How to Make No-Sew Sock Stuffed Animals

Pick out a sock. Find an old sock to make your stuffed animal with. It could be a plush sock or a fun, colorful sock, or you can use a pair of socks and make two plushies.

Pick your favorite animal to create! Here are a few options for making bunnies, caterpillars or octopuses.

Make a bunny: Fill your sock with stuffing until it's halfway full. Tie a rubber band near the sock's opening to secure the stuffing inside. Then, use rubber bands to separate the stuffing into two spheres — one sphere shape for the body and a second sphere shape for the head. Pour some glue inside the remaining empty part of the sock and stick it together. With scissors, cut the empty part of the sock in half. Make the edges pointy. Now you have long and skinny bunny ears!

Make an octopus: Fill your sock with stuffing until it's halfway full. Shape the stuffing into a sphere and use a rubber band to tighten it. This will be the octopus head. To make the tentacles, cut the empty part of the sock into many long stripes. Ask your child, "How many legs does an octopus have?"

Do you like bugs better? Make a caterpillar! Fill the whole sock with stuffing and use a rubber band to tighten the end. Then, use rubber bands to divide the stuffed sock into four or five spheres. Add a pipe cleaner around the head to create its antennae.

Decorate your plushies. Use buttons or googly eyes for the eyes. Use a marker to draw mouths and noses. Maybe tie a ribbon around the necks. Be as creative and detailed as you want.

Talk about shape attributes. Ask your child, "What shape is the body of your plushie? What shape is its head? A sphere!" Explain that shapes can be flat like a circle or solid like a ball. Spheres are 3D shapes. They are round all around, with no pointy edges. What other shapes do you notice? Continue talking about the different shapes that make up your plushies and describe their characteristics.