This simple Halloween Paper Plate Craft is perfect for toddlers and little kids. All you need are a few simple, everyday supplies and you’ve got yourself a fun Halloween activity!
This paper plate activity is not only super easy, it’s also inexpensive and perfect if you need something fun to do at a moment’s notice.
- Rainy day? Let’s make paper plate pumpkins!
- Crabby child? Purple monster faces it is!
See where I’m going with this? Even for the self-proclaimed non-crafty, Pinterest-failers among us, this craft can so happen.
All you need are a few simple things for this Halloween Paper Plate Craft.
At the very least you’ll need:
- paper plates
- non-toxic water-based paint
- foam brush
And we are on our way to having our front windows decked out with these adorable paper plate faces for Halloween.
At 16 months old, this was the perfect craft for my toddler. She is finally getting to the point where she realizes certain things shouldn’t go in her mouth (cell phone chargers, crayons, dog hair), so I can sort of trust her with the paint/paintbrush combo.
I should probably also mention that unless you want your beautiful white kitchen polka-dotted with purple stamps, this should most certainly be a supervised or outdoor craft, but you already knew that, Marla. So since it was a little chilly out, I used scotch tape to secure some old newspaper to her Ikea Latt table and she happily stamped away.
More Fall Fun…
♥ How to Host the Ultimate Fall Pinterest Party
♥ Pumpkin Spice Holiday Brunch Waffles
♥ DIY Frankenstein Pudding Cups
Older kids will have a blast decorating their Halloween faces and you even might want to bust out some glue so they can assemble a Frankenstein-like creation. While we’re not quite at that stage of craft-trustworthiness, it would most certainly work for an older child.
This post has also been featured in our Fall Recipe & Craft Roundup!
Super Easy Halloween Paper Plate Craft for Toddlers
For this craft, you will need:
- Plain white paper plates
- A foam brush (such as these)
- Non-toxic, washable paint (I used Creatology from Michael’s, but you could also get some Crayola paint here on Amazon)
- Markers and construction paper for finishing touches
Notes: Since the pack of paint I had didn’t come with purple or orange, I got old school and mixed red and blue to make purple, and red and yellow to make orange. I also added a few drops of regular old food coloring to help brighten up the colors.
Instructions
It feels silly to even provide steps for this craft, but this is basically how I did it:
- Pour the paint onto one plate, and turn the other plate upside down.
- Demonstrate for younger toddlers how to dip into the paint and then stamp the other plate.
- When they are finished stamping, smooth out the paint and add the faces with black paint. Obviously older kids can do this step themselves.
- At this point you could wait for the paint to dry and then add stickers, foam letters, glitter, whatever works!
We made an orange pumpkin, a purple monster, and a green Frankenstein’s monster!
Side Note: this craft is also great for sensory play. I let my toddler fingerpaint a little and just smush the foam brush in her hands. For a girl who is very sensitive about her hands getting dirty, despite her expression in this picture, she sure had a great time with the paint!
More Easy DIYs
♥ DIY Toddler Headband Organizer
♥ DIY Woodland 1st Birthday Party
Be sure to follow my Fall Crafts, Fun & Decor Pinterest Board!
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Ash @ Spit Up and Sit Ups says
This is super cute! I will have to get my toddler in on the painting action!
Marla says
Thanks, Ash! The foam brushes make it so easy for them to paint!
Megan @ The Many Little Joys says
I love super simple crafts. When they get too complicated, I tend to try to take over, thus ruining the whole point of my CHILD doing the craft. This one is totally something my boys could do on their own, and then I could help them with drawing faces, or just give them stickers to do it themselves. Thanks for sharing! (P.S. – I’ve been loving your blog and all the learning and literacy posts you’ve done.)
Marla says
Haha right?! I see too many Pinterest crafts that look like they weren’t done by kids! When Harper is a little older I know she will like to help paint the faces on. Thanks so much! I also love your site. Must be an English teacher thing 🙂
emmalee13 says
They are so cute! I love this idea!
Marla says
Yay! Thank you!
lovelyluckylife says
These are really cute! My kids (2 and 4) are SO into Halloween this year – they would love this!
Marla says
Yay! So glad to hear it!
Anjali Sengar says
They are so pretty 🙂
Marla says
Thanks, Anjali!