Decorate an Animal Gift Bag with Your Child’s Own Drawing

A plain paper bag can become a gift your child helped prepare, even if the present inside is store-bought. Working on a separate drawing first avoids awkward folds and lets the artist decide what belongs on the front before anything is glued down.

Start with the gift and bag together

Choose an intact paper gift bag that fits the item without forcing the bottom or handles. Place the gift inside briefly to see how the front panel will sit, then remove it before decorating. Use ordinary paper packaging and familiar child-appropriate drawing supplies. This is a packaging activity, not an invitation to wear a bag over the head.

On a scrap sheet, mark a rectangle smaller than the bag's flat front panel. Leave space near the handles, opening, and side folds. The rectangle becomes the drawing area; the child does not need to fill the whole bag.

Draw one original animal character

1. Choose an animal the recipient likes, or invent a creature.
2. Draw a large body shape inside the marked rectangle.
3. Add only a few defining details: ears, a tail, or a long neck.
4. Choose two or three colors and test them on the drawing paper.
5. Add a short message around the animal.

A child can dictate the message for an adult to write. “For Grandma, from Leo” is enough. Keep personal addresses and other private information off a bag intended to travel outside the family.

A giraffe example

Draw a tall oval body and a long neck, then add broad spots. Put “A little hello” in the open space beside the head. Make the picture narrow enough to avoid the bag's side folds. If the child's drawing is wider than expected, mount it on a smaller background sheet or use it as a separate gift card instead.

Attach only after checking the placement

Lay the empty bag flat. Place the drawing without glue and ask the child whether the animal should sit higher, lower, or centered. A grown-up can trim the mounting sheet if necessary. Use an appropriate paper adhesive according to its directions, then let the bag dry before adding the present.

Keep glue away from the opening and handles. Do not cover an area needed to fold or carry the bag. If the paper is thin or the adhesive wrinkles it, use the drawing as an enclosed card rather than attempting repeated repairs.

Choose a finish that suits the recipient

Use a book as inspiration without cutting it up

A coloring book can help your child choose an animal theme. Create a new drawing for the bag rather than cutting or copying a published page for packaging. If the book itself is the gift, leave it intact and let the homemade bag provide the personal touch.

What if the child wants to decorate directly on the bag?

Test the tool on a spare piece of comparable paper first and put a supportive sheet inside the empty bag. If the surface is awkward, switch back to a separate drawing. The simplest version is often the easiest to finish.

A ready-made animal coloring option

If your child would like a picture to start with, preview the real Baby Animals pages. Little Wonder Club lists this English paperback for ages 4–8 with 40 baby animals, short facts, and 88 total pages. The original cover reads Wild Babies: A Coloring Journey Through the Animal Kingdom. Choose it for the pictures and layout your child enjoys; it is optional for this activity.

View the paperback and current ordering details on Amazon.

Keep exploring

• Make original animal wrapping paper
• Add a handmade animal message

Illustrative stock photo by Çiğdem Bilgin on Pexels, used under the free Pexels License. The photo does not show our book or demonstrate this specific project. Book details and linked factual sources checked October 9, 2026.