• Light cardboard - paper plates or breakfast cereal boxes are good
• Some non-toxic paints, markers, crayons or coloured pencils
• Glue and thin elastic or string
• Scissors
• Sticky tape or stapler
• Some bits and pieces to decorate your masks with, like glitter or feathers

Most importantly- have fun!
 

1. Use a piece of cardboard big enough to cover the face of the person who is going to wear it.
    
2. Draw an outline of your mask onto the cardboard. You can use our ready made outline (PDF 9KB) to help you get started. You might want to draw in ears or shapes to make your mask look a bit different.
    
3. Cut out holes for your eyes and the nose. Ask an adult to help you cut out these shapes, in particular the eye holes as these can be tricky.
    
4. Attach some elastic to each side of your mask. Ask an adult or friend to help make sure it fits your head so the mask doesn't slip.
    
5. Colour in your mask using either paint, felt tips or sticking different coloured paper onto the mask. Glitter, feathers or wool might make it really cool. You may like to use designs and pattens from ethnic and cultural groups in New Zealand or from other countries.
    
6. When the paint and glue is dry, your mask will be ready for you to wear.
    
7. With your animal mask on you can pretend to be that animal - think how that animal would act and what they would do. Or
    
8. If you have made a mask with cultural patterns, how about finding out more about that culture. For instance, what type of games children would play traditionally and what traditional food they may eat? You may also like to discover festivals they celebrate and their national costume.
    

Here are some of the craft ideas from previous Children's Day.

• 2007 Hector's Dolphin (PDF 3,275KB)
• 2005 Tui (PDF 1,680KB)
• 2004 Tuna (eel) (PDF 1,404KB)
• 2003 Pekapeka (bat) (PDF 720KB)