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With fall in full swing, it’s a great time to bring seasonal crafts into your home. A paper plate scarecrow is an easy, kid-friendly project that captures the spirit of the fall season. This fun and affordable craft allows kids to create their own adorable scarecrow face using basic materials, including a paper plate as the base, construction paper, and markers. Kids can let their creativity shine by decorating their scarecrows with unique hats, silly facial expressions, and colorful hair.
In this post, you’ll find a step-by-step guide to making your own paper plate scarecrow, along with ideas to personalize it and make it a unique craft for kids to celebrate the fall season!
Materials Needed
Paper Plate: A plain white paper plate works best as the face of the scarecrow.
Construction Paper: Choose fall colors like orange, yellow, and brown for the hat and straw hair.
Markers or Crayons: For drawing the face and adding details to the hat.
Optional Paint: Only needed if you want to paint the paper plate a tan or brown color.
Optional Extras: Googly eyes, yarn, buttons, or fabric scraps to add more texture and detail.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Paper Plate Scarecrow
Step 1: Paint your Scarecrow's Face
This step is completely optional: You can paint your paper plate a tan or brown color so it looks a bit more like a scarecrow. If you don't have any paint on hand or don't want to deal with the mess, just leave the paper plate white.
Step 2: Draw the Face
Start by drawing the scarecrow’s face on the paper plate. Use markers or crayons to draw on big, friendly eyes, a triangular nose, and a cheerful smile.
Alternatively, you can cut out the scarecrow features using construction paper. Cut out an orange triangle for the nose and two black circles for the eyes, and draw on a stitch-like mouth.
Step 4: Add Hair
Cut strips of yellow construction paper or yarn to use as the scarecrow’s straw hair. Glue these strips along the top edges of the paper plate.
For a fun, layered effect, let the strips hang down or curl them by wrapping them around a pencil.
Step 3: Create the Hat
Use brown or orange construction paper to create a hat. Cut out a large trapezoid or rounded triangle for the main part of the hat and a long strip for the brim. Alternatively, you can cut out one big hat shape like we did.
Glue the hat pieces onto the top of the paper plate slightly covering the hair. You can tilt the hat to one side for a fun, jaunty look!
Step 5: Decorate the Hat and Add Details
Add patches or a bow to the hat by cutting small squares and shapes out of colored construction paper and gluing them on.
For added personality, draw small freckles on the scarecrow’s cheeks, add rosy cheeks with a bit of marker or construction paper, or glue on buttons for extra detail.
Creative Ideas to Personalize Your Scarecrow
One of the best parts of making a paper plate scarecrow is that each one can be unique! Here are some fun ideas to add extra flair to your scarecrow:
Use Different Materials for the Hair: Instead of paper, try using raffia, yarn, or even real straw if you have it on hand. It’ll give your scarecrow a rustic, textured look.
Try a Variety of Hats: Mix it up by making different types of hats. You could try a top hat, baseball cap, or a floppy hat to show off your scarecrows unique personality.
Add a Scarf or bandana: Cut a scarf shape or a bandana out of construction paper and glue it at the bottom of the paper plate. This extra accessory can add style and a pop of color.
Use Buttons and Fabric for Extra Detail: Glue buttons on the scarecrow’s face as eyes, or use small pieces of fabric to create patches on the hat.
Draw a Background: If you want to go a step further, glue the paper plate onto a larger sheet of construction paper and draw a fall background with pumpkins, leaves, or a farm scene.
Create the rest of the body: Use construction paper to create the rest of the scarecrow's body. Once the full body is done, you can hang it around your house for some extra fall decor.
Making a paper plate scarecrow is an engaging and creative way for kids to celebrate the fall season. This simple project requires only basic materials and can be customized to suit each child’s creativity and personality. Whether they want a silly scarecrow with a big smile or a shy one with rosy cheeks, kids can enjoy creating their very own unique fall friend.
So gather up those paper plates, construction paper, and markers, and dive into some festive fall fun. Once finished, display your scarecrows around the house or use them for storytelling games and pretend play—these charming little characters are sure to bring a cozy, autumnal vibe to your home!
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