Paper plate masks or creatures

Paper plates, scissors, and something to colour with. Everything else is a bonus. Cheap plain white paper plates work better than the coated party ones because paint and glue stick to them properly. Add elastic or a craft stick handle so the mask can actually be worn, plus glue, and any odds and ends for decoration: feathers, googly eyes, scraps of card, wool for hair.

Punch the holes about 1cm in from the edge, not right on the rim, and reinforce each hole with a small square of tape or a sticky reinforcement ring before threading the elastic. The rim is the weakest part of a paper plate, so an elastic tied straight through a bare edge hole rips out the first time a child pulls it on. Thin round hat elastic is more comfortable than the flat kind.

No, and that surprises people. The creature versions get genuinely creative: layered plates for a 3D owl face, a folded plate that becomes a snapping crocodile mouth, fringed edges for a lion's mane. Older kids and adults tend to push the design further once they see the plate as a base rather than a finished object. The simple flat mask is the toddler version, not the ceiling.

Use less water and work in thin layers. Poster paint and acrylic both sit on the surface better than runny watercolours, which soak in and warp the plate. If you want a wash of colour, let each layer dry fully before adding the next. A soggy plate almost always means too much water at once rather than too much paint.