Paper Plate Cow Craft for Kids

This paper plate cow craft is simple to make but still leaves plenty of room for kids to make it their own. They can paint the black spots wherever they want, add the oversized pink muzzle and googly eyes, and end up with a cow that looks completely different from everyone else’s.

Finished paper plate cow craft on a muted purple background with the text “cow paper plate craft” across the image.

Materials for This Paper Plate Cow Craft

Here's the short list, most of it you probably already have on hand.

Supplies

How to Make a Paper Plate Cow Craft

Here's how it all comes together, step by step.

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

Get your supplies together first, especially anything that needs to dry, so you're not waiting around later.

White paper plate with pink acrylic paint, foam dauber, googly eyes, hot glue gun, black marker, orange scissors, and sheets of black, pink, and white paper.

Step 2: Draw the Spots

Draw a handful of random blobby cow-spot shapes across the outside of the plate with a pencil.

Upside-down white paper plate on a white wood surface with a black pencil resting across the center.

Step 3: Paint the Spots

Paint inside those pencil shapes with black paint, filling in with a second coat if needed once it dries.

Black acrylic paint being brushed onto irregular spots on a white paper plate, with a black paint bottle beside it.

Step 4: Cut the Ears and Muzzle

Print the patterns and trace an outer ear onto both black and white cardstock, and a muzzle plus two inner ears onto pink cardstock, then cut everything out.

White paper shapes positioned on black and pink paper with traced outlines and a black pencil.

Two black paper ear shapes with pink centers and a large rounded pink paper shape arranged beside orange scissors.

Step 5: Attach the Ears

Glue the inner ears onto the outer ears, then attach the ears to the top corners of the plate.

Black-and-white spotted paper plate with a large pink oval paper piece across the front and two pink-centered ear pieces above, with a hot glue gun nearby.

Step 6: Attach the Muzzle

Glue the muzzle to the bottom center of the face.

Step 7: Add the Eyes

Add the wiggle eyes just above the muzzle.

Paper plate cow face with black spots, pink-centered ears, large googly eyes, a pink muzzle, and two pink circles, beside pink paint and a foam dauber.

Step 8: Stamp On Cheeks

Stamp pink cheeks on either side of the muzzle with the sponge dabber and let dry.

Step 9: Draw the Mouth

Finish with a black marker mouth.

Paper plate cow face with black spots, googly eyes, pink ears and muzzle, pink cheeks, black nostrils, and a curved black smile, with a black marker below.

Then hang your finished cow on display!

Finished paper plate cow face with black-and-white spots, pink-centered ears, large googly eyes, pink muzzle and cheeks, black nostrils, and a smiling mouth.

Grab the Paper Plate Cow Craftivity

If freehand spots sound like a recipe for a cow that looks more like a Dalmatian, the Paper Plate Cow Craftivity has the ear and muzzle patterns pre-drawn, plus a mini guide with spot placement tips that still leave room for originality.