Cute Cardboard Reindeer Craft

I am so excited about this super cute reindeer craft I'm sharing. I have made all kinds of silly and cute reindeer crafts over the years, and this one is my new favorite. I've created a free printable template for you to download and print so that you can make your own cardboard reindeer to hang on your wall this Christmas.

title let's make a cardboard reindeer with free printable template pin image

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If you've been following me for any amount of time, you will know that I have always loved Santa's reindeer. Ever since I was a child, they have been my favorite Christmas characters. So, I am always looking for new ways to make crafts that celebrate the reindeer, especially Rudolph.

Cardboard Reindeer Head Craft

This Christmas craft combines my love of reindeer with my love of crafts that use things from your recycling bin. This year, I've made a collection of Christmas crafts made from recyclables. So, grab those old Amazon boxes, we are going to put them to good use!

Cardboard Reindeer Head Craft

our printable reindeer head template
clean cardboard
sharp scissors
pencil and black marker
acrylic paints - red, brown, white, and pink
satin finish Mod Podge
hot glue gun
sticks for antlers
Command poster hanger strips

Cutting out the Reindeer Head Pieces

print out of reindeer head template sheets and two sheets of cardboard

The first thing you will need to do is print our reindeer head template. The template is 2 sheets of paper. I like to print my templates on cardstock, but you can simply print it on regular printer paper. Then, cut out the pieces.

Once you have the template pieces cut out, it's time to trace them onto your cardboard. I keep all kinds of cardboard, and this time I used a regular weight of cardboard, something too heavy might not hang on the wall well.

reindeer ears, nose and head cut out of cardboard on table

You will need to cut out:

2 head pieces (front and back of head)
3 eye pieces (for eyes and for a spacing piece)
2 ears
1 nose

Painting the Reindeer Head

white painted on reindeer head and nose and ears painted pink with pots of paints and paint brushes

When everything is cut out it's time to do some painting. When I paint cardboard, I like to paint a layer of white paint first. This helps give me a light base to paint my colors on. Kind of like adding primer to a dark wall before painting on another color. So, add a triangle of white to the reindeer's head. And, paint the eyes and nose white, as well. For the ears, I just painted the pink inner ear straight onto the ear.

reindeer cardboard nose painted red, eyes painted

When the white paint is dry, add a couple of layers of red to the nose, brown to the reindeer's head, and paint on the eyelids. I also added a green eye, but you could paint any color you like for the reindeer's eyes. I added a thin line of brown to the top of the pink in the ear to add a little dimension to the ear.

When everything is dry, add the extra little details. Add the white flecks to the reindeer's forehead, and I like the look of everything being outlined in black marker. Finally, I added a layer of satin Mod Podge to the nose to add a little shine.

cardboard reindeer with nose and ears glued on with glue gun

Assembling the Reindeer Head

When everything is dry, it's time to assemble the reindeer head. Use the hot glue gun to add the nose, eyes, and ears. Play around with the position of the eyes and ears, and when you have them in a spot you like, glue them in place.

twig antlers being held in place on reindeer head

For the antlers, you will want to use light sticks. I trimmed mine from the end of a larger branch. You are looking for branches that look like antlers, don't be afraid to trim them down and make them look the way you like. Once you have the sticks the way you like, glue them in place behind the head, above the ears.

back of reindeer head with branch antlers glued in place

Now that everything is glued in place, add the extra "eye" that you cut from the cardboard, to the "nose" area of the second reindeer head. This will provide the proper spacing to accommodate the ears and the antlers. Add a few dollops of glue and glue the front and back of the reindeer head together.

back and front of cardboard Rudolph head being glued together

This is when I decided to add the little pink cheeks to my reindeer. I also drew on a simple eyebrow. It's totally up to you if you'd like to add any other features. You could add bigger eyebrows, maybe a little smile. Play around and have some fun with your reindeer's face.

How to Hang Your Cardboard Reindeer Head

finished cardboard reindeer head hanging on the wall with tiny Christmas ornament garland hanging on twig antlers

To hang your reindeer head, you can add a command poster hanging strip to the back of the head. The head is nice and light and one of these strips will do the job.

Pick the perfect spot and hang you reindeer up on the wall. I added a garland of little Christmas ornaments to the antlers. I love how it looks with the ornaments dangling.

close up of reindeer made from cardboard hanging on wall

This would be a fun craft to do with kids, in a classroom, or at home. Everyone could make their own reindeer. I'm sure everyone's would be a little different.

What do you think? Will you be making a cardboard reindeer head to hang this year?