The Very Cranky Bear: Craft is an educational activity designed to accompany a whole class reading of the picture book The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland. This fun and creative task allows students to engage with the story through art, helping them build connections with the text while developing fine motor skills.

Students will use the included templates to create their very own The Very Cranky Bear! The craft activity is simple to prepare and offers plenty of opportunities for students to personalise their bears with their own creative touches.

This resource includes everything you need to get started, along with suggested materials and display ideas to bring your students’ work to life. It is perfect for whole-class art sessions, small group work, or as a literacy-linked art extension activity.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Build connections with a familiar text through creative expression
• ✅ Develop fine motor skills through cutting, gluing, and assembling
• ✅ Practise following step-by-step instructions
• ✅ Promote personal creativity and choice in presentation
• ✅ Support oral language development through discussion of their craft

What’s Included:

• Detailed instructions with an example
• The Very Cranky Bear craft templates
• Optional backing template for display

Materials Needed:

• Printed The Very Cranky Bear: Craft templates
• Paint
• Sticks
• Wool
• Craft glue
• Additional optional materials of your choice (suggestions included in the resource)

How to Use:

1. Read The Very Cranky Bear with your class.
2. Discuss the character and descriptive features of the bear.
3. Print and distribute the templates to your students.
4. Provide students with a variety of craft materials to decorate and assemble their bear.
5. Once complete, display students’ bears around your classroom for a fun and colourful visual celebration of the story.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use as an art extension after reading The Very Cranky Bear.
• 💡 Include in a literacy rotation for hands-on text connection work.
• 💡 Create a collaborative classroom display to showcase students’ work and celebrate their creativity.
• 💡 Use for fine motor practise and visual art skill development in Foundation and Early Years classrooms.

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Enlarge templates to A3 for Early Years and Foundation students to provide larger pieces for easier handling.
• 💛 Provide a wide range of craft materials to encourage creativity and personalisation.
• 💛 Model how to assemble the craft before students begin.
• 💛 Pair the craft with retelling activities to reinforce comprehension and oral language development.

To create a cute and colourful display, print our The Very Cranky Bear: Banner and display students’ completed The Very Cranky Bear crafts around it.

Check out more amazing resources related to The Very Cranky Bear in our The Very Cranky Bear PACKAGE.