If your children love big cats and always grab the lion book first off the shelf for story time, or run to see them first at the zoo, then lion-themed arts and crafts are a great way to pass the time. Making your very own lion paper plate mask will not only enhance fine motor skills and encourage imaginative play, it’ll also give your kids something to be proud of at the end of the day. Here’s a step-by-step guide to this roar-some activity. Have fun!

Gather Your Equipment 

For your lion mask you’ll need:

1. A paper plate

2. Brown and yellow construction paper, felt tips or paint

3. Scissors

4. Glue stick or PVA glue

5. Black marker/crayon

6. Elastic band

7. Wooden craft stick

8. Pencil

9. Hole punch

Set everything out on a clean table in front of you.

Step 1: Prepare the Plate 

The paper plate will be turned into the lion mask. Hold it up to your child’s face and mark out two holes for their eyes. The two eye holes can then be cut out with adult supervision. The more accurate you are here the better as your little one will want to see when they put the mask on. 

Step 2: Decorate the Mask 

The first step is to paint the mask yellow. You can also cover it in construction paper if that’s easier. Leave the glue/paint to dry while you cut multiple strips of yellow and brown paper roughly about one inch wide and 6-inches long. These will form the lion’s mane. If you want the strips to curl slightly, wrap them around a pencil. Each strip can then be stuck around the edge of the plate. Use a glue gun if possible to keep the strips in place. 

Top Tip: Alternate colours to create a vibrant mane. You could even add in other colours such as gold, orange and lighter/darker hues of yellow and brown for a really dazzling look. After all, a lion’s mane is its most distinctive feature. 

Step 3: Bring the Lion to Life with Facial Features 

Your plate should be well on its way to looking like a lion now. But it needs facial facial features. Use a black marker to neatly draw a nose, mouth and whiskers. Next up is the ears. Cut out two triangular ear shapes in yellow and two smaller triangle shapes in brown for the inner ear section. Glue the brown triangles to the yellow triangles and then stick them to the top of your mask. 

Step 4: Decide How to Hold or Wear the Mask 

If you want the mask to cover your face and free up your child’s hands while they play, punch a hole in each side of the mask and thread through elastic that will go round the back of their head. ALternatively, glue a wooden craft stick to the bottom using a glue gun. The mask can then be held in front of your child’s face. Make any final adjustments and you’re good to go! 

If you’ve ever read a lion story book  called The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright, you might be interested to know it’s touring the UK throughout summer. This wonderful tale of self-discovery and belief is great for little ones and is the perfect way to introduce them to theatre. So why not book your ticket today? With your little lion, read the plot in advance and then enjoy a show to remember.