Easy Paper Plate Snowman Craft

Here’s an easy, fun winter craft.

Materials:

• 2 medium paper plates for the base and torso (about 7 inches wide is good)
• 1 slightly smaller circle cut from heavy card stock for the head
• Black cutout top hat
• 4 pipe cleaners
• 1 small button
• Black marker
• Hole punch
• String
• Scotch tape

Instructions:

1. Use one paper plate as the base. Cut off the rim of another paper plate for the torso. Tape them together. The torso plate should be face down
2. Punch a hole at the top of the torso plate. Punch a hole on the slightly smaller card stock circle for the head. Tie together with a string.
3. Twist one pipe cleaner around another to make a three fingered stick hand. Make two hands and tape them to the back of the torso plate.
4. Tape on the top hat to the front of the head.
5. Draw two eyes and a mouth.
6. Glue on a button for the nose. Hang up your snowmen

Variations
This craft is easily adaptable. The directions I presented here are good because students can practice both taping and stringing, though you will probably have to assist students with tying. It also gives the snowman more strength at the bottom, but flexibility in the top. However, you could choose to tape everything or string everything. You can use whatever size paper plates are available and adapt as necessary. You could also draw on a corn cob pipe or give your snowman a broom. It’s a great craft after romping outside in the snow or watching or singing Frosty the Snowman.

An interesting note, snowmen in Japan only have two balls instead of three, a head and lower body. They are called yuki daruma (snow daruma). The shape is inspired by daruma, a kind of good luck doll which is itself takes its name from Bodidaruma, the legendary sage who introduced Buddhism to Japan.

This and hundreds of other simple and easy craft ideas are from the "Arts and Craft For All Seasons" series books for Preschool/Kindergarten and 1^st through 3^rd grade. The crafts are fun, simple, and easily adaptable. These books are a great resource and are a must have for any preschool-K or early elementary program.