Making your own Paper Cup Leprechaun is easy and fun! This cute DIY St. Patrick’s Day craft is perfect for kids of all ages, especially preschoolers. It’s inexpensive, mess-free, and best of all, we are providing a free printable template to use at home or school.

So find your green paper cups, cardstock, and glue, then follow along with our simple step-by-step directions and video tutorial so you can get your kids St. Patrick’s Day crafting in no time!

Paper Cup Leprechaun

Inspired by our Paper Cup Elf craft, this leprechaun craft also used green paper cups, the same black and gold belt, and craft embellishments such as wiggly eyes.

Like our Paper Cup Christmas Tree and Paper Cup Valentine Card Holder, it’s simple, mess-free, and inexpensive to make with large groups of kids! Pair this craft with:

St. Patrick’s Day books
Building a leprechaun trap
A St. Patrick’s Day gold coin hunt
Festive writing prompts, such as “If I were a leprechaun…”

Craft Supplies Needed for Paper Cup Leprechaun

Paper Cup Leprechaun Directions

1. Download the free printable Paper Cup Leprechaun Template. Print the template on white cardstock, then cut out the shapes with scissors. Alternatively, kids could paint the template or color it with markers or crayons.

2. If you are not choosing to paint or color the template, use a white colored pencil to trace the shapes onto colored cardstock. Cut out the shapes with scissors.

Tip: We love to craft with Astrobrights Spectrum Cardstock! We chose Gamma Green for the leprechaun’s hat, then accented with Terra Green for the leprechaun’s bow and shamrock. We used Orbit Orange for his hair, beard, and eyebrows.

3. Glue two wiggly eyes to the leprechaun’s face, then draw a nose and a smile on the face of your leprechaun with a black pen. We used a single hole punch to create tiny pink circles for the leprechaun’s cheeks.

4. Use Glue Dots or a glue stick to piece together your leprechaun and attach the pieces to the cup. Top off the hat with a miniature belt, buckle, and shamrock.

6. Your leprechaun craft is complete! If desired, write your child’s name and the year on the paper cup with a gold Sharpie marker.

More Leprechaun Crafts for Kids

Popsicle Stick Leprechaun Craft
Popsicle Stick Leprechaun Hats
Leprechaun Milk with Mustache Straws
Leprechaun Handprint Card from The Best Ideas for Kids

Paper Cup Leprechaun

Making your own Paper Cup Leprechaun is easy and fun! This cute DIY St. Patrick’s Day craft is perfect for kids of all ages, especially preschoolers. It’s inexpensive, mess-free, and best of all, we are providing a free printable template to use at home or school.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Active Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Difficulty Easy

Materials

Paper Cup Leprechaun Template
Green paper cups
Colored cardstock
Gold glitter cardstock
Wiggly eyes
Scissors
Black pen
Glue stick or Glue Dots
Single hole punch
Mini shamrock paper punch

Instructions

Download the free printable Paper Cup Leprechaun Template. Print the template on white cardstock, then cut out the shapes with scissors.
If you are not choosing to paint or color the template, use a white colored pencil to trace the shapes onto colored cardstock. Cut out the shapes with scissors.
Glue two wiggly eyes to the leprechaun’s face, then draw a nose and a smile on the face of your leprechaun with a black pen. We used a single hole punch to create tiny pink circles for the leprechaun’s cheeks.
Use Glue Dots or a glue stick to piece together your leprechaun and attach the pieces to the cup. Top off the hat with a miniature belt, buckle, and shamrock.
Your leprechaun craft is complete! If desired, write your child’s name and the year on the paper cup with a gold Sharpie marker.

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Paper Cup Leprechaun

Paper Cup Leprechaun