Looking for a free crochet animal hat pattern for a child? Here are 23 of them: bear and panda hats, foxes, cats and bunnies, owls and penguins, dinosaur spikes, monsters and unicorns, and a whole zoo of lions, monkeys, frogs, cows, a turtle and a shark. Every pattern is free in full on the designer's own site, with written rounds and stitch counts and no sign-up. Most come in toddler and child sizes, and many go from baby all the way up to adult, so you can make matching hats for the whole family.
For each pattern I've noted the yarn, hook, sizes and how it starts. Almost all of these begin with a simple top-down beanie, worked in rounds from a magic ring, and then add ears, eyes, a snout or spikes. If you can make a basic beanie, you can make any hat on this list. The faces are the fun part, and kids love helping pick the colors.
Bear and panda hats
The classic animal hat. Round ears and a sweet face, and every child wants one.
Grizzly Mountain Bear Hat — Kirsten Holloway Designs. A textured bear beanie with seed, waistcoat and star stitch bands, in Red Heart With Love on a 5mm (H) hook, with a 3.75mm hook for the ears. It comes in 9-12 months and toddler sizes and starts with 8 stitches in a magic circle. It's a textured one for outdoorsy little ones.
Fluffy Baby Bear Beanie — Pattern Princess. A soft, plush bear hat in Bernat Pipsqueak (a fluffy bulky yarn) on a 5.5mm (I) hook, in baby, child, teen and adult sizes. It starts with 8 dc in a ring. Fluffy yarn hides your stitches, so it's forgiving, but count carefully because the stitches are hard to see.
Crochet Panda Bear Hat — Repeat Crafter Me. A black-and-white panda with eye patches and round ears, in Vanna's Choice worsted on an H hook, in sizes from 0-3 months up to adult. The toddler size starts with 11 dc in a magic ring. A great pick if you want to make a whole panda family.
Foxes, cats and bunnies
Pointy ears and long ears. These are quick and cute for fall, Halloween and Easter.
Free Fox Hat Pattern — The Friendly Red Fox. An orange fox hat with black and white details, in super bulky yarn on a 6mm (J) hook, in a children's size. It starts with 11 dc in a magic ring and grows fast in bulky yarn. One reader found it ran small, so measure as you go.
Pam's Cat Hat — Carroway Crochet. The easiest animal hat on this list: a simple tube in Caron Simply Soft on a 5mm (H) hook, seamed flat across the top so the corners pop up as cat ears. It comes in toddler, child and teen/adult sizes and starts with a chain of 48 for the toddler size. No separate ears to sew on.
Halloween Black Cat Hat — Crochet For You. A black cat beanie with ears and a ribbed brim, in worsted on 5mm and 5.5mm hooks, toddler size (16 inches). It starts with 8 hdc in a ring. It's rated intermediate because the brim uses front- and back-post ribbing. For more spooky makes, see our Halloween crochet patterns.
Crocheted Easter Bunny Hat — Nana's Crafty Home. A beanie with a row of little colorwork bunnies peeking around it, in Red Heart Super Saver on a 5.5mm (I) hook, in toddler, child and adult sizes. The toddler size starts with a chain of 55 joined in a ring. Each round's color change is written out, with a graph too.
Baby Bunny Hat — HanJan Crochet. A soft bunny with tall ears, in DK on a 4.5mm hook, in newborn, baby and toddler sizes. It's written in UK terms, so "htr" means US half double crochet. Round 1 is 10 htr.
Owls and penguins
Big round eyes and little beaks. These make great winter hats.
Free Owl Hat (Toddler Size) — Daisy Cottage Designs. A sweet owl with big eyes and a flower, in worsted on an I hook, for 1-3 years (18-20 inch heads). It starts with 9 sc and doubles to 18 in Round 2. Only the toddler size is free; the designer sells other sizes. Pair it with our crochet owl patterns.
Sleepy the Little Owl — Cre8tion Crochet. An earflap owl hat with sleepy eyes, in cotton on a 5.5mm hook, in 3-6 months to 3-5 years. The smallest size starts with 10 hdc in a magic ring. The stitch counts are in brackets at the end of each round rather than numbered rounds.
Crochet Penguin Hat — Repeat Crafter Me. A penguin earflap hat, in worsted on a 5mm (H) hook, from 0-3 months up to adult. The toddler size starts with 11 dc in a magic ring. More in our crochet penguin patterns.
Dinosaurs, monsters and unicorns
For kids who want something a little wild.
