Clowns play a large role in the circus, adding silly stunts and jokes. While some children laugh along with clowns, other feel intimidated by their unusual costumes and makeup. Creating a craft can help these children feel more comfortable with clowns and ease their fears. Teachers can trace students' bodies onto a piece of butcher paper and allow them to cut it out, then have them use colored paper, buttons and yarn to create silly outfits, hairdos and faces onto their clown counterparts. Collect shoe boxes for children to decorate as clown shoes. Once the students add glitter, paint and pom poms to the boxes, you can cut a hole in the top and let them wear them for a circus parade.
Many circus goers enjoy cotton candy while watching the show. Kindergarten students can recreate this colorful circus confection using pink and blue cotton balls and a paper towel roll. By pulling apart the cotton balls, children build fine motor skills and form the look and texture of cotton candy. They can then glue the cotton onto a paper towel roll and use the craft in a pretend circus activity. Children can collage popcorn and marshmallow circus peanuts onto paper bags as another circus snack craft.
After reviewing the different animals that perform in the circus, set up an animal craft activity for the students. The children can paint a paper plate or bag a color that represents their favorite circus animal. Then they can add features by cutting and pasting colored paper onto the plate or bag. For instance, children will add a gray trunk and ears for an elephant or black stripes for a tiger.
Providing children with a piece of cardboard, animal cookies and paint allows them to design and assemble a mini circus parade. Teachers can link the individual crafts together on the wall to create a classroom circus train. For another group project, cut a large circus tent shape out of butcher paper and invite the children to paint it together. You can use the tent as a centerpiece for a circus themed bulletin board.