I know the exams are taking a toll on kids these days, but even during this hectic time, you can still take out just half an hour for a little burst of creativity and make something fun. So here I’ll tell you how to make this cute pencil topper that will bring a smile to your face every time you sit down to write.

It’s a small thing, but sometimes that’s all it takes to lighten the mood. I’m making a separate owl and a separate owl head pencil topper. You can create other birds using the same method.

So let’s start:

Things you need:

1. Pieces of foam sheet (any colour)

2. Pieces of glitter foam sheet (any colour)

3. Googly eyes (according to the number of pencil toppers you are making)

4. Hot glue / white glue

5. Scissors

6. Pencil

Directions:

To make the complete owl pencil topper:

1. On the plain foam sheet, draw an oval shape for the owl’s body with a small pointed ear on top of each side of the oval. Cut it out carefully. Next, cut two small wings, shaped like butterfly wings from the glitter foam sheet. Make sure the wings are proportionate to the owl’s body size.

2. From the same glitter foam, cut a half-oval shape with a wide ‘V’ notch at the top (refer to the picture). This piece will go on the front of the owl’s body. Then, from the orange foam sheet, cut a small, narrow heart shape for the beak and a wider heart shape for the claws/feet; see picture 2.

3. Paste the googly eyes just below the ears on the owl’s body. Then attach the narrow heart to represent the beak, see picture 3.

4. Next, glue the wings onto both sides of the owl’s body. Attach the glitter half-oval piece at the front centre of the body, and paste the wide heart shape at the bottom, facing downward to represent the claws, see picture 4.

To make a separate pencil topper:

1. Making the head is very easy. All you need is a round mould that matches the size of the topper you want. If you have a protractor, you can use it to draw a circle on the foam sheet and cut it out. Then, cut small circles for the eyes, using different coloured foam sheets to make them stand out. Similarly, cut out the beak and claws from the orange foam sheet, just like you did for the previous topper; then paste all the parts one by one accordingly on the head. Pictures 5 and 6.

2. Cut a one-centimetre-wide and 3-inches-long foam strip and wrap it around the top of the pencil. Secure it with hot glue at the back of the topper. Then, cut a piece of foam sheet measuring 1.5 inches wide and 1-inch-long, and paste it over the coiled strip to give it a clean and neat finish. Pictures 7 and 8.

These pencil toppers are very easy to make, all you need is just an imagination and you can make bundle of them in a matter of minutes. Enjoy!

The writer can be contacted at ithecraftman@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 26th, 2025