Earn Your Stripes: The Easy Paper Plate Zebra Craft
Gallop back to the African Savanna for our latest wild creation! 🦓 As we continue our safari adventure, we are making an Easy Paper Plate Zebra. This project is a fantastic way for kids to explore patterns and shapes using simple materials you already have at home.
By using a standard paper plate and some construction paper, children can practice “snip-cutting” bold black stripes to create a one-of-a-kind zebra face!
Why This Craft is a “Wild” Success:
Pattern Recognition: Discussing how every zebra has a unique stripe pattern encourages observation and critical thinking.
Scissor Mastery: Cutting long, thin triangles for stripes is excellent practice for “fringe” cutting and directional control.
Zero-Prep Fun: No template needed! This craft uses basic shapes like circles and triangles that kids can help draw and cut.
Materials Needed:
Materials Needed:
Grab these simple supplies from your art bin:
The Face: One white paper plate.
The Stripes & Snout: Black construction paper.
The Ears: Scraps of white and black paper.
Tools: Safety scissors and school glue.
Details: A black marker for the eyes and nostrils.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. Prepare Your Stripes:
Start by cutting out long, thin triangles from your black construction paper. These will be your zebra’s stripes! Focus on making them different sizes—some long, some short.
2. Glue the Stripes:
Apply glue to the back of your black triangles and place them around the edges of your white paper plate. Make sure to leave some white space in the middle for the face!
3. Add the Ears and Snout:
Cut out the ear and snout shapes from your template. Glue the ears to the top-back of the plate and the large black snout to the bottom center of the plate.
4. Give Your Zebra a Face:
Glue on small white circles for nostrils on the snout. Finally, use your black marker to draw two big, friendly eyes (or glue on googly eyes!) to complete your safari friend.
Watch the full tutorial video below:
🌞 Final Thoughts
At missannasclass.com, we love taking simple materials like paper plates and turning them into tools for learning and play.
Helping Children Thrive Miss Anna’s Class focuses on exciting science and phonics to launch reading, ensuring your child starts ahead of their peers and is guaranteed to be ready for school.
👉 Save this idea on Pinterest for your next African Savanna lesson!
NICE TO MEET YOU!
I’m AnnaJo Mason, and I love teaching! I used to be a kindergarten teacher, and now I teach pre-kindergarten and sell my accelerated reading course. I love helping parents achieve early literacy success, and I’m so glad you’re here.
Did your child make reading progress? Tag @missannasclassreads (or your social media handle) on Instagram so we can cheer you on!