Looking for an easy paper plate ghost craft to add to your Halloween activities? I created this simple ghost craft as a fun way for preschool and kindergarten children to practice cutting, gluing, and following directions while making an adorable Halloween decoration.
One of the things I love about paper plate crafts is how approachable they are. The paper plate provides the main shape, while a printable template takes away the guesswork of drawing all those extra pieces. For this ghost, children add a wavy ghost body, two arms, big expressive eyes, and a smiling mouth with a pink tongue.
This craft works especially well for a Halloween classroom activity, homeschool lesson, fall craft day, library program, or a Letter G theme. And because the finished ghost is more cute than spooky, it is a great option for younger children who may not be ready for Halloween’s creepier residents.
Easy Paper Plate Ghost Craft for Preschool and Kindergarten
This paper plate ghost craft for kids uses a standard paper plate for the ghost’s head. Instead of trying to squeeze the entire ghost onto the plate, the printable template includes a separate wavy body and two arms that are attached behind it. The finished ghost has a much more complete look while still keeping the project easy enough for younger learners.
The printable template also gives you another option: children can use the template pieces as patterns and trace the body and arms onto white cardstock or construction paper. The eyes and mouth can be cut from coordinating paper to create the finished face.
I especially like crafts like this for early learners because there is plenty happening beyond making something cute. Cutting around the pieces provides fine motor practice, arranging the face introduces spatial awareness, and assembling the ghost requires children to follow a simple sequence of steps.
Skills Children Can Practice with This Ghost Craft
While the main goal is to have some Halloween fun, this activity can also support several early learning skills. Children get opportunities to practice scissor control, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, following directions, and positioning pieces to create a complete picture.
Teachers can also turn the craft into a language activity. Before assembling the ghost, talk about words such as ghost, glue, white, arms, eyes, and mouth. If you are working on the alphabet, this gives you an easy way to connect the craft to the letter G and the /g/ beginning sound.
Supplies for Your Paper Plate Ghost Craft
You only need a handful of basic craft materials for this activity:
- Paper plate
- Printable ghost craft template
- White cardstock or construction paper
- Black construction paper
- Pink construction paper
- Scissors
- Glue
These supplies match the materials included with my printable ghost craft directions.
For younger preschoolers, an adult can cut out some or all of the template pieces ahead of time. Kindergarteners and children who are comfortable using scissors can do more of the cutting themselves.
How to Make a Paper Plate Ghost
Start by printing the paper plate ghost template and cutting out the ghost pieces.
Use the large ghost body and two arm pieces as patterns. Trace them onto white cardstock or white construction paper, then cut them out. This gives your ghost a white body that coordinates with the paper plate.
Next, glue the large ghost body behind the bottom of the paper plate. Position it so the wavy edge extends below the plate. This is important because the paper plate forms the ghost’s head rather than covering the entire body.
Glue one arm behind each side of the plate. You can angle the arms slightly upward to make your ghost look like it is floating and waving.
Cut out the eyes and attach them to the front of the plate. Then cut out the black mouth and pink tongue and glue them in place.
Allow everything to dry completely, and your paper plate ghost is ready for its grand, not-very-scary debut. These steps follow the assembly instructions included on page 2 of the printable craft.
Making This Ghost Craft Easier for Preschoolers
If you are using this paper plate ghost craft for preschool, you can simplify the activity without taking away the fun.
Prepare the ghost body and arms ahead of time, then let children focus on arranging and gluing the pieces. The face is particularly fun because children can see their ghost’s personality appear as they add each feature.
You could also pre-cut the construction paper pieces and place one complete set at each child’s seat. This can be helpful for classroom craft time when you have several children working at once.
Another option is to complete the activity in stages. Children can work on the face first and assemble the body later. Breaking a craft into smaller steps can make the activity more manageable for younger learners.
Turn Your Paper Plate Ghost Craft into a Letter G Activity
This little ghost fits naturally into a Letter G lesson. If you are already practicing uppercase and lowercase G, use the craft as a hands-on activity after children finish their letter worksheets.
Talk about the word ghost and emphasize its beginning sound. Children can say the word, identify the first letter, trace G with their fingers in the air, and then make their ghost.
I would pair the craft with my free Letter G coloring page worksheets to create a simple themed lesson. A worksheet, read-aloud, and craft provide several different ways to explore the same letter without asking children to sit and complete worksheet after worksheet.
For homeschool families, this could easily become a relaxed Letter G activity for the day. In a classroom, the craft would work well after a literacy center, as an early-finisher activity, or as part of a Halloween-themed alphabet week.
Halloween Books to Read with Your Paper Plate Ghost Craft
A Halloween picture book can turn this craft into a more complete literacy activity. I would look for stories with playful ghosts, Halloween characters, or gentle seasonal themes rather than books that are genuinely scary for young children.
A few books to consider are How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green, The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason, There’s a Ghost in This House by Oliver Jeffers, and Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O’Connell.
After reading, children can talk about how the ghost in the story looks compared with their paper plate ghost. Ask them what they would name their ghost, where it might live, or what kind of adventure it might have.
For kindergarten and early elementary students, you could even have children write one sentence about their finished craft.
More Halloween Crafts and Activities to Try
Once you have made your ghost, you can continue the Halloween theme with other simple activities. Paper plate pumpkins, bats, spiders, black cats, and friendly monsters would all fit nicely alongside this craft.
I also like the idea of creating a classroom ghost display. Give each child the same basic template but allow them to decide exactly where the eyes and mouth should go. Small differences in placement can produce an entire parade of ghosts with completely different expressions.
You could add children’s names underneath and use the finished crafts for an October bulletin board, classroom door display, hallway decoration, or homeschool learning space.
More Free Alphabet and Halloween Printables
If you are using this craft as part of a Letter G lesson, continue the learning with my free Letter G worksheets. They give children additional opportunities to recognize uppercase and lowercase G while keeping the activities appropriate for young learners.
You can also visit my full collection of free alphabet printables when you are planning a Letter of the Week curriculum. Pairing printable activities with books and hands-on crafts is an easy way to add variety while still keeping each lesson focused on the same skill.
During October, you can mix alphabet activities with Halloween coloring pages, tracing worksheets, matching games, mazes, counting activities, and other seasonal printables. This makes it easy to sneak a little learning into all that pumpkin-and-ghost excitement.
Pin This Paper Plate Ghost Craft for Later
Planning your Halloween activities ahead of time? Save this paper plate ghost craft for kids to your Halloween Crafts, Preschool Halloween Activities, Kindergarten Crafts, or Letter G Activities Pinterest board.
That way, you can come back when you are ready to print the template and start crafting.
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Easy Paper Plate Ghost Craft for Kids
Free Printable Ghost Template
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A Simple Halloween Ghost Craft Kids Can Make
This paper plate ghost craft is one of those projects that keeps the supplies simple while still giving children plenty to do. They can cut, glue, arrange pieces, practice following directions, and finish with a Halloween ghost that is cute enough to earn a spot on the classroom wall.
Use it for Halloween, a ghost theme, or pair it with Letter G activities for an easy hands-on alphabet lesson. With the printable template doing the shape-making work, all that is left is a paper plate, a little glue, and a ghost waiting to materialize.
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