Reach into your craft supplies and let’s make a paper plate car craft with the kids. Also, look at my page How to Homeschool Preschool for more ideas.
We can turn it into a whole lesson on C is for Cars or cars in general to make it a memorable mini-unit for preschoolers.
Kick off your lesson by creating an adorable paper plate car.

Preschoolers can paint or color their plates, add wheels from construction paper, glue on windows, and personalize their vehicle with their favorite colors.
This simple craft strengthens fine motor skills and allows kids to use creativity while reinforcing the letter C visually and verbally.
When preschoolers learn through motion, hands-on play, and imagination, the alphabet suddenly becomes exciting and memorable.
C is for Car is a perfect early-learning theme because kids already love vroom-vroom pretend play, and this lets them literally “drive” the lesson.
BOOKS ABOUT TRANSPORTATION FOR KIDS
Transportation Themed Books & Resources for Kids
Add some of these fun books about transportation from the earliest times to modern.
Explore the incredible world of automobiles, aviation and more, from mini motors to modern warships, helicopters to high-speed trains, with this engaging encyclopedia for children aged 9-12 perfect for young transport enthusiasts.
Young vehicle fans can use the sturdy picture tabs to turn to their favorite page for counting car fun, time and time again in Roger Priddy's Counting Cars.There are race cars, motorbikes, family cars, and all kinds of vehicles to discover racing across the pages of this awesome counting book!Organized into seven themed collections, the pages are packed with vehicles to look for, find, and count, along with lots of fun things to spot.The Counting Collection board book series offers a fun way to help young minds develop their math and visual skills with colorful images packed on every page for children to look for, count, and identify.
Before he can drive his car Mr Little has to find out why it is hissing and growling and squeaking. Help him discover what is wrong by lifting the flaps and finding the surprises hiding inside.
Peaceable Kingdom Giant Floor Puzzles with Uniquely Fun Shaped Pieces
I also have many other ways that you can use Hot Wheels cars.
From creating playful learning centers throughout your homeschool day, making art with the wheels to using cars as a unit of measure to introduce a new math concept.
7 LEARNING ABOUT CARS PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES
1. HOT WHEELS ALPHABET ROADS
Great for developing letter recognition and reinforcing sounds.
Make a large road on the floor using painter’s tape or poster board.
Write letters along the roads and have your child:
- Drive a car to the letter C each time you ask for it.
- Match cars with letter cards scattered along the roadway

2. CAR SIZE COMPARISON
Compare big, medium, small. This is early math vocabulary, sequencing, observation.
Line up several cars and compare their sizes.
Ask:
- Which is the biggest?
- Which is the smallest?
- Can you put them in order?
3. MEASURING WITH CARS
Introduce non-standard measurement, counting, estimation, cause and effect, simple physics, problem-solving.
Pick an object-a book, a shoe, a toy- and measure how many Hot Wheels cars long it is. Kids can line up the cars bumper-to-bumper to measure.

4. HOT WHEELS RAMP SCIENCE
Use cardboard or a baking sheet to make a ramp.
Let kids test:
- Which car goes fastest?
- Which car goes farthest?
- What happens if we make the ramp taller?
- What if we use carpet vs. tile?
5. CAR WASH SENSORY BIN
This is fun for sensory play, fine motor, and practical life skills.

Use a bin with warm, soapy water, sponges, and brushes.
Let kids wash their cars and then dry them.

6. CAR TRACKS ART
And a fun car tracks art encourages creativity, cause and effect, pattern making.
Dip the wheels of Hot Wheels cars in washable paint and drive them across paper.
Kids can make straight lines, zigzags, swirls, or rainbow roads.

7. NUMBER PARKING GAME
Try this number parking game to practice number recognition, counting, and following directions.
Label parking spots 1–10.
Ask your child to park a car on the number you call out. Or roll a die and park a car on the matching number.
MORE CAR CRAFTS AND RESOURCES
Here are some more fabulous car-themed activities and resources your child will love.
- This C is for Car: Letter of the Week Snack for Preschoolers is the cutest thing!
- Upcycle and create this Craft and Play: Toilet Paper Roll Car Craft.
- Another fun car themed idea is to learn How to Build a Toilet Paper Roll Balloon Car.
- Make a Car Themed Sensory Bin for Toddlers and Preschoolers to introduce stop and go, the parts of a road or car and more.
- Watch Cars and Trucks Learning Video with your little one to help them learn more about cars and other types of vehicles.

Finally, look at how to make this paper plate car craft.
PAPER PLATE CAR CRAFT
This cute C is for Car craft, is easy for little hands, and uses supplies you probably already have. Kids will love decorating their personalized car and “driving” it during circle time or while practicing the letter C.
You will need:
- Paper plate
- Paint, markers, or crayons
- Construction paper (black, white, and any color you like)
- Glue stick or liquid glue
- Scissors

Optional: stickers, bottle caps, pom poms, aluminum foil, and googly eyes
Cut a paper plate in half; you can save half for a future craft or make two cars.

Let your child decorate the plate half by painting it a solid color, let it dry.

Cut two circles from black construction paper for the wheels.
Cut out simple window shapes from white or light-blue construction paper.

Glue the wheels onto the bottom curved edge of the paper plate.
Glue down one large, rounded rectangle for the main window.
Or two square windows for a boxier look.

Paint on additional colors and patterns if desired.

Let kids personalize their car with fun touches to let their personality shine…
- Decorate with stars or racing stripes.
- Draw a door handle
- Add headlights using yellow paper circles
- Glue on a license plate
- Add racing numbers or stickers
