TinyStepper
Toddler at a table covered in colourful paint splotches, grinning with pride

Paper Plate Craft

Decorate paper plates to make animals, faces, or designs.

Activity details

2y–4y15 minslowindoorConstruction PaperCrayonsGlue StickMarkersStickers

Instructions

Get ready
  • Provide paper plates (or use what you have)
  • Set out crayons, markers, stickers, glue, scraps of paper
  1. Provide paper plates (or use what you have)
  2. Set out crayons, markers, stickers, glue, scraps of paper
  3. Suggest ideas: 'Let's make a lion face!' or 'Decorate however you want'
  4. Add cut paper ears, googly eyes, yarn for hair
  5. Let them explore freely—process over product
  6. For younger toddlers: you cut pieces, they stick
  7. Display on the fridge or wall
  8. Ideas: fish, sun, pizza, emoji faces, shields

Parent tip

Set out construction paper and crayons before inviting your toddler in so the first minute feels smooth.

Proud child holding up a painted sheet covered in bright handprints and splatters

What success looks like

Messy hands and a child who doesn’t want to stop. The artwork doesn’t need to look like anything — the process is the point.

Open-ended art activity with minimal supplies that results in a keepsake your child will be proud of. The round plate shape provides a natural frame that makes even simple scribbles look like a finished piece of art, boosting confidence in young creators. Decorating with different materials like crayons, stickers, and torn paper also develops fine motor skills and creative decision-making.

Why it helps

The round plate shape provides a natural frame that makes even simple scribbles look like a finished piece of art, boosting creative confidence. Decorating with different materials develops fine motor skills, and choosing what to make practises decision-making. The EYFS framework highlights this kind of hands-on work as essential for building the grip and control children need before they can hold a pencil.

Variations

  • Make a lion face by gluing strips of yellow paper around the edge as a mane.
  • Cut the plate in half and decorate as a rainbow with cotton ball clouds on top.
  • Staple two plates together with dried beans inside to make a shaker instrument.

Safety tips

  • Use child-safe scissors with rounded tips if cutting is involved.
  • Supervise use of glue to prevent it being eaten.
  • Ensure small decorative items like googly eyes are too large to swallow.