20 Paper Plate Crafts for Kids (2023)

Looking for paper plate crafts for kids?

Paper plate crafts are easy and fun. Some of these crafts can even be played with after they are made!

Let’s get started with my 20 Paper Plate Crafts for Kids.

Craft #1: Walking Dinosaur Paper Plates

I love crafts that the kids can play with after making them. It makes the activity more exciting for them!

This paper plate dinosaur craft is the perfect dinosaur activity for preschoolers because they can walk!

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

View Amazon’s Price

B. Set-up

Cut a paper plate in half and paint them the colors you want! Also, cut a TP roll in half and paint them the same colors as the dinosaurs.

Create a head and tail for the dinosaurs! If you make a stegosaurus, you’ll make the head small, and the brachiosaurs neck will be long!

C. Activity

Make small boney plates for the stegosaurs using white card stock. Then, have the kids create dinosaur prints using their toy dinosaurs with paint on the plates!

You can also have the kids make prints on the dinosaur’s body to add extra color!

Make two small cuts on both sides of the TP roll so they can fit on the paper plate to walk!

Craft #2: Crab Craft

Looking for a simple craft to try with your kids this summer? These crabs are PERFECT!

You just need a few supplies to pull this cute activity off at home or summer camp.

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

View Amazon’s Price

B. Set-up

Fold a paper plate in half and paint it red.

Fold a piece of red cardstock in half! Then, create a rectangle for the eyes, claws, and two sets of legs. Do this on the crease of the paper, so it makes double (makes it go faster!)

C. Activity

Cut out all the parts made from cardstock and glue them on using hot glue if you are in a rush. If you aren’t, you can use regular glue.

Add some googly eyes on the rectangles!

You can rock these back and forth if they are placed on a flat surface for some extra fun.

Craft #3: Shark Paper Plate Craft

I have another simple paper plate craft for you! Who’s little one loves sharks?! They are a favorite over here!

All I can think about when I see this craft is the song Baby Shark.

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

B. Set-up

Fold a paper plate and paint the front blue!

Draw two fins and a tail using cardstock paper.

C. Activity

Using a glue stick, put one fin on the front of the plate and one on the back to be the dorsal fin.

Paste the tail on the inside of the plate, so it’s sticking out of the side!

Add on googly eyes and draw on a smile! If you want to add teeth, use a Q-tip and dip it in white paint to make teeth by the mouth!

Craft #4: Love Birds Paper Plates

How cute are these little love birds? This is the PERFECT Valentine’s craft!

Paper plate crafts are SIMPLE and always turn out so cute! They also make for a great craft for preschoolers and up!

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

View Amazon’s Price

B. Set-up

Cut a paper plate in half. Paint the plates red, pink, and purple! Create some hearts from card stock; these will be your wings!

C. Activity

Have your child decorate each lovebird using gems, feathers, and tiny hearts. To create the little hearts, use a heart hole puncher (linked above) with construction paper.

They should glue these supplies on! To create the feet, cut two small pieces of pipe cleaners. Then, twist one onto the bottom of the other. An adult needs to hot glue the pipe cleaner feet on!

Craft #5: Winter Animal Paper Plate Crafts

These winter paper plate crafts for kids are fun and easy to make.

I always have paper plates hanging around! I did two winter animals, a penguin and a polar bear!

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

View Amazon’s Price

B. Set-up

Paint a paper plate black using acrylic paint! Next, cut out wings using black card stock paper. Lastly, create a small triangle for a beak and small semi-circles for feet using orange card stock.

C. Activity

a. Penguin– Using hot glue, glue the wings on the plate’s side, and glue the feet on the bottom. Let the kids use regular glue to attach the cotton balls to the belly. They can also glue on the googly eyes and beak!

b. Polar bear– Cut the bottom of the plate to create paws. Make a white circle using white card stock to be the head. Also, using that paper, create semi-circle ears! Add googly eyes, a black pom, and paint pink circles on the face. I drew in the mouth with a Sharpie. Have the kids glue on the poms!

Craft#6: Footprint Bunny Paper Plate

Here’s another paper plate craft for you to try with your kids! They will get so excited to put their feet into paint!

Footprint crafts make the cutest keepsakes! This paper plate craft for kids will be one you save to look back on!

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

View Amazon’s Price

B. Set-up

Paint the paper plate brown!

C. Activity

Have your little one put dip their feet into the pink paint. Then, have them make footprints on the white cardstock! Then, hot glue them to the paper plate.

Lastly, hot glue several cotton balls in the middle of the plate for the bunny’s tail!

Craft #7: Earth Day Paper Plate

This Earth day paper plate craft for kids is easy and fun.

It’s a perfect way for toddlers and preschoolers to learn about our Earth.

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

paper plate
acrylic paint
paintbrush
construction paper
scissors
pencil
glue

B. Set-up

Trace your child’s hands-on colored paper. Then, grab your paint and tray!

C. Activity

Paint a paper plate blue and green. Explain that the blue parts represent water, and the green parts are for the land.

