Are you looking for a fun, easy, and cheap way to keep your kids busy at home or in the classroom? Paper plates are not just for food. They can turn into animals, masks, flowers, or even a spinning rainbow wheel.
With only a few supplies like glue, scissors, and markers, your kids can create all kinds of cool paper plate crafts.
These crafts help children learn, play, and develop their fine motor skills while having a lot of creative fun at the same time.
Whether it’s for a holiday, a school project, or just a rainy afternoon, paper plate crafts are always a great idea. We’ll share tons of fun paper plate craft ideas you can try with your kids anytime.
Why Choose Paper Plate Crafts for Kids?
Paper plates make perfect craft materials for children of all ages and skill levels. Here are the main reasons why paper plates work so well for kids’ crafts:
- Safe and non-toxic: Paper plates contain no harmful chemicals that could hurt children.
- Budget-friendly: Most families already have paper plates at home, making crafts very affordable.
- Easy to cut and shape: Young children can easily handle scissors with paper plates.
- Lightweight material: Kids can hold and move their projects without getting tired.
- Takes paint and markers well: The smooth surface works great with most art supplies.
- Quick cleanup: Parents spend less time cleaning up after craft sessions.
- Perfect size: Standard paper plates give kids plenty of space for their creative ideas.
- Durable enough: Finished projects can be displayed or played with for days.
Paper plates are a great place to start. But before you begin, let’s make sure you have the supplies your kids will need for these crafts.
Paper Plate Craft Supply List
Before you begin crafting, here’s a list of materials most kids will need for paper plate projects. These supplies are simple, affordable, and safe for little hands.
Essential Materials for Paper Plate Crafts
These are the main things your kids will need to make the most of the paper plate crafts.
| Material | Purpose | Approximate Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Paper plates | The main surface for building and decorating each craft | $2–$4 per pack |
| Child-safe scissors | For cutting out shapes like ears, tails, or decorations | $3–$5 |
| School glue or glue stick | To attach paper pieces, eyes, or decorations | $1–$3 |
| Washable paints | For coloring the plate in bright, fun designs | $5–$10 per set |
| Crayons or markers | For drawing details, outlines, and coloring surfaces | $3–$6 per pack |
| Colored paper | Used to make ears, eyes, legs, or other fun shapes | $2–$5 per pack |
Optional Craft Supplies to Make Things More Fun
These optional items aren’t required, but can make your crafts even more colorful, sparkly, or interactive for added fun and creativity.
| Material | Purpose | Approximate Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Googly eyes | Add fun, movable eyes to animal or creature crafts | $2–$4 per pack |
| Cotton balls | Used for clouds, sheep, snow, or textured designs | $1–$3 |
| Popsicle sticks | Handles for masks or props | $2–$4 per pack |
| Yarn or string | For hair, tails, webs, or hanging crafts | $3–$5 per skein |
| Stickers or gems | Decorate crowns and masks, or add sparkle | $2–$4 per sheet |
| Tape or brads | Attach movable parts like spinners or clock hands | $1–$3 |
Easy Paper Plate Crafts for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Here are the top easy paper plate craft ideas perfect for your toddlers and preschoolers to enjoy.
1. Paper Plate Sun
Let kids paint a paper plate yellow and glue strips of yellow paper around it like rays for a smiling sun.
This cheerful craft is great for toddlers and preschoolers to learn about the weather while building fine motor skills with cutting, gluing, and painting.
2. Paper Plate Cat Face
Draw a cat face on a paper plate and add paper ears, whiskers, and a pink nose using simple craft supplies.
Children will enjoy personalizing their cats with different colors while practicing creativity and learning about animal shapes in an easy, hands-on way.
3. Rainbow Paper Plate
Cut a plate in half, paint it in rainbow colors, and hang cotton balls on the ends for clouds.
This colorful project teaches kids about colors and weather while letting them explore painting and design through a fun, simple craft.
