Penguins are a staple for winter crafts, and this Paper Plate Penguin Craft is an easy way to bring some frosty fun to your day. My kids loved turning something as simple as a paper plate into an adorable penguin, complete with flapping wings and a bright orange beak. It’s quick to set up, and the folding and painting make it the perfect hands-on activity for little ones.
The best part? This craft is super forgiving—no need for perfect folds or exact cuts. Every penguin will have its own unique personality, which makes it even more fun to display or gift once it’s done.
Why You’ll Love This Penguin Craft
This craft is simple, creative, and a great way to keep kids entertained on a cold day. It encourages fine motor skills with folding, cutting, and gluing, while still being easy enough for younger kids to enjoy. Plus, the end result is an adorable penguin that’s perfect for winter decorating.
Materials You’ll Need:
- White paper plate
- Black paint
- Paintbrush
- White, black, and orange construction paper
- Glue
- Scissors
How to Make the Paper Plate Penguin Craft
- Fold the Plate
Take a white paper plate and fold in both sides slightly to create the penguin’s wings. Then fold the top edge of the plate down to form the penguin’s head. Adjust the folds as needed so the penguin takes shape.
- Paint the Plate
Use black paint to cover the folded wings and the top fold (the head). Leave the center of the plate white to form the penguin’s belly. Allow the paint to dry completely before moving on.
- Cut Out the Features
From orange construction paper, cut a triangle for the beak and two webbed feet. Cut out two small circles from white construction paper for the eyes and two even smaller black circles for the pupils.
- Assemble the Penguin
Glue the orange beak in the center of the penguin’s head. Attach the white circles for eyes above the beak and glue the black pupils onto the white circles. Glue the orange feet to the bottom of the plate, either peeking out from underneath or on top.
- Final Touches
Let everything dry completely before displaying. You can also add a ribbon to the back if you want to turn it into a wall or door decoration.
This Paper Plate Penguin Craft is a fun and easy way to get into the winter spirit. Kids will love folding, painting, and assembling their penguin, and the finished product is as cute as can be. It’s a simple, mess-friendly craft that’s perfect for kids of all ages!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
