Looking for an easy paper plate cat craft to make with preschoolers or kindergarteners? This adorable cat craft turns a simple paper plate into a friendly kitty using paint, construction paper, yarn, and my free printable cat craft template.
I created the printable template to make the project especially easy for parents, homeschool families, and teachers. Instead of trying to draw perfectly sized cat ears, eyes, and a nose yourself, you can print the pieces and get right to crafting.
The finished cat has a painted paper plate face, layered construction paper ears, printable eyes, a pink nose, and real yarn whiskers. Children can follow the orange-and-pink example or choose colors to create their own one-of-a-kind cat.
This is a fun activity for a pet theme, Letter C activities, animal unit, preschool craft time, kindergarten centers, or simply an afternoon when you need an inexpensive project made with supplies you probably already have.
Easy Paper Plate Cat Craft for Preschool and Kindergarten
One reason I love creating paper plate crafts is that the basic supplies are inexpensive and easy to find. With a few additions, an ordinary plate suddenly becomes something completely different.
For this paper plate cat craft, children get to paint, cut, glue, assemble, and decorate. Those simple steps give them plenty of opportunities to practice fine motor skills while creating something they can proudly display.
Craft activities involving cutting, painting, and gluing can support fine motor development and creativity, which makes a project like this an easy hands-on addition to an early learning theme.
I also designed this cat so children aren’t limited to making an orange kitty. Try gray, brown, black, white, yellow, or even a completely imaginary purple cat. Cat crafts are wonderfully forgiving that way. No cat police will arrive to inspect the fur color.
What Is Included in the Free Paper Plate Cat Craft Template?
The free printable paper plate cat craft template includes the pieces needed to turn a 9- or 10-inch paper plate into a cute cat face.
You’ll receive:
- Paper plate cat craft instructions
- Outer ear templates
- Inner ear templates
- Cat nose template
- Printable cat eyes
- Printing suggestions for the construction paper pieces
I separated the inner and outer ears so you can print them directly onto different colors of construction paper. The outer ears can be printed on orange construction paper, or whatever color you choose for your cat, while the inner ears and nose can be printed on pink construction paper.
That little shortcut can save quite a bit of prep time when you’re making the craft with several children.
Supplies for Your Paper Plate Cat Craft
You only need a handful of basic craft supplies:
- One 9- or 10-inch paper plate
- Free cat craft template
- Orange washable paint or another color of your choice
- Paintbrush
- Orange construction paper or another color for the outer ears
- Pink construction paper
- Black yarn
- Child-safe scissors
- Glue
- Black marker
You may also want a washable table covering or scrap paper underneath the plate while children paint.
If you regularly make crafts with children, paper plates, washable paint, construction paper, child-safe scissors, yarn, paintbrushes, and school glue are useful supplies to keep together in a basic craft bin.
How to Make a Paper Plate Cat Craft
This cat paper plate craft is easy enough to prepare for a classroom while still giving children plenty to do themselves.
Step 1: Paint the Paper Plate
Begin with a plain 9- or 10-inch paper plate.
Paint the plate orange, covering the front of the plate with an even coat of washable paint. Then set it aside to dry completely.
Orange creates the classic kitty shown in my example, but don’t feel like you have to stick with it. Children can choose a paint color that reminds them of their own pet or simply use their favorite color.
Step 2: Print the Cat Craft Template
While the paint dries, print the template pieces.
For an orange cat, I recommend printing the outer ear template onto orange construction paper.
Print the inner ear pieces and nose onto pink construction paper. The printable specifically separates these pieces to make preparing the different colors easier.
If your printer doesn’t handle construction paper well, print the templates onto regular paper and use them as tracing patterns instead.
Step 3: Cut Out the Cat Pieces
Carefully cut around the outer ears, inner ears, nose, and eyes.
Preschoolers and kindergarteners who are ready to use child-safe scissors can help with the larger pieces. If you’re working with younger children, you may want to precut some of the smaller pieces.
Cutting around simple craft shapes provides another opportunity to work those little hand muscles and practice scissor control.
Step 4: Assemble the Cat Ears
Glue one pink inner ear onto each larger outer ear.
The layered pieces instantly make those simple paper shapes look much more like kitty ears.
Allow the glue to set for a moment before attaching them to the plate.
Step 5: Glue the Ears to the Paper Plate
Place the completed ears behind the upper edge of the paper plate so that the pointed sections extend above the cat’s head.
Glue them securely into place.
If children are making their own cats, don’t worry about getting every ear positioned exactly alike. Slightly different ears give each finished cat its own personality.
Step 6: Add the Cat’s Eyes and Nose
Glue the printable eyes near the center of the plate.
Next, position the pink triangular nose underneath the eyes and glue it down.
Before gluing, children can move the pieces around to experiment with different expressions. Moving the eyes slightly closer together or farther apart can completely change the cat’s face.
Step 7: Make Yarn Whiskers
Now for my favorite little detail: the whiskers.
Cut six short pieces of black yarn.
Glue three pieces of yarn on each side of the nose to create the cat’s whiskers.
Using yarn instead of simply drawing the whiskers adds texture to the craft and makes the finished cat much more interesting.
Step 8: Draw the Cat’s Mouth
Use a black marker to draw a simple mouth underneath the nose.
Children can give their cat a big smile, a tiny smile, or another expression.
