Looking for a simple paper plate elephant craft to make with preschool or kindergarten students? I created this free printable elephant craft template to turn an ordinary paper plate into an adorable elephant with big ears, a long trunk, and a friendly little face.
This is an easy craft to add to a Letter E lesson, zoo animal theme, jungle or safari unit, or an elephant-themed storytime. Since the printable includes both color and black-and-white pieces, you can choose between a quick cut-and-paste activity or give children a little more creative freedom by letting them color their own elephant pieces.
And, of course, painting the paper plate adds another hands-on element that makes this much more than a regular worksheet.
Easy Paper Plate Elephant Craft for Kids
I love creating paper plate crafts because they take something incredibly simple and turn it into an activity children can actually build.
For this elephant, the paper plate becomes the elephant’s head while the printable template provides the large ears, inner ears, eyes, and trunk.
Children get to practice several early learning skills while completing the project, including:
- Fine motor skills
- Cutting with scissors
- Hand-eye coordination
- Gluing and positioning pieces
- Following directions
- Color recognition
- Creative expression
For younger preschoolers, an adult can pre-cut the pieces. Kindergarten students and older preschoolers who are comfortable with scissors can practice cutting the pieces independently.
What’s Included in the Free Elephant Craft Template?
I created the printable template to make preparing this paper plate elephant craft as easy as possible for parents and teachers.
The free printable includes:
- Elephant ears
- Elephant eyes
- Elephant trunk
- Full-color template pieces
- Black-and-white template pieces
The color version features gray outer ears and trunk with pink inner ears. If you use the black-and-white version, children can color the pieces themselves before cutting them out.
Having both options also makes the craft easier to adapt for different settings. The ready-to-use color version works well when you need a quicker activity, while the black-and-white version gives children an extra coloring and fine motor activity.
Supplies for Your Paper Plate Elephant Craft
This paper plate elephant craft only requires a few basic craft supplies.
You Will Need:
- One 9-inch paper plate
- Gray washable paint
- Paintbrush
- Free printable elephant craft template
- Crayons or markers if using the black-and-white template
- Child-safe scissors
- Glue
You may also want to put newspaper, scrap paper, or a washable mat underneath the plate while children paint.
If you are doing this activity with a classroom or homeschool group, painting the plates first and setting them aside to dry while children work on another elephant activity can help everything run more smoothly.
How to Make a Paper Plate Elephant
Once you have your supplies ready, this elephant comes together in just a few steps.
Step 1: Paint the Paper Plate Gray
Start with a regular 9-inch paper plate.
Paint the front of the plate gray, covering the entire surface. Children don’t need to make the paint perfectly even. The little variations in the paint are part of what makes each finished elephant unique.
Set the plate aside and allow the paint to dry completely.
Step 2: Print the Elephant Craft Template
Print the free paper plate elephant craft template.
You can choose the full-color version for a quicker craft or print the black-and-white version so children can color the elephant themselves.
I recommend printing the template pieces on cardstock when possible. The thicker paper makes the ears and trunk a little sturdier once they’re attached to the paper plate.
Step 3: Color the Elephant Pieces
If you’re using the black-and-white template, let children color the ears, inner ears, eyes, and trunk.
They can make a traditional gray elephant with pink inner ears or create an elephant in any colors they choose.
This is an easy place to give children a little creative freedom while still keeping the overall craft simple.
Step 4: Cut Out the Elephant Template
Carefully cut around each printable piece.
Younger children may need help with the curved edges of the ears and trunk. Older preschool and kindergarten students can use this step as additional scissor practice.
Step 5: Glue the Ears to the Paper Plate
Glue one elephant ear to each side of the paper plate.
Position the ears so that they extend beyond the edges of the plate. Those oversized ears are what really make the craft begin to look like an elephant.
Step 6: Add the Elephant’s Eyes
Glue the two eyes near the center of the paper plate.
Leave enough room underneath them for the trunk.
Step 7: Add the Elephant’s Trunk
Glue the trunk below and between the eyes so that it extends down past the bottom of the paper plate.
The printable trunk already includes simple curved detail lines, so once it is attached, the elephant’s face is nearly finished.
Allow the glue to dry then draw a mouth and your paper plate elephant craft is complete.
Use This Elephant Craft for Letter E
This craft is especially useful when children are learning the letter E.
Instead of introducing the letter only through tracing and handwriting practice, you can use several types of activities to reinforce the same letter and beginning sound.
For example, children can practice saying:
E is for elephant.
Emphasize the beginning /e/ sound and have children repeat the word elephant.
You can also ask children to think of other words beginning with E, such as egg, elbow, envelope, and engine.
Combining worksheets with a hands-on craft gives children another way to interact with the vocabulary they are learning.
Pair It With My Free Letter E Worksheets
If you’re working on Letter E, pair this elephant craft with my Free Printable Letter E Worksheets for Preschool and Kindergarten.
The worksheets give children additional practice with uppercase E, lowercase e, letter recognition, beginning sounds, handwriting, and Letter E vocabulary.
