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

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.

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Materials for This Paper Plate Deer Craft

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

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Print-ready templates and step-by-step instructions.
Less prep, more crafting.

$3.00

A paper plate Shop
Wiggle eyes Shop
Craft paint in ivory, brown, and pink Shop
Cardstock in dark brown, black, and pink Shop
Glue gun and glue sticks Shop
Paintbrush Shop
Scissors Shop
Pencil Shop
Black permanent marker Shop
Small and medium sponge dabbers Shop

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.

Step 2: Paint the Plate

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

Step 3: Trace the Head Shape

Print the patterns and trace the head shape onto the plate.

Step 4: Paint the Head Shape

Paint just the traced head shape brown and let it dry completely.

Step 5: Trace the Antlers and Ears

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

Step 6: Cut Out the Antlers and Ears

Cut out every traced piece.

Step 7: Attach the Antlers, Ears, Nose, and Eyes

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

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

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.

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.

Step 10: Draw the Smile

Finish with a marker smile from cheek to cheek.

All done!

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.

We'd love to see yours! Snap a photo and share it in the comments.

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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.