Paper plate masks: how to make them (and what to do next)

Paper plate masks are cheap, quick and endlessly flexible. A plate becomes a tiger, a robot, a moon or a monster in about 25 minutes, and then the real fun starts: your child gets to be someone else.

What you need

• Paper plates (one per mask)
• Paint, markers or crayons
• Scissors (for the adult)
• Glue and scraps: colored paper, yarn, feathers, cotton balls, bottle tops
• A hole punch or sharp pencil
• Elastic, string or a craft stick for holding it

How to make one

1. Choose a character. Ask, "Who do you want to turn into today? A tiger? A robot? Something I've never seen?"
2. Cut the eye holes. Hold the plate up to your child's face and mark where their eyes are, then cut the holes. This is the adult's job.
3. Decorate. Paint or color the plate. Let it dry if you've used paint.
4. Add features. Glue on ears, whiskers, a nose, feathers or yarn hair.
5. Attach it. Punch a hole on each side and tie on elastic or string, or glue a craft stick to the bottom for a handle.
6. Wear it. Put it on, and try a growl, a robot voice or a monster walk.

Mask ideas

• Tiger or cat. Orange paint, black stripes and yarn whiskers.
• Robot. Silver foil, bottle-top buttons and a rectangle mouth.
• Moon and stars. A yellow plate with a face, or a dark plate with foil stars.
• Monster. Googly eyes, lots of teeth, mismatched colors and a big tongue.
• Superhero. Cut a half mask, with a plate trimmed to cover just the eyes.
• Bird. Feathers around the edge and a cone beak made from a folded piece of paper.

Tips that save the day

• Cut the eye holes first. It's much easier to paint a plate that's already cut.
• Use less paint than you think. Thick paint takes ages to dry and can crack.
• Elastic beats string. It fits more heads and doesn't slip.
• Try a craft stick for little ones. Holding the mask up like a prop is easier than wearing it.
• Check they can see. Make the eye holes a bit larger than you think.
• Protect the table. Newspaper or a plastic tablecloth does the trick.

What to do with them

The craft is only half of it. Once the masks are made, try:

• A mask parade. March around the house in character.
• A play. Act out a favorite story, or make one up. Give each animal a sound and a move.
• Guess who. One person hides behind a mask and the others guess the character.
• Mask stories. Everyone tells a short story as their character. Keep it silly.
• A masquerade snack. Wear the masks at snack time. What does a tiger eat?

If it stalls

If they lose interest in the craft, that's fine. Put the half-done mask on and start the story. There's no pressure to finish, and the best masks are often unfinished. If they're stuck on what to make, make yours a bit silly. They'll want to top it.

Why it's worth doing

Decorating a mask builds small hand muscles, planning and decision-making. Wearing it unlocks pretend play, which helps children try on different feelings and ideas and grows imagination and language.

More ideas

If you like this one, you might enjoy a cardboard marble run, leaf rubbings or our big list of things to do with kids.