Paper Plate Cow

What is it about cows that brings a smile to every child’s face? I remember driving down the road, and every time my kids spotted a field with cows, they would loudly announce the sighting. Even though we lived in the countryside and saw cows regularly, it still sparked a little excitement each time. This paper plate cow craft is a delightful and easy activity suitable for preschool-age children and older. Even toddlers can enjoy participating in creating this farm animal craft.

If you enjoy making this cow craft, you’ll also love creating a paper plate pig to join it. Additionally, don’t miss out on exploring our collection of popsicle stick farm animal crafts. Happy crafting!

You’re Going to Want to Make EVERY SINGLE Paper Plate Animal Craft in this Collection with Your Kids…

Here are a few interesting facts about cows:

Let’s focus on dairy cows specifically (since that’s how we’ve designed our cow craft for kids). Did you know that dairy cows have a 330-degree field of vision? They can see so much more of their surroundings compared to humans. They can perceive colors, but only red, green, and blue. Red is challenging for them to see. Additionally, they possess a remarkable sense of smell.

Cows don’t sleep much; instead, they take short catnaps throughout the day. They consume a considerable amount of water, equivalent to an entire bathtub each day. Cows are highly social animals and live in communities of 20 to 30. When interacting with their friends and family, they communicate through mooing, body positions, and facial expressions. If you’d like to learn more about cows, you can check out this article from treehugger.com.

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SUPPLIES FROM THE BAG

• 2 Paper plates (9-inch coated plates work best)
• Markers
• Tape
• Stapler (optional)
• Construction paper
• Glue stick
• White or black pipe cleaner
• Scissors
• Googly eyes (we used 25mm self-adhesive)
• Paper Plate Cow craft template

Have you stocked your kids’ craft bag yet with the supplies from our master list? If not, what are you waiting for? It’s a fantastic way to get started and embark on a creative adventure with your kids. By preparing once, you’ll be ready to make every craft you see here and in our Shop—because we create every craft project using the same master list of supplies. So, fill up your bag and let’s craft together!

How to Make a Paper Plate Cow Craft

Step 1: Draw the Spots on Your Paper Cow Craft

• Take out 2 paper plates (we used 9-inch coated plates).
• Draw random shapes on the bottom of each plate, which will represent the spots on your cow. You can use a black marker or a pencil for this step.
• Color in the spots using a black marker, crayon, or even paint if you prefer. We found that the black sharpie marker worked well for this.
• Place the 2 plates end to end, with an overlap of about an inch.
• Secure them together with tape, inserting some rolls of tape in between. If your plates don’t feel sturdy enough, you can use glue or staples to connect them instead.

Step 2: Use the Paper Plate Cow Craft Template

• Print the cow craft template.
• Cut out all the parts for your cow craft from construction paper using the template.
• From white construction paper, cut out the ears and legs. Remember to make a 1″ slit in the center of the ears at the bottom, as shown in the picture.
• Finally, cut out the nose from pink construction paper.

Step 3: Decorate the Parts

• Now that you have all the parts cut out, grab your markers.
• Decorate each piece of your cow. Add wavy spots to the ears and legs, and make sure to include hooves on the legs too.
• Give your cow a happy face.

Step 4: Put Together Your Farm Animal Paper Plate Craft

• It’s time to assemble your paper plate cow craft.
• Use a glue stick to attach the nose and each leg as depicted in the picture.

Step 5: Finish Off the Details

• For the ears, overlap the two sides where you made the slit and secure them with glue. This creates a slightly 3D look for the ears.
• Attach the ears to the top of the head paper plate using the glue stick.
• To complete the look, add a pair of large googly eyes. We used 25mm self-adhesive eyes. Alternatively, you can use our printable eyes for crafts.

Step 6: Let’s Make a Cow Tail

• Cut a strip of black construction paper, about 2 inches wide.
• Snip across the paper, leaving about 1/2″ uncut at the bottom.
• Apply a generous amount of glue with your glue stick on the uncut part of the paper strip.
• Roll the strip around half of a white pipe cleaner to create the tail of your cow craft.

Step 7: Add the Finishing Detail for Your Cow Craft

• Curl the end of the pipe cleaner tail.
• Tape it down securely on the underside of the back plate.
• For an extra touch, snip the ends of the tail to give it a more realistic appearance, resembling the ends of a real cow’s tail.

We decided to stick with traditional dairy cow colors for our paper plate cow craft. However, you can make any creative choices you like. In fact, your cow doesn’t have to resemble any cow you’ve seen in real life. Its design can be entirely from your imagination. So, feel free to create a purple cow with pink stars if that’s what you fancy! The only limit is your imagination.

Check out this Sheep Craft Video Tutorial

Enjoy Making Even More Farm Animal Crafts

• Popsicle Stick Farm Animals
• Newspaper Sheep Craft
• Paper Plate Pig
• Painted Cow Craft
• Paper Plate Duck Craft
• Paper Plate Sheep
• Fluffy Sheep Craft
• Wiggly Ear Sheep Craft
• Rooster Craft
• Horse Craft

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