You can draw a heart in the center when the plate is dry, then have the kids fill it in with red paint.

Paste your child’s hands on either side of the paper plate so they can hold the world in their hands!

Craft#8: Aquarium Paper Plate

Looking for ways to reuse bottle caps? This ocean aquarium paper plate is adorable and fun to recycle and create.

The aquarium paper plate is a more detailed paper plate for kids, so if your kids love crafting, this one is for them!

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

paper plate
acrylic paint
sand
glue
shells
blue rocks
pipe cleaners
bottle caps
googly eyes
cardstock paper
hot glue

B. Set-up

Paint a paper plate blue and paint some bottle caps in different colors for the fish! Then, create the fins for the fish by cutting colored triangles from cardstock paper.

Once the caps are dry, add a googly eye. Then, attach the fin using hot glue.

C. Activity

Now it’s time to decorate the paper plate! You can use supplies like sand, rocks, shells, pipe cleaners, and fake coral.

All of these items can be glued on using regular glue other than the pipe cleaners. The pipe cleaners should be glued on using hot glue.

Lastly, hot glue the fish to the plate!

Craft#9: Llama Paper Plates

This llama paper plate for kids is so colorful and fun!

I love crafts that kids can play with after they make them. Your kids will love making these llamas walk.

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

paper plates
toilet paper rolls
acrylic paint
glitter
poms
scissors
paper
hot glue
marker

B. Set-up

Cut a paper plate in half. Then, cut a toilet paper roll in half.

You can paint the plate and the TP rolls. For the second one, you see, I only had to paint the TP rolls white.

C. Activity

Paint a semi-circle on the back of the llamas. I made two semi-circles to add a bit more color! Then, add on glitter or poms using glue.

I also added some poms/glitter to the feet. If using poms, hot glue them; if using glitter, you can use regular school glue.

Create a face for the llama using paper and markers. Then, glue it to the back of the plate.

Lastly, cut two slits on either side of the TP roll and slide the paper plate into the slits. Then, the kids can play with their creations!

Craft#10: Bottle Cap Crab Plate

I have another bottle cap craft for you! If you can’t tell, I love reusing items for crafts.

This paper plate craft for kids is great for any time of the year.

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

paper plate
acrylic paint
sand
shells
bottle caps
hot glue
pipe cleaners
googly eyes
pom-poms

B. Set-up

Paint half of the paper plate blue and half light brown. Then, paint your bottle caps in different colors for the crabs!

Cut pipe cleaners to be the arms and legs for the crabs. You will need to hot glue these on for them to stay.

C. Activity

Add a little bit of glue to the bottom of the brown painted section and sprinkle sand on top. Also, hot glue some colored shells.

Have the kids take a pom and dip it in yellow paint to create a sun and white paint to create clouds in the sky.

Lastly, hot glue your crabs to the sand area of the plate.

RELATED: Summer Activities for Kids

Craft#11: Animal Mask Crafts

Want to make your own masks for your kids, so you don’t have to go out and buy them?

It’s easy and fun! This is another paper plate craft for kids that they can play with!

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

paper plates
popsicle sticks
acrylic paint
scissors
pencil
hot glue
paper
circle paintbrush

B. Set-up

Cut a paper plate in half, or you can make it curvy like the tiger plate you see above.

Paint each one the color of the animal you want to create!

C. Activity

We created ears using paper and used hot glue to glue them to the back of each plate. We did create horns for the dinosaur and pasted them to the front.

Use a circle paintbrush or regular paintbrush to create the lines or spots for each animal.

Lastly, hot glue a popsicle stick to the back of the paper plate for the kids to hold and use the mask.

Craft#12: Spider Web Plate

This cute paper plate craft for kids is perfect for Halloween time or for a kiddo who loves spiders (like my son).

Tape resist art is such a fun process for kids. It’s super simple to set up too.

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

paper plate
masking tape
bottle caps
googly eyes
hot glue
acrylic paint
pipe cleaners

B. Set-up

Place your masking tape in the shape of a spider web (like you see in the picture). Then, have the kids use acrylic paint to paint the plate. Since we did this during Halloween time, I used orange, purple, black, and green.

Paint your bottle caps black and wait for them to dry.

C. Activity

Peel off the tape once the paint is dry (do this nice and slow to keep it from ripping).

You can put googly eyes on the spider or leave them off. Make legs for your spider using pipe cleaners. Cut smaller pieces of pipe cleaner and bend them to make the feet. You’ll need to hot glue the pipe cleaners on the bottle caps.

Glue the spiders on using hot glue or leave them off so the kids can play with them on the web!

RELATED: Halloween Activities for Kids

Craft#13: Bottle Cap Bat Plate

Watercolor painting couldn’t be any prettier!

This paper plate craft for kids is easy and fun for the kids to explore watercolors.

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

paper plate
bottle caps
acrylic paint
black and yellow paper
watercolors
star glitter
paintbrushes
hot glue

B. Set-up

Paint the outer rim of the plate black using acrylic paint. Then, paint the inside a mix of blue and purple using watercolors!

