3D Paper Cheetah

Kids will go wild for this 3D Cheetah portrait craft! The design is based on a realistic cheetah, but you can make yours any colour you like.

This paper craft is easy to put together and is a great way to support kids learning about African animals, wild cats, or for anyone who loves cheetahs. It’s recommended for ages 8+, but younger kids can make this with some adult help.

Get the template here

In their Sub-Saharan African homeland, Cheetahs are beautifully patterned to camouflage into their surroundings. This helps maintain the element of surprise so they can catch their next meal. And, as the fastest animal on the planet, their prey doesn’t stand a chance!

Fun fact: Cheetahs can accelerate faster than a sports car, going from 0-112km/h in under 3 seconds.

This means they don’t really need to blend in, right? Why not make them orange, pink, green and purple?

Well, with this printable craft, you can!

This project is part of our African Animal portrait series. We also have a 3D Zebra portrait and a 3D Giraffe portrait.

The finished Cheetah makes eye-catching wall art. Here’s a pink version my teen daughter made.

For sturdiness, it’s recommended to print this template to card stock.

How to make a 3D Cheetah Portrait craft

You will need

Card stock in white (2 sheets per cheetah), plus a colour of your choice for the background page
Scissors
Glue stick
Markers, pencils, crayons, etc if colouring your own
Optional cutting mat, ruler and scoring tool (recommended for easy and more accurate folding)
The Cheetah Template, available from our printables store and TPT store

How to:

Print the template to card stock.

If using the colour-your-own version, colour your cheetah.

Optional: score the fold lines on your cheetah’s face to make folding easier. To do this, place the sheet on a cutting mat, hold a ruler against each fold line and run your scoring tool along each line to create an indent.

Cut the shapes out.

Fold all the fold lines on the head shape.

Glue the base shape with the ears and neck onto the backing sheet.

Glue the face to the geometric white shape outlines. Start by gluing the top of the head first, then glue the side folds down at angles that match the shape.