Read Across America Day is coming up soon! On March 2, children all over celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday! Join in the festivities with your kids by making this Horton Hears A Who paper plate craft! It’s a fun Dr. Seuss craft that’s simple to make. Plus, it makes an extra cute hands-on activity for storytime.
Just grab your craft supplies and watch our quick video tutorial to see how it’s made. Then enjoy this creative idea with your kids!

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Horton Hears A Who Craft
If you’ve been searching for preschool and kindergarten book-related projects, you’ll love this Seuss-inspired elephant idea. Kids will have fun creating one of their favorite characters while building crucial fine motor skills as they cut and paste this paper plate activity.
Supplies
- Paper plate
- Colored cardstock or construction paper
- Gray or blue paint
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Glue
- Black marker
- Pencil
- Horton template (click the “click here to get your freebie” image at the end of the post)
Directions
Start by downloading and printing the template. Once the template is printed, gather the materials for this fun activity. Get those scissors ready, and let’s help the kids bring horton to life!
First, guide your child to paint a paper plate in 1-2 thin coats of gray or blue paint. Let it dry completely before moving in.

Place the head template in the middle of the paper plate, trace it, and cut it out. Glue the eyes near the middle of the head.

Next, help your child to draw on the eyelashes, under eye circles, and eyebrows.

Now, glue the ears, one on each side, to the front of the paper plate.

Finally, encourage your child to glue the trunk just below the eyes.

That’s it! Kids will love creating this Horton craft with their paper plate! For more fun crafts like this check out our other paper plate crafts for kids!

More Dr. Seuss Ideas For Kids
We can’t talk about Dr. Seuss without mentioning the best Dr. Seuss books! These are some of the top-rated ones. Grab them from your local library or add them to your home collection.
Are You My Mother? is a cute book about a little bird who’s trying to find his mom in a big world!
Oh, The Places You’ll Go! – This book is a classic Dr. Seuss book about the ups and downs of life. It’s such a great read and will soon become your kid’s new favorite book!
Dr. Seuss Second Book Collection– This boxed set of five Beginner Books by Dr. Seuss—The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, Dr. Seuss’s ABC, Oh Say Can You Say?, Oh the Thinks You Can Think!, and I Can Read with My Eyes Shut! is a great addition to your home library.

Kids’ Dr. Seuss Day Crafts
Put Me In The Zoo Craft – This loveable paper bag Put Me In The Zoo craft features of of our favorite book characters! It’s easy to make and ideal for role-playing activities during storytime.
Fun Cat in the Hat Fork Painting
Cat In The Hat Craft – If you’re a fan of the cat, you won’t want to miss this cute painting activity. It’s an excellent way to build fine motor skills at home or in the classroom on Read Across America Day.

Handprint Thing 1 Printable Craft – This idea is such a fun way to celebrate Dr. Seuss and The Cat in the Hat! Kids will love seeing their own little hands turned into the spiky blue hair of this mischievous character. It’s an easy and creative way to add some Seussian fun to the day!
Horton Hears A Who Handprint Craft – Bringing a classic storybook character to life is always a hit with kids! With a few simple steps, kids can create their own elephant and have fun in the process. It’s a great way to add some extra creativity to story time.
Dr. Seuss Activities for Kids
Do your children love the Lorax, Thing 1 and Thing 2, or the Cat in the Hat? If so, don’t miss our free printable Dr. Seuss headbands. This engaging activity encourages kids to color their favorite characters and construct their very own headbands to wear for Read Across America Day.
Try this Lorax Handprint Craft
Kids will have fun revealing classic characters as they color in these Dr. Seuss color by numbers! It’s an easy, no-prep activity that helps with number recognition while adding a creative twist. Perfect for a quiet afternoon or a classroom Seuss celebration!

Grab these Dr. Seuss printable bookmarks for kids to use while they read this March. It’s a simple no-prep way to celebrate together as you read some of your favorite silly books.

Try these Shape of Me shadow clip cards from ABCs of Literacy for more learning fun together. These printables make it easy to practice visual discrimination with early learners.
Dr Seuss Paper Plate Fish Craft
Share With Us
Did you make this activity with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!
For a chance to have your child’s project featured, simply snap a picture of the completed project and post it to our Facebook page, email it to us directly by clicking here, or use #simpleeverydaymom on your social media!

Horton Hears A Who Paper Plate Craft
Materials
- Paper plate
- Colored cardstock or construction paper
- Gray or blue paint
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Glue
- Black marker
- Pencil
- Horton template
Instructions
- Download the Horton template, print, and cut out the pieces you need. The ears and trunk will be printed directly on colored paper so only 1 paper plate will be needed to make Horton.
- Begin by painting a paper plate in 1-2 thin coats of gray or blue paint. Let it dry completely before moving in.
- Place the head template in the middle of the paper plate, trace it, and cut it out. Glue the eyes near the middle of the head.
- Next, draw on the eyelashes, under eye circles, and eyebrows.
- Now, glue the ears, one on each side, to the front of the paper plate.
- Finish off by gluing the trunk just below the eyes.
Free Horton Template

Sam is the crafter and founder of Simple Everyday Mom. She has been featured in Oprah Mag, Good Housekeeping, The Spruce Crafts, Country Living, The Bump and more. Read more.
Suzanne Burnetta
Monday 4th of March 2024
Please may I have the Dr. Seuss crafts. I love Horton! I would love to make this with my kindergarten children. Thank you!
Sam
Monday 4th of March 2024
Hi! I just checked your email and it’s listed as “unconfirmed” which means you didn’t click the link in the first email. If you didn’t see it, my best guess is it landed in your junk folder. If you can check that folder for my email (sam@simpleeverydaymom.com) and click the link, you’ll be set ◡̈
Misty
Friday 1st of March 2024
This did not come into my mailbox, is been over an hour now. And yes I checked spam folder .
Sam
Friday 1st of March 2024
Hi! I just checked your email and it’s listed as “unconfirmed” which means you didn’t click the link in the first email. If you didn’t see it, my best guess is it landed in your junk folder. If you can check that folder for my email (sam@simpleeverydaymom.com) and click the link, you’ll be set. I did double check and it shows the email as sent.
angela
Friday 14th of April 2023
Awesome!
Sam
Friday 14th of April 2023
Thanks ◡̈
Roberta
Wednesday 8th of March 2023
Love Horton. He touches the heart!
Sam
Wednesday 8th of March 2023
Yes, it's a good one!
Jenny
Monday 6th of March 2023
using for Dr. Suess day
Sam
Monday 6th of March 2023
Perfect!