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Indoor activity

Paper Plate Elephant

Fold and paint a paper plate into a big grey elephant with a curly trunk, floppy ears, and googly eyes — a safari favourite!

Ages 2-9 0-1 hours Education 4/10

Materials

  • Flat Paintbrush
  • Googly Eyes
  • Markers
  • Paper
  • Paper Plates
  • Poster Paint
  • PVA Glue
  • Scissors

Illustrated Steps

1

Paint the Plate

Paint the front of a paper plate grey for the elephant's head. Let dry.

2

Cut Trunk and Ears

Cut a long curving trunk and two big C-shaped ears from grey paper.

3

Assemble the Face

Glue the trunk to the centre-bottom and ears to the sides. Curl the trunk tip!

4

Add Details

Stick on googly eyes, draw a mouth with marker, and give your elephant a name!

What You’ll Create

A gentle giant made from a plate! 🐘 Your little artists will transform a paper plate into an adorable elephant by painting it grey, cutting out a long curly trunk and big floppy ears, and adding googly eyes for personality. Fold the trunk into a curl and your elephant is ready for a safari adventure!

Have fun!

  • 🌍 Make a whole safari — add a lion, giraffe, and zebra from more plates!
  • 🎭 Tape a popsicle stick to the back and use it as a puppet!
  • 📖 Read a book about elephants and then make your own to match the story!
  • 🐘 Make a baby elephant from a smaller plate and display them together!

Why It’s Amazing

  • Animal Anatomy: Building an elephant from parts teaches children to observe and replicate animal features — trunk, ears, tusks, proportions. 🐘

  • Colour Mixing: Creating the perfect elephant grey from white and black paint introduces colour theory and controlled mixing. 🎨

  • Spatial Reasoning: Positioning ears, trunk, and eyes in the right places on the plate develops understanding of symmetry and proportion. 📐

  • Fine Motor Skills: Cutting curved shapes, curling the trunk, and precise gluing all build hand dexterity. ✋

Pro Tips

For ages 3–5: Pre-cut the trunk and ears. Let them paint the plate and stick everything on. Focus on the painting and the googly eyes — those are the fun bits!

For ages 5–8: Let them cut their own shapes. Show them how to curl the trunk for a 3D effect. Challenge them to make the ears symmetrical.

For ages 8–12: Research real elephant anatomy — African elephants have larger ears than Asian elephants! Create both types and display with fact labels. Add textured skin by pressing crumpled paper into wet paint for a realistic wrinkly effect.

Secret Pro Move: Cut small slits around the edges of the ears and fold them forward slightly — this gives the ears a 3D floppy effect that makes the elephant look much more lifelike! 🎯