4. Paper Plate Ladybug
Paint a plate red, then add black dots and a paper head to make a cute ladybug design.
Kids will love this bright insect activity, which helps them recognize patterns, practice gluing skills, and stay focused on simple, structured art steps.
5. Smiley Face Mask
Draw a happy face on a paper plate and attach a popsicle stick handle to turn it into a mask.
This cheerful project allows kids to express emotions, role-play, and enjoy an easy craft that combines drawing, imagination, and fine motor work.
6. Paper Plate Bunny Ears
Cut out two big white paper ears, glue them to the plate, and decorate with pink paper and cotton for a bunny face. This cute activity is perfect for Easter or spring and lets kids practice gluing and decorating with simple shapes.
7. Paper Plate Fish
Cut a triangle from the plate to make a fish mouth, then paint and add a googly eye and scales using markers or paper.
Kids will enjoy making silly sea creatures while learning shapes and using their imaginations in this easy ocean-themed project.
8. Paper Plate Watermelon
Paint the inside of the plate red and the outer edge green, then add black dots for seeds using a marker or paper.
This fruity craft helps kids learn about healthy food while enjoying color recognition, painting, and a fun summertime activity.
9. Paper Plate Sheep
Glue cotton balls all over the plate, then add paper ears, eyes, and a nose to make a fluffy sheep. This soft and simple activity is great for sensory play, farm themes, and helping little ones work on their gluing skills.
10. Paper Plate Pig Mask
Paint the plate pink, cut holes for eyes, and glue on paper ears and a snout to make a pig mask.
After decorating them, kids can wear their animal faces and enjoy pretend play, boosting both creativity and confidence.
11. Paper Plate Bear Face
Color the plate brown, then add round paper ears and a circle nose to make a sweet bear face. This craft is great for preschool animal units and helps kids with shape recognition and gluing practice.
12. Paper Plate Emoji
Let kids pick their favorite emoji, then color the plate to match with yellow, black, and red markers or crayons. This fun idea combines art and digital life while helping children express feelings and practice neat coloring skills.
13. Paper Plate Spider
Paint the plate black, glue on eight paper legs, and stick on some googly eyes to create a silly spider. This not-too-spooky craft is great for Halloween and encourages counting, symmetry, and creativity.
14. Paper Plate Turtle
Paint the plate green and add paper for a head, legs, and tail for a slow but cute turtle. Kids will enjoy building the parts and learning about animals while working on placement and basic cutting.
15. Paper Plate Owl
Cut out big, round eyes and a triangle beak, then decorate with colored paper feathers to make a wise old owl. This fun activity introduces kids to birds and helps them with pattern-making and following multi-step directions.
16. Paper Plate Pumpkin
Paint the plate orange, add a green stem, and draw or glue on a jack-o’-lantern face for Halloween fun. This seasonal craft helps teach about autumn traditions while giving kids a chance to be festive and creative.
17. Paper Plate Bee
Paint the plate yellow and black in stripes, then add paper wings and antennae for a buzzing bee. Children can learn about insects and patterning while enjoying this cheerful spring or summer-themed craft.
18. Paper Plate Ice Cream
Cut the plate into a cone shape, decorate it with scoops made of colored circles, and top it with a cherry. This sweet pretend-food activity is fun for play kitchens, parties, or anytime play, using only basic supplies.
19. Paper Plate Crab
Use a red plate, glue on six paper legs and two claws, and add googly eyes on the stalks. This sea creature project helps kids explore beach animals while building skills in assembling and following directions.
20. Paper Plate Crown
Cut the center from a plate and shape the outer ring like a crown, then decorate with stickers, glitter, or jewels. This craft is fun for pretend play or birthdays and lets kids feel royal while practicing safe cutting and design skills.
21. Paper Plate Apple
Paint the plate red or green, add a paper stem and leaf, and draw seeds in the center for a fun fruit craft.
