Craft for Kids: Tiger Mask

A long, long time ago, tigers roamed the virgin jungles of Singapore. Changi, in particular, was very popular with the tigers, who swam across the Straits of Johor and landed at an area called Fairy Point.

These days, the only live tigers you will spot are the ones in the Singapore Zoo. The last wild tiger on the island was killed in the Choa Chu Kang area in the 1930s. Still, tigers are very much part of the island’s rich, varied history. Here’s a easy fun way to bring them to “life” for the little ones in the family.

A Note to Grown-Ups: This activity is ideal for children aged 5 to 8, with adult supervision. Younger children (aged 2 to 4) will need lots of help with cutting and gluing the bits together, and drawing in the tiger’s mouth. But you can be sure they will have as much fun, if not more, pretending to be little tigers around the house!

You will need:
White paper plates
Penknife
Orange paint & paint brushes
Craft sticks or ice cream sticks
Scissors
One sheet of black construction paper
One sheet of orange construction paper
Black marker pen
Glue
Clear tape

1. Trace and cut out two holes in the paper plate using a penknife, like in the picture above. These are for the tiger’s “eyes”.
2. Now paint the reverse side of the paper plate and the ice cream stick orange.
3. Set them aside to dry completely.
4. Draw 2 triangles on the orange construction paper. They should be the same size, roughly measuring 6x7x7 cm. Cut them out.
5. Draw 8 triangles on the black construction paper. They should be the same size, roughly measuring 4x7x7 cm. Cut them out.
6. Draw another triangle on the black construction paper. This is for the tiger’s “nose”. It should be curved on one side and measure roughly 3 cm on the other 2 sides.
7. When the paint on the paper plate is dry, glue in the two orange triangles near the top of the plate. These are the tiger’s “ears”.
8. Next, glue on the black triangles: two between the “ears” in the centre, and three on each side below the “ears”, like in the picture. These are the tiger’s “stripes”.
9. Glue on the last triangle, the tiger’s “nose” just below and between his “eyes”.
10. Use the black marker pen to draw in the tiger’s mouth, like in the picture.
11. Lastly, tape on the ice cream stick to the back of the paper plate. You are ready to play tiger!