Dinosaur Spike Hat — EyeLoveKnots. A beanie with a row of spikes down the middle, in I Love This Yarn worsted on a 5mm (H) hook, sized for toddlers up to 5 years with notes for resizing. It starts with 8 hdc in a magic ring. Dino fans will wear it all winter.
Crochet Dinosaur Hat — Amy's Crochet Patterns. An earflap dinosaur hat with spikes and braided ties, in Red Heart With Love on G and H hooks, for 12 months to 3 years. It starts with 11 dc in a magic circle.
Crochet Monster Hat — The Caffeinated Snail. A goofy, colorful monster beanie in worsted on a 5mm (H) hook, in a child size with an adult version too. It starts with 10 dc in a magic ring. The original yarn is discontinued, so use any worsted.
Crochet Unicorn Hat — Repeat Crafter Me. An earflap unicorn hat with a horn and ears, in Vanna's Choice on an H hook, from 0-3 months up to adult. The toddler size starts with 11 dc in a magic ring. Some readers say it works up large and went down a hook size.
Jungle, farm and sea animals
Lions, monkeys, frogs, cows, a turtle and a shark. Something for every favorite animal.
Free Crochet Lion Hat — Lovable Loops. A lion beanie with a mane and ears, in worsted on a 5.5mm (I) hook, in sizes from 0-3 months to adult. It starts with 11 dc in a magic circle. Great for little ones who like to roar.
Toddler Monkey Hat — 5 Little Monsters. A brown monkey with a tan face and ears, in Red Heart Super Saver on an I hook, toddler size. It starts with 10 dc in a magic ring.
Free Sock Monkey Hat (Toddler Size) — Daisy Cottage Designs. A classic sock monkey earflap hat in worsted on an I hook, for 1-3 years. It starts with 9 sc. Only the toddler size is free.
Crochet Frog Hat — Nana's Crafty Home. A green bucket hat with frog eyes on top, in Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton on a 4mm (G) hook, in newborn-6 months, toddler and child. It starts with 6 sc in a magic circle. The brim makes it a nice spring and summer hat.
Big Eyes Frog Hat — Jenny & Teddy. An earflap frog with big round eyes, in DK held double on a 3mm hook, from 0-3 months to teen. It starts with 12 sc in a ring.
Free Crochet Cow Hat — Lovable Loops. A black-and-white cow hat with horns and ears, in worsted on a 5.5mm (I) hook, in baby, toddler, child and adult sizes. It starts with 11 dc in a magic circle.
Crochet Turtle Hat — Lovable Loops. A turtle hat with a shell on top, in worsted on a 5.5mm (I) hook, in baby to adult sizes. It starts with 11 dc in a magic circle.
Baby Shark Sun Hat — Jo to the World Creations. A shark sun hat with a brim and a row of crochet teeth, in Patons Canadiana on a 5mm (H) hook, in baby, toddler (1-3 years) and child (3-5 years). It starts with 10 dc in a magic ring. The pattern is free on the page with no sign-up needed.
Kids' hat size guide
These are the head circumferences most designers use. Make the hat about 1 inch smaller than the head so it stays on.
- Toddler (1-3 years): 18-19 inches
- Child (3-10 years): 19-20 inches
- Teen and adult small: 20-22 inches
Frequently asked questions
What yarn is best for crochet animal hats for kids?
A soft, washable worsted acrylic, like Red Heart With Love, Vanna's Choice or Caron Simply Soft. It holds the shape of ears and spikes well and survives the washing machine. Use cotton for spring and summer hats.
How do you attach ears to a crochet animal hat?
Pin them in place first and check them on the child's head, then whip stitch all the way around the base with a yarn needle. Sew through both layers so they stand up and don't flop.
How long does it take to crochet an animal hat?
The beanie takes two to four hours in worsted, less in bulky yarn. Ears, eyes and a face add another hour or two. The Pam's Cat Hat, with no extra parts, is the quickest.
Are buttons and safety eyes safe on kids' hats?
For babies and toddlers, crochet or felt the eyes instead of using buttons or safety eyes, and sew everything on very securely. Keep earflap ties short, and check the hat for loose parts before each wear.
More cozy makes for kids
For tiny heads, see our crochet baby hat patterns and matching crochet baby booties. For plain everyday hats, try our winter beanie patterns, and add a scarf from our hat and scarf set patterns and crochet mitten patterns. Kids who love their animal hat will love an easy amigurumi toy to match. Dino fans can pair the hat with a T-rex from our crochet dinosaur patterns, and frog fans will find four frog bucket hats and beanies in our crochet frog patterns.
