Kangaroo Paper Plate Craft
Need something to keep your preschooler busy for longer than a snack takes to disappear? Say hello to this ridiculously cute kangaroo paper plate craft. It’s easy, fun (and not too messy), and just the right amount of goofy to get your kid giggling.
This is one of those crafts that feels like play but secretly builds all those fine motor skills you keep hearing about. They’ll be cutting, gluing, painting, and proudly announcing, “LOOK AT MY KANGAROO!” by the end.
Materials Needed for This Paper Plate Kangaroo Craft
This isn’t a Target run situation. You probably already have all of this:
- One paper plate
- Orange paint (or mix red and yellow – bonus points if you call it a science experiment)
- A paintbrush
- Black, pink, and white construction paper
- Scissors (kid-safe if your preschooler insists on “doing it myself”)
- Glue
- Black marker
- Googly eyes or pom-poms if you're feeling bold
- Template
Quick tip: If your kid is heavy-handed with glue (aren’t they all?), give them a cotton swab to dab it on instead of handing over the entire bottle of glue. Way less drama.
Let's Make a Kangaroo Paper Plate Craft!
Ready to get crafting? Find the instructions below!
Kangaroo Paper Plate Craft
Hop into learning with this adorable kangaroo paper plate craft! It’s a great addition to Australian animal units or habitat studies and helps kids practice cutting, gluing, and following visual directions step-by-step.
Materials
- Paper plate
- Orange paint
- Pink, white, and black construction paper
- Glue
- Black marker
- Template
Tools
- Scissors
- Paintbrush
Instructions
- Gather your supplies.
- Paint the plate orange and let it dry. Or at least mostly dry. We’re not trying to win awards here.
- Cut the plate into a big kangaroo head shape. Use the scraps to make two pointy ears.
- Cut pink inner ears, a nose, and two white circles for eyes.
- Glue the ears to the top of the head. Glue the pink bits inside the ears. Cue the "awww."
- Add the eyes, nose, and any other face details your kid wants, eyelashes, freckles, a mustache. If you're using googly eyes, now’s the time to bust them out.
- Draw on a big kangaroo smile with your marker. Bonus points if it's crooked.
- Hang your finished kangaroo up for everyone to see!
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Now What?
Let your kid take over. Want to add stickers? Do it. Sparkly ears? Absolutely. Maybe your kangaroo has glasses and a bowtie and works at a bank. Who knows?
Hang it up. Or better yet, make a bunch and start a kangaroo club. You’ll need a secret handshake (which obviously involves hopping).
Kangaroo Facts to Drop While You Craft
- Kangaroos can jump up to 25 feet in a single leap, that’s like jumping across your whole living room.
- They can also hop up to 30 miles per hour. Basically, they’re nature’s bouncy race cars.
- Baby kangaroos are called joeys, and they’re about the size of a jellybean when they’re born.
- Joeys live in their mom’s pouch for up to 8 months. That pouch? It’s like a built-in sleeping bag.
- Only female kangaroos have pouches.
- A group of kangaroos is called a mob, a troop, or a court. Fancy, right?
- Kangaroos use their big tails for balance while they hop. It’s like having a third leg.
- They’re really good swimmers. They paddle with their legs and use their tail like a rudder.
- Kangaroos are herbivores. They mostly eat grasses, leaves, and shrubs, not pizza (sadly).
- There are over 60 species of kangaroos and their close cousins, wallabies and wallaroos.
- Kangaroos can’t walk backward. Like, literally can’t.
- They live only in Australia and a few nearby islands. You won’t find one hanging out in Michigan.
- Kangaroos have strong back legs and can’t move them independently, that’s why they hop!
- When they’re chilling, kangaroos use their front paws to groom themselves like cats.
- Big red kangaroos (yes, that’s a real kind) are the largest marsupials on Earth.
Last Thoughts Before You Hop Off
You just made a kangaroo. Out of a paper plate. That’s parenting magic right there.
And if your kid loved it? There’s more where that came from. Try k is for kangaroo craft next, or scroll through our full animal craft collection. Before you know it, your wall will look like an art zoo, and honestly, we’re not mad about it.
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