Looking for a fun indoor activity to keep the kids entertained on those cold, snowy days? Look no further than this Paper Plate Santa Craft for Kids.

It’s easy, festive, and guaranteed to bring smiles all around. I’ve even got a FREE template to make the crafting process a breeze.

multiple Santas made with paper plates, cotton balls and a free template

This project is suitable for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, and even older children with the guidance of a parent or teacher.

Paper plate Santa Craft for kids. Pinterest Image. — **Pin it for later!**

This craft is fun and easy, and it helps your little ones develop their fine motor skills as they cut, paint, and assemble the craft.

So grab your supplies, and let’s get creative with this adorable holiday project!

Page Contents

Tools & Materials

Printer
Template (download at the end of the article; you don’t need to subscribe!)
Glue
9-inch paper plate
Scissors
White cardstock
Skin paint*
Paintbrush
Cotton balls**
Colors, markers (optional)

materials for making a paper plate Santa craft

*Now, most likely, you don’t have skin color paint. I didn’t, and I have bins of craft supplies!

Here’s how to make skin paint for your Santa:

4 teaspoons of white paint
1 teaspoon of brown paint
1/2 teaspoon of yellow paint
3 drops of red

Depending on the hues of your paint, you may need to modify the quantities; do one drop at a time!

**If you don’t have cotton balls, you can make this craft using only the template, which will be just as fantastic.

paints to make skin color for Santa craft

Super tip: If you don’t have paper plates, cut an 8-9-inch circle with white cardstock.

Step 1 – Print Santa Template

As with all of my crafts, you can make them as easy or complex as you want. To save time, print the colored template. For a more extended activity, print the coloring one.

I printed the colored template!

paper plate Santa craft printed template

Step 2 – Paint

Always start by painting first, as it takes longer to dry. Your children will probably want to glue as soon as they finish cutting.

Step 3 – Cut Template

Cut all the pieces you want to use. There are two different sets of eyes and mouth. Keep in mind that the eyes may be a bit difficult to cut, so you may want to use a black marker instead.

Step 4 – Glue

Let’s assemble Santa!

Start with the beard.

Glue the mouth and nose as shown in the following pics. Then, glue the cotton balls, avoiding the mouth and nose area.

You can also use cotton balls on the white parts of the hat.

Note: This project consumes a good amount of cotton balls.

finish gluing all cotton balls to the craft

When you’re done gluing all the cotton balls, assemble the hat and set it aside. Next, glue the beard to the bottom of the plate.

Before you glue the hat, place it tentatively on top of the plate so you have enough space for the ears, cheeks, eyebrows, and eyes.

Once you glue all the pieces in your Santa face, glue the hat.

And, just like that, your Santa craft is complete!

A Santa Without Cotton Balls

If you don’t feel like spending a lot of cotton balls, here’s a picture of the craft using only the template!

paper plate Santa craft with no cotton balls

Doesn’t it look charming?

Want a Smaller Santa?

I made an extra small Santa using a 6-inch plate! It looks so cute.

If you decide to make an extra-small one, cutting will be a little harder. At this point, I would use a black marker for the eyes and mouth.

To make a smaller craft in a 6-inch plate, scale the printable to 66%.

printing settings for paper plate Santa Craft

Download Template!

As I mentioned, here’s the Santa template for your craft! Click the image to open the PDF in a new window or the yellow button to trigger a download on your phone or computer.

paper plate Santa craft free printable featured image — Download PDF

Oh!

Just so you know, I also have a library full of free SVG files and Printables for all my subscribers, a.k.a. Daydreamers. You can see a preview right here or get access by filling out this form.