How To Create A Paper Plate Frog
Paper plates are not just for serving food – they are also fantastic craft materials that can spark creativity and provide hours of entertainment for kids. Paper plates are an amazing foundation to so many craft projects and we just loved this paper plate frog craft!
**Most of the photos below are created by a 4-year-old but don’t let that stop you from crafting with your 1-, 2-, and 3-year-olds as well!!
Prepping Your Paper Plate Frog Craft
Like every other project we do around here, proper prep is the foundation of our crafting success. We can allow our littlest of learners to paint and explore with our older toddlers if we have everything ready to make it a stress-free environment.
We used paint for our base craft material, not wanting to paint today but want a fun paper plate frog craft? No problem! Grab out all the green markers or crayons and get your littles crafting!
Once you decide which medium you would like to use, make sure you get your space ready. Lay down a tablecloth or kraft paper, a large sheet of paper or section of an old box.
**Try laying out an old cereal box as your table cover. They’re generally a great size and probably something you have in your home already!
I like to cut out everything ahead of time, unless I am having my older kiddos do the snipping in which case I will have all the cut lines drawn and ready at their space.
Check out these super fun spring activities to add to your day!
What Do You Need
Materials list:
- Paper plate -we used the 9inch size
- Green paint
- Black, white, green and red construction paper
- Paint brush
- Scissors
- Glue
Optional items:
- Squeeze bottles
- If you let your kiddos add the paint, these are a nice addition to your supplies
- Markers or crayons
- If you would like to make this a low mess project
What We Did
- Paint your paper plate green
- For my one-year-old learners I put the paint directly onto the plate and they used their brushes to spread it on their plate
- For older kids, consider setting out different shades of green and letting them choose one or multiple greens for their creation.
- Once your frog body is dry, it’s time to assemble the face!
- Precut the pieces or draw outlines on the colors needed
- Green circle (x2) about 2.5-3 inches
- White circle (x2) 2 inches
- Black circle (x2) 1 inch
- Black circle (x1 for mouth) 4 inches -cut in half
- Red strip (x1) 1.5 inches wide
- Trim red tongue piece, roll and glue to secure
- Attach face pieces
Ways To Learn
Remember there are so many ways to turn this into a learning experience!
- Ask questions like:
- What color is the frog body
- What shape are the eyes
- What color is the tongue
- Talk about where pieces go
- Eyes are ABOVE our mouth
- Our mouth is UNDER our eyes
- How many circles are there in your frog project
- Talk about Herpetology with older children
- The study of reptiles and amphibians
- Side note: I literally learned about this the day of writing this post as one of my awesome childcare kiddos told me he wanted to be a herpetologist when he grew up.
- Add a sensory element by letting the children paint with their fingers
- Use this time to learn about frogs!
One of my favorite things is getting children talking while doing art. Repeating these simple shapes and colors. Next time you do a similar project and ask them questions, they may surprise you by knowing the answer!
The End Results
I think these turned out very cute.
If you are completely against directed art projects…well you probably aren’t reading this anyways.
If you want to give the littles a bit more control over every element of their project. You can turn this into more of an invitation to create. Set out the pieces needed for the project with an image of a frogs face and let them create.
Takeaway Tips
- Remember to repeat things like green, black, red, and circle to your little learners.
- Wait for the glue to dry to add face. Sometimes paint works as a good glue, however the color could transfer through the paper.
- Talk about a frog lifecycle and what frogs eat while creating
- When waiting for the paint to dry, play games with movement
- Swim like a tadpole.
- Hop like a frog.
- Don’t forget to write how this was created on the back along with each child’s name.
Want More Ideas?
Try out these other paper plate crafts!
1. Paper Plate Masks:
Transform ordinary paper plates into colorful masks! Provide paints, markers, stickers, and other decorations, and let your kids’ imaginations run wild as they create their own characters. Once the masks are decorated, attach a craft stick to the bottom edge to hold them up to their faces.
2. Paper Plate Sun Catchers:
Create beautiful sun catchers using paper plates and translucent materials like tissue paper or colored cellophane. Cut out the center of the paper plate and replace it with a piece of clear plastic wrap or clear contact paper. Then, let your kids decorate the plastic with torn pieces of colored paper. Hang these sun catchers in a sunny window to see the vibrant colors shine through.
3. Paper Plate Tambourines:
Combine crafting with music-making by crafting paper plate tambourines. Simply staple two paper plates together, leaving a small opening to fill them with dried beans, rice, or beads. Then, decorate the edges of the tambourine with colorful tape or stickers. Once the decorations are complete, shake away and enjoy the rhythmic sounds!
