Free Printable Uppercase Letter O Craft Template

Teaching preschool can seem a bit like wrangling a group of octopi (or octopuses depending on your preference…), especially when you are trying to get them ready for recess. These uppercase letter O crafts for preschoolers are much easier than putting on 20 sets of shoes, coats or (much worse) winter wear. So easy even a preschooler can do it…lol!

Recommended Grade Level:

Preschool

Kindergarten

Supply List
Coordinating Activities

Letter O Octopus Alphabet Craft Supplies:

Paper or cardstock
Printer
Scissors
Glue
Crayons

Creating the Uppercase Letter O Craft

While, here at Life Over C’s, we very much encourage process art and exploration, there is a time when crafts can be a great benefit to our little learners.

This uppercase letter O craft, O is for Octopus, teaches much more than how to form the letter O. Kids can also use the alphabet craft to learn about alphabet sounds and much more!

Skills Preschoolers Learn Through Alphabet Crafts

In addition to the obvious phonics and letter recognition benefits, kids can also learn skills that will help them build a solid foundation for learning.

Fine Motor Skills: Using scissors and holding a crayon develop fine motor skills that will build the foundation for writing and other daily tasks like buttoning a shirt or helping to zip their own coat for recess…

Teacher Tip: If your students need to work on their scissor skills, you can grab our scissor skills printable for them to practice.

Following Directions: While process art gives kids a much needed opportunity for art exploration and self-expression, creating the uppercase letter O craft teaches kids to follow simple directions and create a finished product.
Develops self-esteem: While their octopus may end up with tentacles coming out of its eyeballs, seeing a craft through to the end gives kids a boost in their self-esteem. Especially when their awesome teacher, aka YOU, lets them add a bit of originality to the craft.

Creating this Uppercase Letter O Craft with your preschoolers provides the perfect opportunity to learn more about ocean animals like the octopus. You can even use the O is for octopus craft to work on counting skills…1, 2, 3… all the way up to 8. Maybe even do research with your preschoolers to discover what other animals or things have 8 ‘legs’ (scorpions, spiders, ticks, squid, cuttlefish, etc.)

Check out these fun activities to pair with your Letter O Craft:

When to Use the Uppercase Letter O Craft

Over the past few years, letter of the week has been gently laid aside as an ineffective way to teach the alphabet to preschoolers. So what are we supposed to do??

Instead of focusing each week individually on one letter, it can be much more effective to teach letters in an order that helps them build words as they gather more alphabet knowledge.

If You Need More Letter Crafts, Look Here:

Get ALL 26 Uppercase Letter Crafts Here! >>

Make the Letter O Craft

This craft requires minimal prep while delivering maximum fun! Just download the template and gather simple materials like construction paper, small scissors, and markers. You won’t just be crafting with kids, you’ll be developing some very important developmental skills that will serve these kids for the rest of their lives!

Materials You Will Need for the Letter O Octopus Craft:

Paper or cardstock
Printer
Scissors
Glue
Crayons

uppercase letter o craft o is for octopus

Step-by-Step Instructions for the Letter O Octopus Craft:

Step One:

Choose which template you will need to print. Make sure to ask your little ones if they plan to color their octopus craft or if they would like a pre-colored version. Print either the black-and-white or color version of the craft.

Superhero Teacher Tip: Cardstock is more durable for the uppercase letter O craft and easier for children to hold and turn with their non-dominant hand while cutting. If you can get your hands on cardstock, give it a try!

black and white outline on printer paper for octopus craft letter o craft for preschoolers

Step Two:

It’s easier to color before cutting, so have the kids color their pieces first. As they work, repeat the letter name and sound as many times as you can.

colored and cut out octopus craft for uppercase letter o craft

Step Three:

Finally, glue the craft together! Glue the tentacles, eyes, and letter O together. Add Cheerios or other circular cereal to the dots on the tentacles for fun. Make sure to emphasize the letter O sound at the beginning of the word octopus.

fully assembled letter o craft: o is for octopus

Uppercase Letter O Craft Ideas for all Learners

Younger Children: Provide precut shapes and encourage them to focus on gluing and arranging pieces.
Older Children: Challenge them to write a short octopus underwater adventure using as many “O” words as possible.
Adapt for Fine Motor Skills: For students who find cutting tricky, use precut pieces and larger glue sticks. Let them practice cutting the straight and curved lines of the craft, but consider pre-cutting the small, round pieces like the eyes, as circles can be harder to cut.
Sketch the Steps for Visual Guidance: These crafts were created with simple shapes, so sketch each step on the board or (on paper) for students to follow. Number each step (1,2,3, etc.) and arrange them in a list from top to bottom. This way, students can mentally check off each step independently as they complete them.

Frequently Asked Questions

To learn more, read some frequently asked questions below…

How to teach letter O to kindergarten?

Teaching the letter O can be fun and exciting by connecting it to a theme kids love, like octopi or octagons! Start by introducing the sound and shape of the letter, then relate it to familiar words such as “ostrich,” “octagon,” and “on.” Allow practice tracing the letter O so the shape of the letter becomes more concrete to students. Repeat the /o/ sound many times while tracing. Tracing letters is one of the fastest ways I’ve found to learn the letters…if you need more tracing practice for the letters, grab my alphabet tracing cards.

How do you craft with kids without making a mess?

Crafting can be messy, but manage the mess with this trick. Try challenging your kids to cut in a way that leaves the fewest scraps behind — like a contest. Have them cut to leave the longest piece of leftover scrap and the fewest little pieces possible. My students love this and proudly show off their long, winning scraps.

Download Uppercase Letter O Craft Now!

Assemble your supplies, grab your favorite books about Octopi, and watch your learners transform into letter masters! Leave a comment below to let us know how it goes.

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