Here’s a quick and easy chef’s hat that you can make in minutes.  This project is fun to do for a cooking-inspired birthday party or as part of a healthy foods unit.  The pleating of paper is a good way to work on fine motor skills.  Try our companion project – Little Chef aprons and our Kidfunideas Recipes too.

 

 What you'll need:

• 2-3 sheets of 8 ½  x 11” plain white copy paper

• Butcher paper

• Scissors

• Marker

• Stapler

• Tape

How to make it:

1. Start by measuring the head you want to make a hat for.  You can use a measuring tape or piece of string to measure around the head just above the ears.  Tape the 8 ½ x 11” papers together with tape along the short side.  If your head size is longer than 22”, add the 3rd piece of 8 ½ x 11” paper to the length and cut it to the measure of the head you have plus ½ inch.

2. Lay your taped piece out and fold the paper in half lengthwise, and crease along the fold.  Fold the paper lengthwise again until you have a long strip that is 2” wide. This will be the brim of your hat.

3. Roll out a 36” piece of butcher paper and trim into an 18” x 36” piece.  Accordion fold along the 18” length, creasing along the folds.

4. Lay out the brim of your hat and open it up along the last fold.  Stretch out your accordion-folded paper and lay it along the inner fold line of the brim of your hat.  Use tape to tape down each end of the accordion folded paper along the inner fold line.  Use more small strips of tape to tape the folds of the accordion-folded paper to the inner fold line of the brim.

5. When the accordion folded paper is attached to the inside brim of your hat, fold up the brim to sandwich the accordion folded paper between the two sides. 

6. Take the brim of your hat and measure it around the child’s head to check for the right fit.  Tape the brim together and tape the accordion folded paper together also along the long edge.

7. Gather together the top ends of the hat.  Use a heavy-duty stapler to staple the ends together.  If you don’t have a heavy-duty stapler, use a long strip of tape to tape the ends together. 

8. Carefully push the gathered ends of the top of your hat into the center of your hat, fluffing out the sides.  Use the heavy-duty stapler to staple the gathered ends of your hat from the inside of your hat.

9. Trim out the Kidfunideas Chef name tag and write your name on the space provided.  Use a glue stick to attach it to the brim of your hat.