Looking for an easy paper plate dog craft to make with preschoolers or kindergarten students? I created this adorable dog craft as a simple hands-on activity that children can color, cut, glue, and make their own. It comes with a free printable dog craft template, so you don’t have to figure out how to draw all those floppy ears and puppy-dog features yourself.
This is a fun craft to add to a Letter D lesson, pet theme, animal unit, dog-themed storytime, or classroom craft day. It also gives children a chance to work on important fine motor skills while creating a puppy they can proudly display when they’re finished.
I included both black-and-white and color template pieces, so you can choose the version that works best for your children or students.
Free Printable Paper Plate Dog Craft
One of the things I love about paper plate crafts is how an ordinary classroom supply can become something completely different with a little paint and imagination.
For this paper plate dog craft, a regular 9-inch paper plate becomes the dog’s face. Children paint the plate brown and then add the printable ears, eyes, muzzle, and nose.
The finished puppy has big floppy ears and a sweet little face, making this an especially cute addition to preschool and kindergarten animal activities.
I kept the pieces fairly simple so younger children can participate in as much of the process as their cutting abilities allow.
What’s Included in the Paper Plate Dog Craft Template?
The free printable template includes all the pieces needed to turn a paper plate into a dog.
You’ll get:
- Two floppy dog ears
- Two eyes
- Dog muzzle with mouth and whisker details
- Dog nose
- Black-and-white template
- Pre-colored template
The black-and-white version allows children to color the pieces themselves, while the color version is a handy option when you need a quicker activity.
The printable includes the large floppy ears, eyes, muzzle, and nose shown on pages 3 and 4 of the craft pack.
Why Make a Paper Plate Dog Craft With Kids?
Crafts can be much more than a cute project to send home at the end of the day. Cutting, coloring, painting, and gluing give young learners opportunities to practice several skills at once.
This dog craft can help children practice:
Fine Motor Skills
Holding a paintbrush, coloring the template, using scissors, and applying glue all require children to use the small muscles in their hands and fingers.
Those little movements help build the hand strength and coordination children need for tasks such as handwriting, buttoning clothing, and using classroom tools.
Cutting Practice
The large template pieces give children meaningful cutting practice without requiring lots of tiny, complicated details.
Children who are still developing scissor skills may need help with some of the curved areas, especially around the ears and muzzle.
Following Directions
Children have to complete several steps to build their puppy, from painting the plate to deciding where each facial feature belongs.
You can work through the steps together or give older children the finished example and see if they can determine where the pieces should go.
Creativity
Although my example uses a brown dog, there’s certainly no rule saying every puppy needs to look the same.
Children can make a black dog, golden dog, spotted dog, rainbow dog, or a completely imaginary puppy. With the black-and-white template, they can choose their own colors and details.
Supplies for Your Paper Plate Dog Craft
You only need a few basic craft supplies for this project:
- 9-inch paper plate
- Brown washable paint
- Paintbrush
- Free printable dog craft template
- Crayons or markers when using the black-and-white template
- Child-safe scissors
- Glue
The original printable instructions use brown paint for the paper plate and include both a color and black-and-white version of the dog pieces.
Cardstock works especially well for the printable pieces because it gives those floppy ears a little more structure. Regular printer paper can also work if that’s what you already have available.
How to Make a Paper Plate Dog Craft
This project is simple enough to use at home, during a homeschool lesson, in a preschool classroom, or at an elementary art or literacy center.
Step 1: Paint the Paper Plate
Paint the front of a 9-inch paper plate brown.
Let the plate dry completely before adding the dog’s face. If you’re doing this activity with a class, you could paint the plates earlier in the day and assemble the dogs after the paint has dried.
Step 2: Print the Dog Craft Template
Print the free dog craft template.
You can choose between the black-and-white and pre-colored versions included with the printable.
Step 3: Color the Dog Pieces
If you’re using the black-and-white template, have children color the ears, muzzle, and other pieces.
This is also where they can put their own spin on their puppy.
Step 4: Cut Out the Template Pieces
Carefully cut around each of the dog pieces.
You should have two ears, two eyes, one muzzle, and one nose.
Step 5: Add the Floppy Ears
Glue one floppy ear to each side of the paper plate.
Let the ears hang downward to create that adorable floppy-eared puppy look.
Step 6: Make the Dog’s Face
Glue the two eyes near the center of the paper plate.
Next, glue the muzzle underneath the eyes.