Paint the bottle caps black.

C. Activity

Create the bat’s wings and ears from black paper and use hot glue to glue them on.

Hot glue the bats to the paper plate. Lastly, create a full moon using yellow cardstock paper and glue it on.

Craft#14: Parts of a Pumpkin Plate

Looking for a great preschool-themed pumpkin activity? This paper plate craft for kids is PERFECT!

I love when crafts can be a learning activity as well.

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

paper plate
acrylic paint
pumpkin seeds and strands
pipe cleaner
glue stick
paper

B. Set-up

Paint the paper plate orange. Then, create a stem out of brown paper, leaves out of green paper, and pulp using orange paper.

Open a real pumpkin, pull the seeds and strands out, and put them in a plastic bag.

Lastly, either write the parts of a pumpkin on a piece of paper or type them up and print them out.

C. Activity

Have the kids create the vine by curling a pipe cleaner. You can have the kids tape the pipe cleaner to the back of the plate. Next, they should also add the stem, leaves, and pulp you created earlier using a glue stick.

Tape the bag of seeds and strands to the center of the plate.

Lastly, have the kids label the pumpkin by using a glue stick glue on the part of the pumpkin to the plate.

Craft#15: Snowman Color Match Plates

I have the perfect winter craft for you to practice some color matching skills!

This paper plate craft for kids couldn’t be cuter or easier.

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

paper plates
paper
acrylic paint
poms
pipe cleaners
googly eyes
glue
marker
pipe cleaners

B. Set-up

Glue googly eyes on each plate and create a nose for the snowman using orange construction paper. Then, make a mouth and add different colored cheeks to each plate.

C. Activity

Have the kids use color matching skills to choose which colored poms should match the snowmen.

Glue the poms to each side of the plate and bend a pipe cleaner to create the earmuffs. You’ll need to hot glue the pipe cleaner for it to stay on the poms.

RELATED: Winter Activities for Kids

Craft#16: Reindeer Paper Plate

This reindeer paper plate craft is one of our ALL time favorite Christmas crafts we have ever done!

I love when kids can play with the crafts afterward. They get more into creating when they know they can play with it when it’s done!

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

B. Set-up

Paint a paper plate brown using acrylic paint. Once it’s dry, cut a hole at the top so the kids can see through!

C. Activity

Trace the kid’s hands-on brown construction paper and use hot glue to glue them to the top of the plate. These will be the reindeer’s antlers!

Glue a popsicle stick on the back of the plate so the kids can hold it up to be a mask! Lastly, hot glue a red pom in the center of the plate to be Rudolf’s nose!

Craft#17: Paper Plate Santa

It’s honestly amazing what you can do with a simple paper plate. The number of activities is endless!

I love these kinds of supplies! It’s the best when you have all the supplies on hand!

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

B. Set-up

Paint 3/4 of the paper plate with the beige acrylic paint. Then, paint the top and a little of the side with red acrylic paint for the hat. Finally, cut two circles for the eyes with the cardstock paper!

C. Activity

Once the paint dries, paint on a red nose. Then, glue the eyes and the cotton balls on. Finally, glue the cotton balls at the bottom of the hat and for a beard!

Craft#18: Snail Paper Plates

I love a craft that involves some snacks! This paper plate craft for kids is PERFECT for toddlers and preschoolers.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know my love for using Fruit Loops for activities.

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

paper plate
Fruit Loops
glue
buttons
acrylic paint
googly eyes
pipe cleaners
hole punch
hot glue

B. Set-up

Cut a paper plate in half and paint it using acrylic paint. Once it’s dry, punch two holes at the top to stick a pipe cleaner through and hot glue googly eyes to the tops of the pipe cleaner.

C. Activity

Glue Fruit Loops or buttons in a spiral formation on a paper plate. This can be turned into a pattern activity, or you can just let them create however they want. You can draw a spiral so that they can follow the lines.

Hot glue the small paper plate to the half one you painted to create the snail’s shell!

Craft#19: Pot of Gold Craft

This Pot of Gold paper plate craft for kids couldn’t be easier, and it’s fun to make.

It’s amazing what you can do with a simple paper plate. The kids will LOVE this pot of gold craft!

How to do this activity

A. Materials you need

View Amazon’s Price

B. Set-up

Draw a semi-circle on a paper plate and cut it out. Paint the bottom of the plate black. Then, create some waves on yellow cardstock!

C. Activity

Have your little ones use markers to create the colors of the rainbow on the handle of the paper plate! Then, glue yellow cardstock to the back of the paper plate, so it shows a little.

Hot glue some gold coin to the yellow cardstock paper to look like treasure! Lastly, add a shamrock sticker on the front!

Craft#20: Alphabet Sunshine Craft

We ALL need a little sunshine! This project is such a bright and happy one! It’s also an excellent way to review upper and lower-case letters.

It’s also a wonderful fine motor activity! Practicing fine motor skills is crucial for everyday life skills like buttoning a shirt, zipping their jackets, or tying their shoes.