitter first for extra sparkle.
3. Nature Ballerina (Flower & Leaf Art)
Best for: Nature Lovers
This project is perfect to try out using flowers during spring, or beautifully colored leaves during Fall.
- Materials: Fallen leaves, flower petals, twigs, paper, glue.
- How to Make: Go for a nature walk and collect items. On a piece of paper, use a small twig or draw a line for the ballerina’s body. Glue a large leaf or a flattened flower (like a pansy or hibiscus) as the skirt. Draw the arms and legs extending from the nature skirt. It’s ephemeral, eco-friendly art.
4. Coffee Filter Dancers
Best for: Science meets Art
This is a classic craft that results in a beautiful “tie-dye” effect using chromatography.
- Materials: White coffee filters, washable markers, spray bottle with water, pipe cleaners.
- How to Make: Flatten a coffee filter and let kids scribble on it with washable markers. Spray it lightly with water and watch the colors bleed and blend. Once dry, fold the filter into a cone shape to make a skirt. Insert a folded pipe cleaner through the tip to create the dancer’s body and legs.
5. Popsicle Stick Ballerina Puppets
Best for: Pretend Play
Turn a simple ice cream stick into a character.
- Materials: Jumbo craft sticks, cupcake liners, paint, yarn.
- How to Make: Paint the craft stick (skin tone for the top, pink for the “shoes” at the bottom). Fold a cupcake liner in half and glue it to the middle as a skirt. Add yarn for hair and draw a happy face. These are sturdy enough for kids to use in a puppet show.
6. Paper Plate Twirling Ballerina
Best for: Kinetic Art (Moving Art)
- Materials: Paper plate, scissors, cardstock, paints.
- How to Make: Paint a paper plate in a spiral pattern. Once dry, cut along the spiral line to create a “spring.” Cut out a ballerina torso from cardstock and glue it to the center of the paper plate spiral. Punch a hole in the ballerina’s head and add a string. When you hang it up, the spiral hangs down like a long, flowing gown that twirls in the wind.
7. Clothespin Ballerina Dolls
Best for: Vintage Style Decor
Old-fashioned wooden clothespins (the non-spring kind) have a natural “head” and “body” shape.
- Materials: Round wooden clothespins, acrylic paint, lace or tulle scraps.
- How to Make: Paint the round top as the face and the bottom prongs as ballet slippers. Glue a strip of gathered lace or tulle around the “waist” of the clothespin. These make adorable ornaments for a Christmas tree or decorations for a bookshelf.
8. Handprint Tutu Keepsake
Best for: Memories
- Materials: Pink paint, white paper, glitter.
- How to Make: Paint your child’s hand pink (or their favorite color). Press it onto the paper upside down. The palm becomes the bodice of the dress, and the fingers are the tutu! Once dry, draw the ballerina’s legs coming out from the fingers and a head on top of the palm.
9. Cupcake Liner Ballerina Garland
Best for: Party Decoration
If you are hosting a ballet-themed birthday party, this is the decoration you need.
- Materials: Multiple patterned cupcake liners, string, printed photos of ballerinas.
- How to Make: Print silhouettes of ballerinas. Poke a hole in the center of cupcake liners and thread the silhouette through so the liner sits on the hips like a skirt. String them all together to make a bunting.
10. Spoon Doll Ballerinas
Best for: Upcycling
- Materials: Plastic or wooden spoons, pipe cleaners, felt.
- How to Make: The back of the spoon is the face. Draw eyes and a mouth. Wrap a pipe cleaner around the neck to form arms. Use felt to wrap a small dress around the handle of the spoon. You can stick the handle into a playdough base to make them stand up!
11. Marshmallow Edible Ballerinas
Best for: Sweet Treats
- Materials: Large marshmallows, sugar sprinkles, toothpicks, cupcake liners.
- How to Make: Place a cupcake liner upside down on a stick to form a skirt. Place a marshmallow on top for the body. Dip the top of the marshmallow in water and then in pink sugar sprinkles to make “hair.” (Note: Remove toothpicks before eating!).
12. Tissue Paper Silhouette Art
Best for: Window Display
- Materials: Black cardstock, contact paper (sticky back plastic), colorful tissue paper.
- How to Make: Cut a silhouette of a dancer out of black cardstock, leaving the inside of the skirt empty (cut out like a window). Place the outline onto sticky contact paper. Have your child stick squares of pink, purple, and blue tissue paper to fill the empty skirt space. Seal it and hang it in the window—the light shines through the skirt like stained glass.
13. Cardboard Tube Ballerina Stand
Best for: Recycled Crafting
- Materials: Toilet paper rolls, paint, yarn, fabric scraps.
- How to Make: Paint the tube pink. The tube acts as the sturdy body. Glue a ball of yarn on top for the head (bun included!). Glue a fabric skirt around the middle of the tube. These are great because they stand up on their own, making them perfect for display.
14. Wire & Foil Sculptures
Best for: Older Kids (8+)
Inspired by the artist Edgar Degas, who was famous for his ballerina sculptures.
- Materials: Aluminum foil, flexible crafting wire.
- How to Make: Create a stick figure skeleton using wire. Wrap the wire entirely in aluminum foil, squeezing it tight to form “muscles” and a body shape. The foil allows you to bend the figure into complex poses like an arabesque or a plié.
15. The “No-Sew” Tutu for Kids
Best for: Wearable Art
Why just make a doll when you can be the ballerina?
- Materials: A thick ribbon (long enough to tie around the waist) and rolls of tulle (netting fabric).
- How to Make: Cut the tulle into strips about double the length of the desired skirt. Fold a strip in half to create a loop. Place the loop under the waist ribbon, pull the tails of the tulle through the loop, and pull tight (a lark’s head knot). Repeat this all the way around the ribbon until you have a full, fluffy tutu. No sewing machine required!
Conclusion
Ballet is about expression, and so are crafts. Whether your child creates a messy, glitter-covered paper plate or a delicate flower petal dancer, the joy is in the making. These activities not only celebrate the beauty of dance but also help develop fine motor skills, patience, and imagination.