Step 7: Add the Nose
Glue the black nose onto the top center of the muzzle.
Let everything dry, and your paper plate dog craft is complete!
These steps follow the assembly directions included with the printable craft.
Turn This Dog Craft Into a Letter D Activity
This craft is a natural addition to a Letter D lesson because D is for dog and pairs perfectly with my letter D coloring pages.
If you’re teaching preschool or kindergarten children about the letter D, you can use the craft after practicing uppercase and lowercase D.
Talk about the beginning sound in dog and brainstorm other words that begin with D, such as:
- Duck
- Donut
- Dinosaur
- Drum
- Door
- Deer
- Dolphin
You could even write a large uppercase and lowercase D on the back of the finished dog before displaying it.
Pairing a letter lesson with a hands-on activity gives children another way to make a connection between the letter, its sound, and a familiar word.
Fun Ways to Use Your Paper Plate Dog Craft
You don’t have to limit this craft to Letter D week. There are plenty of opportunities to bring these little paper puppies out to play.
Use your dog craft during:
- Pet-themed preschool units
- Animal lessons
- Letter D activities
- Dog-themed storytime
- Homeschool art lessons
- Classroom centers
- Fine motor activities
- Dramatic play themes
- Veterinary or community helper units
You could also turn the finished dogs into a classroom display.
Have each child name their puppy and write the name underneath it. Older children could add one or two sentences describing their dog.
Picture Books to Pair With a Paper Plate Dog Craft
A good picture book makes an easy craft even more useful because you can turn the activity into a complete literacy lesson.
Here are a few dog-themed books worth pairing with your craft:
Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
Harry’s adventures are a fun match for a dog craft and provide opportunities to talk about sequencing and story events.
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
This silly story can lead to conversations about animal sounds, prediction, and what makes different animals unique.
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems
This is a fun choice for discussing wants versus responsibilities and what it might actually be like to take care of a pet.
Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
For younger learners, this book provides an easy way to combine your dog theme with color recognition and counting practice.
After reading, children can create their paper plate puppy and tell you something they remember from the story.
Make a Paper Plate Dog Puppet
Want another simple activity to extend your dog theme?
Turn the finished paper plate dog into a puppet.
Instead of hanging the completed craft on the wall, glue or tape a large wooden craft stick to the back of the plate.
Once everything is dry, children can hold their puppies and use them for pretend play, retelling a dog-themed story, or making up their own stories.
For a group activity, have children introduce their puppies:
- “My dog’s name is ______.”
- “My dog likes to ______.”
- “My dog is ______.”
It’s a simple way to sneak oral language practice into craft time.
More Printable Activities to Pair With Your Dog Craft
If you’re using this paper plate dog craft during Letter D week, you can continue the learning with Letter D activities.
Try adding:
- Letter D coloring pages
- Uppercase and lowercase D tracing
- Beginning sound activities
- D is for dog coloring pages
- Letter recognition worksheets
- Dot marker activities
- Handwriting practice
- Cut-and-paste Letter D activities
I like the idea of using the printable activities first and saving the dog craft for the end of the lesson. It gives children something hands-on to look forward to while reinforcing the same letter they’re learning.
Paper Plate Dog Craft for Preschool and Kindergarten
This craft works especially well for preschool and kindergarten because you can easily adjust how much of the project children complete independently.
For younger preschoolers, you may want to pre-cut the pieces and let them focus on painting and assembling their dogs.
Older preschool and kindergarten children can color and cut their own pieces.
And don’t worry if the ears aren’t perfectly straight or the puppy ends up with one eye slightly higher than the other. Those little differences are part of what makes children’s finished crafts so much fun to display.
Pin This Paper Plate Dog Craft for Later
Not ready to make your puppies today?
Save this paper plate dog craft with free printable template to your preschool crafts, Letter D activities, animal crafts, homeschool ideas, or kindergarten activities board on Pinterest.
Then you’ll have the printable ready when Letter D week or your next pet theme rolls around.
Get Your Free Paper Plate Dog Craft Template Here
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An Easy Dog Craft Kids Can Make Their Own
This paper plate dog craft turns a few simple supplies into an adorable hands-on activity for preschool and kindergarten learners.
Whether you’re working on the letter D, learning about pets, reading a favorite dog story, or simply looking for an easy craft, the free printable template makes preparation much easier.
Print the template, grab a paper plate and some paint, and let your little artists create their own collection of floppy-eared puppies.
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