Spaceship Photo Craft

This printable space craft lets kids color, cut, and assemble their own spaceship scene, complete with the Earth, stars, and a bright moon in the background.

There’s one little detail that makes it more personal — the spaceship has a window where you can add your own photo and become the little space traveler inside.

Get the template here

When I was in school, there was always that classic question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” And honestly, I think I wanted to live about 49 different lives.

One day, I wanted to be a teacher. Then I would suddenly decide I wanted to be a doctor. Another time, I was convinced I should become a dinosaur researcher, even though I’m not sure I had any idea what a dinosaur researcher actually did. My dream seemed to change as often as the weather.

But there was one period when I was really into movies about space and space travel. For a little while, I was convinced that becoming an astronaut would be the coolest thing ever. I wanted to fly into space, see the Earth from above, and visit places that nobody around me had ever been to.

Of course, that dream lasted for… maybe a week. Then something else caught my attention and I completely moved on to my next career.

I didn’t think about being an astronaut again until I asked the kids in my family the same question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

One of them gave me an answer I had almost forgotten about.

“An astronaut!”

Suddenly, that old memory came right back. And before long, the kids were already talking excitedly about which planet they would visit first if they ever got the chance to travel into space.

Of course, actually stepping onto another planet is still a pretty big dream for all of us. We’re not exactly booking a spaceship anytime soon. But then I thought… why not make our own little space trip instead?

So that’s what I decided to do. I’ll take all of us into space, and we can visit wherever we want to go. No complicated training, no space suits, and no worrying about how we’re going to get back.

Learning Through Making This Spaceship Photo Craft

Making this Spaceship Photo Craft gives kids a chance to practice fine motor skills and hand control through simple paper work. Cutting, coloring, and putting the pieces together require careful movements, while working with the small photo also encourages them to handle the materials gently.

There are also plenty of opportunities for creative choices. Kids can decide how they want to color the spaceship, Earth, stars, and Moon, and experiment with different color combinations to create their own space scene.

Because the project has several parts to work through, it also gives kids practice with following instructions, staying focused, and completing a project step by step.

Ideas for the Classroom and Homeschool

This printable can fit nicely into a space-themed lesson in the classroom or homeschool. It can be used alongside topics such as the solar system, planets, the Moon, Earth, or space exploration, giving kids a hands-on project to go with what they are learning.

It could also be a fun activity during a space-themed week, a school break, or a rainy day when you want to bring a little variety into the usual learning routine.

For younger kids, you could keep the activity simple by talking about the planets or asking them to choose one place in space they would like to visit. Older kids could use their finished spaceship as part of a short writing or storytelling activity about a trip into space.

Spaceship Photo Craft Step By Step Guide

Supplies Needed

• Cardstock
• Colored pencils, crayons, or markers
• Scissors
• Glue
• A printed photo, approximately 4.5 cm in diameter
• The Spaceship Photo Craft Template

Spaceship Photo Craft Instructions

Step 1: Print out the Spaceship Photo Craft Template on cardstock.

Step 2: Color all the parts any way you like, or use the colors in the example as a guide.

Step 3: Attach the two tabs to the background paper, keeping them about 1.5 cm apart. This will give the spaceship a raised, 3D shape.

Step 4: Apply glue to the back of the photo, then slide it in through the top of the spaceship. Hold it in place for a few seconds to let the glue set, and your rocket is ready to blast off!

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