Paper plates make great foundations for masks! The dip of the plate fits comfortably on a child's face, while the slight curve mimics the arc found in traditional store-bought masks—for only a fraction of the price. Help your child craft this easy-to-make Santa mask that he will delight in wearing during the holiday season. This Mr. Claus mask is a fantastic prop for Christmastime pretend play! If you're short on time, try to find neutral or brown paper plates, so that you can skip the first step!
What You Need:
- Paper plate
- 2 wooden popsicle sticks
- Elastic, ribbon, or cord
- Paint (beige or brown)
- Crayons or colored pencils
- Cotton wool or cotton balls
- Glue
- Clear stick
- Scissors
- Pencil
What You Do:
- You are going to use the back of the plate as the front of the mask, as the dip of the plate fits more comfortably around the face.
- Get your child to paint the back of the plate a flesh tone color such as brown or beige and let it dry.
- In the meantime get him to make a triangular "hat" for Santa out of red construction paper.
- When the paint is dry, draw and cut out eye holes.
- Now for the fun part! Your child needs to draw Santa’s face, but without his beard. Get him to try out some different versions of faces on a piece of scratch paper. Make sure the face is centered and that there is space on top to stick the hat.
- Ask him to paint on a nose, mouth, and some rosy cheeks.
- Once these are dry he can stick on cotton wool as Santa’s hair and beard.
- Then it’s time to glue the hat on top of Santa’s head. If it is not sticking to Santa’s hair, you can use some clear tape at the sides to secure it. Ask your child to add a white cotton ball or cotton wool on top of the hat.
- Finish off the mask by gluing popsicle sticks vertically to the bottom of the mask. These should hang down below the mask and will make a handle with which the mask can be held in front of the face.
If you want to make a mask that will stay on and does not need to he held, forgo the handle and punch holes on either side of the mask and thread through some elastic or yarn that will go around your child’s head.
By Shaheen Bilgrami
Shaheen Bilgrami has been writing and editing children's books for over twelve years. Her books have been published all over the world.
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