Kids make a paper plate hibernating bear craft with our FREE template and EASY directions.
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The kids and I made a sleeping bear in its winter den as part of our hibernation activities using paper plates and nature treasures we gathered from outside. Our little bear looks so cute nestled in for some winter rest! Make your own hibernating bear craft using our free printable template while having fun learning about how animals sleep in the winter.
This craft goes perfectly with any hibernation unit about bears or other animals. It works for preschoolers and kids in early elementary. Try it with a homeschool group or classroom.
You can also keep the fun going with these bear themed activities including Brown Bear What Do You See Printable Activities, Going on a Bear Hunt Pretend Play, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears Activities. What a great collection of bear themed activities based on classic children’s stories.
Want to have more fun with hibernating? Try these Hibernating Animals Yoga Poses with your kids!
Paper Plate Hibernating Bear Craft
Supplies:
Bear template (available to download for free at the end of this post)
Paper plate
Scissors
Paintbrush
Pen
Craft paint (black, gray)
Glue
Nature treasures (leaves, sticks, bark…)
Cotton balls
Directions:
1. Cut paper plate in half and cut out the middle section to make a “C” shape for the front of the cave.
2. Paint the “C” shape gray and the other half of the paper plate black for the inside of the cave and set aside to dry.
3. Cut out a bear and draw a sleeping face on it. Little Tiger liked making sleepy eyes instead of the regular round awake eyes.
4. Glue the bear to the black part of the cave and decorate the cave with cotton balls and nature treasures. Little Tiger wanted to make sure her bears were extra comfortable because they were going to be sleeping a long time.
5. Glue the “C” shape on top of the black part and the craft is complete! Shhh… don’t wake the sleeping bear :).
See more of our paper plate crafts by clicking here.
You can also make these Bear Paw Cookies, and make this craft while you wait for them to cook!
More Hibernating Crafts & Activities by the Creative Preschool Team
🐻 Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! This bear craft is perfect for lessons about hibernation, winter, or forest animals. It pairs great with storybooks about bears and can help kids learn what animals do to stay warm and safe during the winter.
You can say, “Some animals take a long nap during the cold winter months because food is hard to find. They sleep in cozy places like caves or dens until spring comes back.” Simple visuals or pretend play (like tucking the bear into a paper den) make it even more fun and easy to understand.
Most black bears, grizzly bears, and brown bears hibernate in the wild. Polar bears are a little different—they stay active through the winter but still rest more when it’s cold. This can be a great way to talk about how animals live in different habitats.
Books About Hibernation for Kids
Here are 3 books we recommend that go perfectly with this hibernation craft. I love reading books before crafting because it always seems to spark kid’s imaginations.
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
Another Bear book with his cute little friends, this time Bear is super sleepy! Grab some Bear Snores On sequencing cards to add to this activity and make learning time perfect!
Time to Sleep by Michelle Meadows
Bear and his friends can tell it’s time to hibernate… see who will be sleeping this winter with this cute book.
Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows
Winter is coming, find out who is ready to go to sleep at the Hibernation Station.
Very Cute! My kids would love this!
This is super duper cute! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
These are adorable! Such a cute craft to go with kids learning about hibernation.
This is super cute. I really liked how it turned out with the paper plate. 🙂
Time to Sleep and Bear Snores on are so cute for preschoolers. Love your project!
Adorable craft!
Hi Kristina, Thanks so much!