The elephant craft works especially well after completing the E is for elephant activity. Children can move from recognizing the picture and letter on paper to creating their own elephant.
This makes an easy Letter E mini lesson:
- Introduce uppercase E and lowercase e.
- Practice the sound of Letter E.
- Complete a Letter E coloring page or worksheet.
- Talk about the word elephant.
- Make the paper plate elephant.
- Display the finished elephants with children’s Letter E work.
Ways to Use This Elephant Craft
You don’t have to save this project only for Letter E week.
This elephant paper plate craft can fit into several preschool and kindergarten themes.
Zoo Animal Unit
Add the elephant to a zoo theme alongside lions, giraffes, monkeys, zebras, and other zoo animals.
You could even create a classroom zoo display using children’s completed paper plate animals.
Safari or Jungle Theme
Elephants are also a natural addition to animal studies and safari-themed learning activities.
Use the craft alongside simple discussions about elephant habitats, body parts, food, and behavior.
Animal Body Parts Lesson
An elephant has some pretty noticeable features, which makes this craft useful for introducing animal body parts.
Ask children to identify the:
- Ears
- Eyes
- Trunk
- Head
You can also talk about how elephants use their trunks to smell, breathe, drink, and pick things up.
Fine Motor Activity
The coloring, painting, cutting, positioning, and gluing involved in this activity all give little hands meaningful fine motor practice.
That makes the craft an easy choice for classroom art centers, homeschool activity time, early finishers, or a quiet afternoon project.
Elephant Books to Read With Your Craft
Adding a picture book can turn a simple craft into a fuller learning activity.
Here are a few elephant books that would pair nicely with your paper plate elephant craft.
Elmer by David McKee
Elmer’s colorful patchwork design makes this book especially fun for talking about colors and individuality. After reading, children could even create their paper plate elephant using bright colors instead of traditional gray.
Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev
This sweet story about friendship and inclusion can add a social-emotional learning component to an elephant theme.
Ellie by Mike Wu
Ellie is another fun elephant story to pair with an art activity, especially because the story itself celebrates creativity.
The Elephants’ Ears by Catherine Chambers
A nonfiction elephant book can help children move from crafting into learning more about real elephants and their unique features.
Reading before crafting also gives children something to talk about while they work.
More Learning Activities to Add to an Elephant Theme
You can easily stretch this activity beyond craft time.
Try having children count elephant pictures, compare big and small animals, practice writing the letter E, or draw an elephant habitat.
For a simple writing extension, ask:
What would you do if you had a pet elephant?
Preschoolers can dictate their answers while an adult writes them down. Kindergarten students can draw a picture and attempt a sentence independently.
You could also place the completed elephants on a bulletin board with a large E is for Elephant heading.
More Free Alphabet Printables
If you’re building a preschool or kindergarten alphabet unit, you don’t have to stop with Letter E.
I have been creating a growing collection of free alphabet coloring pages and worksheets that you can use to practice letters from A to Z.
Each letter gives children another opportunity to work on skills such as:
- Uppercase and lowercase letter recognition
- Beginning sounds
- Handwriting
- Vocabulary
- Coloring
- Fine motor development
You can use the individual letter activities for a Letter of the Week program or choose the letters your child or students need additional practice with.
Be sure to check out my Free A to Z Alphabet Coloring Pages for even more alphabet practice.
More Paper Plate Crafts for Kids
If your children or students enjoyed making this elephant, try adding more paper plate crafts to your lessons.
Paper plate animal crafts are especially easy to connect with alphabet learning because each animal can reinforce a new beginning sound.
You can use them for:
- Letter of the Week activities
- Preschool craft centers
- Kindergarten art activities
- Zoo units
- Animal themes
- Story extensions
- Homeschool lessons
Save finished crafts for a classroom alphabet wall or create an animal display as you work through different letters.
Pin This Paper Plate Elephant Craft for Later
Not ready to make your elephant today?
Save this paper plate elephant craft with free printable template to Pinterest so you can easily find it when you’re planning Letter E activities, zoo lessons, preschool crafts, or kindergarten activities.
It’s also a handy one to save when you’re planning your Letter of the Week activities ahead of time.
Get Your Free Paper Plate Elephant Craft Template Here
Ready to make your elephant?
I created this free printable paper plate elephant craft template to make the activity easy to prepare at home or in the classroom.
The printable includes the pieces you need to complete the elephant, with both color and black-and-white options.
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Paper Plate Elephant Craft: A Simple Letter E Activity
This paper plate elephant craft is an easy way to combine art, fine motor practice, and early literacy in one activity. With a paper plate, a little gray paint, and the free printable elephant template, preschool and kindergarten children can create an elephant while practicing cutting, gluing, following directions, and learning new vocabulary.
I especially love how naturally this craft fits into Letter E learning. Pair it with your Letter E worksheets, read an elephant picture book, and finish with the craft for a simple themed lesson that doesn’t require complicated supplies or hours of preparation.
Whether you’re planning a Letter of the Week lesson, zoo unit, animal theme, or just need an easy craft for kids, I hope this little elephant finds a happy spot in your lesson plans.
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