Get ready to explore the wonders of the four seasons with a fun and engaging hands-on activity that’s perfect for young children.
This Moving Seasons paper plate craft is a great way to introduce preschoolers to the concept of different seasons in a visual, interactive way.
With just a few simple materials and a free printable template, you can guide your children through the changing seasons of the year in an exciting and educational way.
Materials You’ll Need for the Paper Plate Seasons Craft
To make this Moving Seasons craft, gather the following materials: a paper plate, paint in various colors (blue, white, green, pink, and yellow), paintbrushes, colored pencils, construction paper, a marker, scissors, and a single hole puncher.
These simple supplies allow children to create a vibrant and interactive representation of the four seasons.
We also provide a free downloadable template to make the process even easier, ensuring this is a great activity for children of all abilities. Grab this at the end of this blog post.
The finished product will rotate to display each season, making this a hands-on experience that’s both creative and educational.
What do they like best about each specific season? Do they prefer the hot summer sun or the colder temperatures of autumn and winter?
Personally Summer is my favorite season, but my daughter likes Winter best.
This craft is a fun way to talk about it and think about all the different seasonal activities we enjoy throughout the year.
Using crafts like this in a preschool setting allows children to connect art with learning, helping them retain concepts through tactile and visual experiences.
Rotating Paper Plate Seasons Craft
Create a rotating "Four Seasons" paper plate craft that helps young children learn about seasonal changes in a fun and hands-on way - perfect for preschoolers to explore nature through art and movement! Perfect for the seasons preschool theme.
Materials
- Paper plates (2)
- Paint (blue, white, green, pink, and yellow)
- Paintbrush
- Color pencils
- Construction paper
- Marker
- Scissors
- Single hole puncher
- Paper fastener
Tools
- Printer for template if using
Instructions
- Prepare and Paint the Paper Plate
Start by dividing one of the paper plates into four equal sections.
This is the perfect way to represent each season! Use yellow, pink, blue, and light blue paint to color each section, representing the various seasons of the year. We started wth pink for spring 
Followed by blue for summer 
Yellow for autumn 
and a light blue for winter 
and added green to some of the scenes 
Allow the paint to dry completely before moving on to the next step. - Add Seasonal Details
Now it's time to add some lovely seasonal details! Once the paint is dry, use the free printable template to cut out the specific items that represent each season.
Attach the yellow tree to the yellow paint for Fall, the pink tree for spring, the boat, cloud, and sun for the blue section to show off a warm summer day, and a snowman with clouds for the light blue winter scene. 
This part of the craft allows for lots of creative expression - young children can learn about seasonal changes while having so much fun adding each element! - Create the Moving Mechanism
Take your second paper plate and cut out a slice that matches the size of one seasonal section.
This will act as the window to reveal each season. Punch a hole in the center of both paper plates 
and use a paper fastener to attach them together, creating a rotating plate that reveals one season at a time. It’s an engaging way for kids to interact with their craft and understand the concept of changing seasons! 
- Label the Seasons
To finish off, invite children to use color pencils to write the words "Four Seasons" on the front of the rotating plate.
You can also write the name of each lovely season on to it's individual section. This adds a lovely touch to the finished product and helps reinforce literacy and language skills, making this craft not only a fun activity but also an educational one.
This Moving Seasons paper plate craft is an excellent activity for preschool activities and seasonal themes in classrooms or at home. It enhances fine motor skills as children cut, paint, and assemble the craft, and it encourages critical thinking when they match each seasonal element to the correct season.
It’s also a great addition to a thematic unit on the seasons of the year, fitting perfectly alongside sensory bins, nature walks, and other thematic bins that explore the beauty of seasonal changes.
Preschool teachers and parents can use this activity as part of their extensive experience in hands-on curricula to create an optimal experience for children by incorporating it into a thematic unit on the seasons, building critical thinking, language skills, and fine motor development through interactive play and creativity.
There are a variety of themed hand-on activities you can do for the seasons topic, but this simple paper plate craft has to be one of our favorites.
Rotating Paper Plate Seasons Craft Video
Watch the video to see how the paper plate rotates to reveal each season.
Download the Seasons Paper Plate Craft Template PDF
You can use our free printable template to create the four scenes for each of the seasons – Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Or you can have the kids draw their own designs for each season, the choice is yours.
To grab the template, click below
Terms of use: This seasons craft template is free for personal use and classroom use only, not for commercial use.
More Fun Seasons and Weather Preschool Crafts and Activities for Kids
Looking for more exciting ways to teach young children about the changing seasons and different weather patterns? Check out our collection of hands-on activities and crafts that are perfect for preschoolers – each one is designed to be both educational and fun!
- Seasons Weather Sorting Activity with Foam Stickers
- Free Interactive Preschool Calendar Printables (12 Months)
- Fine Motor Threading Rain Cloud Craft
- 25 Cheerful Sun Crafts for Toddlers
- Free Printable Spring Dot to Dot Pages
- Free Winter Dot to Dot Printable 20 Pages
- Autumn Leaf Fine Motor Dropper Art for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Sharing helps us bring more creative ideas to families and classrooms everywhere.
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
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