Step 9: Let Your Paper Plate Cat Dry
Set the finished cat aside until all the paint and glue are completely dry.
Then your paper plate cat craft is ready for a classroom bulletin board, homeschool display, refrigerator, bedroom wall, or pet-themed learning area.
Learning Ideas for This Cat Craft
This doesn’t have to be “just” craft time. You can easily use the activity to reinforce early learning skills.
For preschool and kindergarten children, try talking about the shapes they see in the craft. Ask children what shape the nose resembles, how many ears a cat has, or how many whiskers they added to each side.
You could also use the craft for:
- Letter C and beginning sound practice
- Pet-themed preschool units
- Animal vocabulary
- Counting the whiskers
- Color recognition
- Following multi-step directions
- Fine motor practice
- Scissor skills
- Creative expression
A finished cat can even become a storytelling prop. Ask children to name their cat and tell you where it lives, what it likes to eat, or what adventure it went on that day.
Make This Paper Plate Cat Craft for the Letter C
If you’re teaching the alphabet, this craft is especially cute for a Letter C is for Cat theme.
Start by introducing uppercase C and lowercase c. Practice saying the /c/ sound and brainstorm words that begin with C.
After children complete their Letter C activities, bring out the cat craft as the hands-on portion of the lesson.
You can reinforce the connection by repeating:
C is for cat.
Then have children listen for the beginning sound in cat.
This combination of worksheets, conversation, books, and hands-on crafting gives children several different ways to interact with the same letter.
Ways to Customize Your Cat Paper Plate Craft
Orange is only the beginning.
Try creating:
- A gray tabby cat
- A black cat
- A white cat
- A brown cat
- A calico-inspired cat
- A spotted cat
- A striped cat
- A cat that looks like a family pet
- A rainbow imaginary cat
Children can also add stripes, spots, patches, eyebrows, or other details after the paint dries.
Giving children some choice is one of the easiest ways to turn a template-based activity into an individual art project.
Cat Books to Read With Your Craft
A picture book and craft combination works especially well for preschool and kindergarten because the story gives children something to talk about before and after creating their cat.
Here are a few cat-themed books you might want to pair with the activity.
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin and James Dean
Pete is always a fun choice for young children, and his adventures make an easy addition to a cat theme. You could even let children paint their paper plate cats blue for a Pete-inspired variation.
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin and James Dean
This is another fun choice when you want to sneak some early math into story time. After reading, count the cat’s whiskers, ears, and eyes on the finished craft.
They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel
This Caldecott Honor book explores how different creatures perceive the same cat, making it an interesting choice for discussing observation and perspective with young children.
Have You Seen My Cat? by Eric Carle
The repetitive structure and colorful illustrations make this a nice addition to a preschool cat or pet theme.
You can also set out nonfiction cat books so children can look closely at different fur colors, patterns, ears, eyes, and whiskers before designing their own cats.
More Activities to Pair With a Cat Theme
If you’re building a full cat theme for preschool or kindergarten, you don’t have to stop after the glue dries.
Add a few simple learning activities throughout the day.
Children can practice counting cat paws, sort pictures of pets and wild animals, trace the word cat, practice writing Cc, create cat patterns, or draw a picture of their own imaginary pet.
For dramatic play, create a pretend veterinary clinic or pet adoption center. Add stuffed animals, paper forms, pencils, toy pet supplies, and a few cardboard boxes for animal beds.
Your paper plate cats can even become part of the display.
Additional Printables to Use With Your Paper Plate Cat Craft
If you’re using this project for a Letter C theme, pair the craft with my Letter C worksheets for even more practice.
Children can work on:
- Uppercase and lowercase Letter C recognition
- Letter C tracing
- Handwriting
- Beginning sounds
- Coloring
- Fine motor activities
- Letter identification
- C is for cat activities
I especially like the idea of completing a Letter C worksheet first and saving the paper plate cat craft for the hands-on portion of the lesson. It gives children a change of pace while keeping everything connected to the same learning theme.
You can also browse my other free preschool and kindergarten printables for activities that fit your current classroom or homeschool theme.
Pin This Paper Plate Cat Craft for Later
Not ready to pull out the paint and yarn quite yet?
Save this paper plate cat craft with free printable template to your favorite Pinterest board so you can find it when you’re planning a Letter C lesson, pet unit, animal theme, preschool craft, or kindergarten activity.
It’s also a handy one to save to a Paper Plate Crafts for Kids board. One humble stack of plates can keep a craft calendar surprisingly busy.
Get Your Free Paper Plate Cat Craft Template Here
Ready to make your own kitty?
I created this free paper plate cat craft template to make prep easier for parents, homeschool families, and teachers. The printable includes the pieces you’ll need to create the cat, including the outer ears, inner ears, nose, and eyes, along with simple craft instructions.
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Easy Cat Craft for Kids
This paper plate cat craft is proof that you don’t need an overflowing craft cabinet or complicated instructions to create something children will enjoy. A paper plate, a little paint, construction paper, yarn, and the free template are enough to make an adorable cat while children practice cutting, gluing, painting, and following directions.
Use it for your Letter C activities, preschool pet theme, kindergarten animal unit, homeschool lesson, classroom art center, or just-for-fun craft time.
And don’t forget to let children choose their own colors. An orange tabby is adorable, but there’s plenty of room in the craft world for a purple polka-dot kitty too.
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