Paper plate animals are the perfect craft idea for kids. Most are very easy and inexpensive, and kids can choose their favorite animal. You can make masks, wall hangings, animal mobiles, and standing animal crafts.
The great thing about making animals out of a simple paper plate is that you can make anything from anteaters to zebras and everything in between. Here are just a couple of ideas for your animal crafts that your kids can make.
3-D Paper Plate Elephant
By using sturdy paper plates, you can give your animal a fun three-dimensional look. The supplies and instructions below are for making an elephant.
supplies
8 sturdy dinner plates 2 flexible dinner plates 4 cardboard toilet paper rolls Black and white construction paper Paint Black marker Pipe cleaner Scissors Glue
Addresses
- Paint the sturdy plates a color of your choice for the elephant’s body. Let these dry completely.
- Glue 2 plates together at the edge (facing each other) to form a body section. Repeat this with the other plates until you have 4 body sections.
- Glue each of these sections together, back to back, to form the body of the elephant.
- Using white paper, cut out two large circles for the eyes. Cut out two smaller circles from the black paper for the pupils. Stick them to the faceplate. Cut out small strips from the black paper for the eyelashes and glue them above the eyes.
- Using the flexible paper plates, paint them the same color as the body and let them dry. Cut a large bow on one side of the plates to create the ears. Glue them to the side of the faceplate (between the first and second body sections).
- Use one of the cutout bows for the elephant’s trunk. Paste this under the eyes. Cut out a mouth out of black paper and glue it under the nose. You can give your elephant a fun look by cutting out a nice bow tie (for a boy elephant) or hair bands (for a girl elephant) and glue them on.
- Then paint or cover your cardboard rolls with paper to match your elephant’s color scheme. Glue them to the bottom of the elephant’s body at the front and back, placing them between two of the sections. With the black marker, give her feet some nails.
- Lastly, take the pipe cleaner and shape it into a tail. Make a small hole in the last plate (at the back) and insert the pipe cleaner into the slot. You may need a bit of glue to help hold this in place.
This cute paper plate animal will stand on its own and look great on any table. You can even make more zoo animals and dedicate an entire table to creating your zoo.
rocking horse with paper plate
Everyone of all ages loves rocking horses. These were classic toys for many of us. So bring back some of this nostalgia by making this cute animal craft.
supplies
Two flexible dinner-size paper plates Brown, black, and tan paint 2 wiggly eyes Yarn scissors Glue ruler
Addresses
- Paint the bottom of the paper plate with brown, black and tan spots. Leave some of the white show as well to create white spots for this horse. Let the plate dry.
- Flip the plate over to the unpainted side and mark the center of the plate. Using the ruler, measure 1 1/2″ to 2″ from the center on each side. Draw 2 straight lines (one on each side of the middle). Fold the plate along these lines to create the “rocker.”
- Take the second paper plate and paint it for the horse’s head. We used the tan color but you can use any of the colors to match the body.
- Once this plate is dry, cut out a horse’s head and neck from the center of the plate. Make the neck about 1 ½ to 2″ wide.
- Glue on the wiggly eyes or use paper to create the eyes. Using a marker, draw the details of the horses face (ie nose, mouth, ears).
- Cut a 1 ½ to 2″ wide slit in the rocking paper plate (body of the horse). Make this slit the same size as the neck. Slide the neck into this slit and fold it to hold it in place. need to add some glue to help hold it in place.
- Finally, with the yarn, cut several strips and glue them to the back of the horse to make the tail. Repeat this with smaller strips and glue them to the horse’s head to create the mane.
If your paper plate horse is too heavy on one end of the other, causing it to not swing properly, simply glue a paper clip to the inside of the side that is too light. This will help balance the rocker arm.
The ideas are endless when it comes to fun and easy paper plate animal crafts. So get out the paper plates, craft supplies, and your imagination and have some fun.
