Paper Plate & Handprint Cardinal Craft
This Cardinal Craft for Kids is a bright and cheerful handprint craft project that lets kids create a beautiful bird using simple supplies.
This cardinal craft is an easy and engaging activity that works well for kids of all ages.
With a simple bird paper plate craft base and a free printable pattern, children can create a bold red cardinal that really stands out.
The clear shapes and straightforward steps make this project perfect for preschoolers, while older kids can add details and personal touches to make their bird unique.
This craft is a great choice for families, classrooms, and homeschool lessons.
Preschoolers will enjoy painting and gluing, while elementary-aged kids can focus on details like wings, beaks, and feathers.
It’s especially useful for bird studies and nature units, and it works wonderfully for many state unit studies since the cardinal is the state bird of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina.
When to Make this Handprint Cardinal Craft
This craft is perfect for winter themes, making it a great winter paper plate craft. Cardinals are often associated with winter because their bright red color stands out against snowy backgrounds, making this a seasonal favorite.
It’s also ideal for bird unit studies. Kids can learn about bird habitats, colors, and behaviors while creating a hands-on project that reinforces what they’re learning.
This craft works especially well for state unit studies. When learning about states like Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, or North Carolina, this cardinal craft makes a meaningful and memorable addition to geography lessons.
Because it’s simple and flexible, this is also an easy paper plate and handprint craft for classrooms, playdates, library programs, or quiet afternoons at home any time of year.
Why You’ll Love the Cardinal Craft for Kids
You’ll love this craft because it’s colorful, low-prep, and easy to adapt to different lessons.
It works for bird studies, winter themes, and state reports, all while using affordable materials.
The finished cardinals look great displayed on bulletin boards, classroom walls, or refrigerators at home.
Tips and Tricks for the Cardinal Craft
For toddlers and younger preschoolers, pre-cut the pattern pieces so they can focus on painting and gluing.
To reduce mess, swap paint for crayons or markers. This still creates a bright red bird and makes cleanup much easier.
Add extra texture by gluing on craft feathers to give your cardinal a more realistic and fun look.
If you don’t have wiggle eyes, simply draw or paint the eyes directly onto the paper plate.
How to Make a Cardinal Paper Plate Craft
Follow the step-by-step directions below to create your own paper plate cardinal.
Materials:
- Paper Plate
- Wiggle Eyes
- Cardstock or Construction Paper – Black, Red, & Yellow
- Craft Paint – Red & Pink
- Craft Glue
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Black Marker
- Printed Pattern
Instructions:
Paint the inside of the paper plate with red craft paint. Set aside to dry and apply a second coat, if necessary.
Download and print the cardinal patterns, then cut out with scissors.
Note: We’ve included a hand shape on the pattern, so teachers can easily make a sample cardinal craft for the classroom. For children, simply trace an cut out their hands for the craft
Trace the beak once onto yellow paper.
Trace two handprints and one head feather pattern onto red paper.
Trace the eye mask once onto black paper with a pencil.
*You could also use colored craft foam, construction paper, or craft felt for this project.
Cut out the cardinal patterns with scissors.
Attach the head feather and wings to the edge of the paper plate with glue.
Glue the eye mask and beak to the inside of the paper plate.
Attach two wiggle eyes to the cardinal’s face with glue.
TIP: We used a glue gun and glue sticks for this craft tutorial.
You can use liquid craft glue for this project, but you will have to wait for it to dry.
Alternately, for less mess you can use glue dots or double sided tape.
Create cheeks by dipping a round sponge dabber in pink craft paint and stamping on either side of the cardinal’s beak. Let paint dry.
To finish, add to nostrils to the cardinal’s beak with the black marker.
This cardinal paper plate craft for kids is a simple, eye-catching project that works for so many themes. Whether you’re using it for a bird unit study, a winter activity, or a state report, this easy paper plate craft is a fun and meaningful way for kids to learn while creating something they’ll be proud to display.
