Here’s a fun monkey craft for kids of all ages! Grab some pipe cleaners and some wooden beads and transform them into a cute posable monkey. The monkey can even hang onto a pencil!

Kids Craft: Pipe Cleaner Monkeys

I don’t know what it is about monkeys, but I have always loved them and the kids do too!

Here’s what you need to make a pipe cleaner monkey:

  • Brown pipe cleaners – 3 per monkey
  • Wooden beads
  • Googly eyes
  • Hot glue
  • Brown felt
  • Brown and tan acrylic paint
  • Yellow pipe cleaners – for bananas

These are the wooden beads we used. Both sizes were purchased at Hobby Lobby. The larger ones do not have a hole all the way through, so they were perfect for the head. The smaller beads made the bodies of our monkeys. We painted them brown with a color that matched our pipe cleaners as closely as possible. I don’t think it matters to have it perfect, though!

Pipe Cleaner Monkeys

I used tan paint to do the mouth part on each head. Then we started assembling the monkeys.

Start with 3 pipe cleaners, and twist them together as shown below.

Pipe Cleaner Monkeys

The top three strands will be for the head and arms. The bottom three will make the legs and tail.

Slide the body bead onto all three lower strands.

Pipe Cleaner Monkeys

Then start bending the pipe cleaner legs to make feet.

Pipe Cleaner Monkeys

The legs look best if they have a double layer of pipe cleaner. So form the feet, and then bend the excess upward. I either tucked the end into the body bead, or wrapped it around the monkey’s “waist” (below the bead). Just do whatever works.

Then bend the arms.

Pipe Cleaner Monkeys

Cut the head strand so that you have just enough left to fold over to be a neck.

Pipe Cleaner Monkeys

Attach the head with a little hot glue.

Then cut tiny rounded ears out of felt. Glue those to the sides of the head.

Ta-da! Isn’t he cute? We used a short piece of a yellow pipe cleaner to make a banana. The monkey’s hands are posable, and he can hold things.

Pipe Cleaner Monkeys

It’s fun to pose a monkey on the end of a pencil. Where else will your little monkey want to hang around?

Pipe Cleaner Monkeys

Have fun crafting! Here are some more of our favorite animal crafts:

  • Paper Roll Animals – Turn a cardboard tube into monkeys, elephants, lions, and an alligator.

Pipe Cleaner Monkeys

7 Comments

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  1. Lisa Jun 9, 2017

    Awww... these little monkeys are too cute! My little one will absolutely love making these. Thank you for sharing the tutorial!

    Cheers,
    Lisa at Dreams and Caffeine

    Reply
  2. Christine Jul 13, 2017

    What a cute monkey! I added it to my creative monkey roundup :) Hope thats okay? Have a nice day! Best whishes Christine :)

    Reply
  3. grace Aug 7, 2017

    I love it and I'll try to make it.

    Reply
  4. Barb Aug 31, 2017

    Those are adorable!!

    Reply
  5. Jad Sep 23, 2017

    These so cute. Thank you for the tutorial. My toddlers love the five litlle monkeys song. I could make five of these and wind them around my fingers and literally they could see them fall out one at a time.

    Reply
  6. Suzanne Feb 3, 2021

    Where did you buy the brown pipe cleaners? I've checked the major craft stores and they have dark brown but we like that color brown you used. Thank you.

    Reply
  7. Brenda Feb 17, 2023

    Thank you Sara for this simple cute monkey pipe cleaner idea. Using it with my seniors in home care. They love to see me & my pipe cleaners & what WE can make.

    Reply

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