This Little Red Hen paper plate craft brings the classic story to life. Kids paint the plate orange, cut a folded wing, and add a red crest, a yellow beak and little black feet.
Story crafts are some of my favorites because kids naturally retell the story while they work. My kids love doing the “Not I!” voices while they glue.
What You Need for This Paper Plate Little Red Hen Craft
Little Red Hen Paper Plate Craft (visual directions + template)
Get the printablePaper plate
View on AmazonOrange paint
View on AmazonPaintbrush
View on AmazonRed, yellow and black construction paper
View on AmazonKid scissors
View on AmazonGlue stick
View on AmazonGoogly eye
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💡 Getting organized
Lay everything out on a tray, pour paint into a cup, and precut the small pieces if scissors frustrate your little one. Keep the googly eyes off to the side until the end.
How to Make a Paper Plate Little Red Hen
Paint the plate orange
Give the plate a good coat of orange paint and let it dry flat.
Cut and fold the wing
Cut a line a few inches down from the top edge, then fold that flap down to make a wing.
Cut the crest and wattle
Use the template to cut the red crest and the red wattle that hangs under the beak.
Glue on the crest and wattle
Glue the crest to the top of the head and the wattle just below where the beak will go.
Add the beak and feet
Cut a small yellow triangle beak and two black feet, and glue them in place.
Add the eye
Glue on a big googly eye and your hen is ready to bake some bread.
Use It to Retell the Story
Once the hen is done, read the story together and let your child hold up the hen every time she asks for help. It’s a simple way to practice sequencing and story retelling.
Ways to Use It
- Retell the story with the hen as a puppet
- Make the other animals too and act it out
- Hang it on a farm or fairy tale bulletin board
- Write who helped (and who didn’t) on the back
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Paper Plate Little Red Hen Craft for Preschool, Pre-K and Kindergarten
Preschool
Paint, glue and decorate. You handle the tricky cutting, and kids point to each picture step as they go.
Pre-K
Trace the template and cut the straight lines. Follow the visual steps in order.
Kindergarten and up
Cut out every piece, add their own details, and retell the steps in order.
Get the Printable Visual Directions
Doing this with a group? The printable has picture steps for every part of the little red hen, plus a template you can trace.
What’s included
- A picture supply list
- Visual step-by-step directions
- Photo step cards
- A printable template
- Instant PDF download, nothing is shipped
Perfect for
- Preschool and kindergarten classrooms
- Special education and speech therapy
- Following directions practice
- Thematic units
- Homeschool art time
Paper Plate Little Red Hen Craft FAQ
The story is about hard work and helping out. The hen does all the work, so she gets to enjoy the bread, which makes it a great conversation starter about pitching in.
Ages 3 to 6. Preschoolers paint and glue with a little help, and kindergartners can trace and cut the pieces themselves.
Yes. Crayons, markers or torn construction paper work too and are less messy.
You can freehand the pieces, but the template and picture steps help kids work on their own and make it easy to do with a class.
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From families like yours
Did you try it? Tell us how it went!
We love seeing these activities out in the wild: the lumpy letters, the snack breaks, the proud “I made a B!” moments. Leave a star rating, tell other parents what worked (and what totally didn’t), and add a photo of your setup if you’d like.
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