Paper Plate Deer Craft for Kids

This paper plate deer craft turns a plain plate into a sweet little woodland face with antlers, spotted fur, oversized eyes, and rosy cheeks. Kids get to paint, cut, glue, and add the small details that give their deer its own personality.

It’s an easy animal craft for fall or winter themes, forest units, or any day you need a project that uses mostly basic craft supplies. The finished deer also looks pretty cute hanging on a classroom wall or fridge once the paint dries.

Finished paper plate deer craft on a pink background with the text “deer paper plate craft” across the image.

Materials for This Paper Plate Deer Craft

Not much of a shopping list here, just the usual craft staples.

Supplies

How to Make a Paper Plate Deer Craft

Time to put it all together, here's the full step-by-step.

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies

Grab everything on the list above and lay it out, this one moves fast once you get started.

White paper plate with brown, pink, and black cardstock, googly eyes, paint, brushes, scissors, marker, and hot glue gun arranged on a white wood surface.

Step 2: Paint the Plate

Paint the outside of the plate ivory and let it dry.

Paper plate painted a light cream color beside a bottle of acrylic paint and a paintbrush.

Step 3: Paint the Head Shape

Print the patterns, trace the head shape onto the plate, and paint just that shape brown, letting it dry separately.

Cream paper plate with a paper template positioned over the top and center while a pencil marks the shape.

Cream paper plate with the upper center section painted brown, leaving two large cream face areas unpainted.

Step 4: Cut the Antlers and Ears

Trace and cut two antlers and two outer ears from dark brown cardstock, and two inner ears from pink cardstock.

Brown cardstock with paper templates for antlers, ears, and a nose being traced with a pencil.

Cut brown antlers, layered brown and pink ears, and a black nose arranged beside orange-handled scissors.

Step 5: Attach the Antlers

Glue the antlers to the back of the plate so they peek up from behind the head.

Step 6: Attach the Ears

Glue the inner ears onto the outer ears, then attach the ears beside the antlers.

Partially assembled paper plate deer face with antlers, one ear, googly eyes, cream face sections, and a black nose beside a hot glue gun.

Step 7: Add the Nose and Eyes

Add the nose and wiggle eyes to the face.

Step 8: Stamp On Cheeks

Use the medium sponge dabber with pink paint to stamp cheeks on either side of the nose.

Paper plate deer face with antlers, both ears, googly eyes, black nose, pink cheeks, and a lightly drawn mouth beside pink paint and a sponge brush.

Step 9: Stamp On Polka Dots

Use the small sponge dabber with ivory paint to stamp a random scatter of polka dots across the top of the head, these stand in for a fawn's spots so no antlers needed.

Close-up of a paper plate deer face with cream spots being added to the brown forehead using a sponge brush.

Step 10: Draw the Smile

Finish with a marker smile from cheek to cheek.

Paper plate deer face with antlers, ears, googly eyes, pink cheeks, cream forehead spots, black nose, and a finished curved mouth.

Then hang your finished deer up on display!

Completed paper plate deer craft with brown antlers, layered ears, googly eyes, cream spots, pink cheeks, and a black nose on a white wood background.

Grab the Paper Plate Deer Craftivity

Make this paper plate deer craft even easier with the matching craftivity pack. It includes ready-to-print templates and simple directions so kids can jump straight into cutting, painting, and creating their own little woodland deer.