Kids will learn about healthy food choices and enjoy a simple painting activity that’s great for fall or back-to-school themes.
22. Paper Plate Monster Face
Let kids draw silly or spooky monster faces using paint, googly eyes, yarn hair, and paper teeth. This playful activity encourages imagination and expression while helping kids practice with glue, shapes, and textures.
23. Paper Plate Jellyfish
Cut the plate in half, paint the top, and attach ribbon or paper strips to hang like tentacles.
This ocean-themed craft helps with scissor practice and introduces young learners to sea animals in a colorful, hands-on way.
24. Paper Plate Pizza
Color the plate like a pizza with sauce, cheese, and toppings made from colored paper circles and squares. Kids enjoy pretending to cook while learning shapes and colors, and organizing designs in this pretend food project.
25. Paper Plate Panda
Paint the plate white and add big black paper circles for eyes, ears, and a nose to make a panda face. This adorable activity helps kids follow visual instructions and learn about animals from around the world.
26. Paper Plate Lion
Glue yellow and orange strips around the plate to make a mane and draw a friendly lion face in the center. This roaring craft gives kids practice with cutting and arranging while adding fun animal-themed play.
27. Paper Plate Flower
Cut petals around the plate edge, paint them, and add a circle in the middle for the flower center. This cheerful spring activity teaches parts of a flower and encourages creative color choices and fine motor control.
28. Paper Plate Ghost
Paint the plate white, draw on a spooky face, and glue on tissue paper strips to make it float. A simple Halloween craft that lets kids enjoy gentle, spooky themes while working on gluing and design placement.
29. Paper Plate Dinosaur
Cut shapes for a tail, head, and legs, then attach them to a decorated plate for a fun dinosaur body. This prehistoric project is great for kids who love dinosaurs and want to build something cool with easy steps.
30. Paper Plate Donut
Cut a hole in the middle, paint the top like frosting, and decorate with paper sprinkles for a donut treat. This sweet craft combines food fun with creative design and helps young kids with painting and spatial awareness.
More Fun Paper Plate Crafts to Try
Here are some additional simple paper plate craft ideas that your toddlers and preschoolers will love making.
31. Paper Plate Aquarium
Paint the plate blue, glue on fish cutouts, seaweed, and bubbles to make an undersea scene. This imaginative craft is great for storytelling, marine lessons, and practicing thoughtful arrangement and layering.
32. Paper Plate Unicorn
Add a paper horn, yarn mane, and sparkly decorations to turn the plate into a magical unicorn face.
Kids love making fantasy creatures, and this activity encourages creativity while building with different materials and textures.
33. Paper Plate Clock
Draw numbers around the plate, add paper hands with a brad fastener, and turn it into a learning clock. This educational project helps kids learn to tell time while creating something they can play with and practice on.
34. Paper Plate Parrot
Paint the plate in bright colors, add wings, a beak, and feathers to create a colorful parrot. This tropical bird project is perfect for rainforest themes and helps kids practice layering and matching bright colors.
35. Paper Plate Spider Web
Draw or glue yarn in a web shape across the plate and add a paper or plastic spider. This craft builds patience and coordination while helping kids explore symmetry and spooky creatures.
36. Paper Plate Rainbow Spinner
Punch two holes and use yarn to hang the plate, then paint sections like a rainbow and watch it spin. This simple science-meets-art activity encourages movement, color learning, and playful decorating.
37. Paper Plate Weather Wheel
Divide the plate into weather sections, draw symbols, and attach a spinning arrow with a brad in the center. This fun craft helps kids talk about the weather and learn how to identify different conditions in a creative way.
38. Paper Plate Reindeer
Paint the plate brown, add antlers made of handprint cutouts, and glue on a red pom-pom nose.
A great winter or holiday craft that helps children build festive decorations while practicing gluing and following instructions.
39. Paper Plate Elephant
Attach a trunk, ears, and tusks made from paper to the plate for a big, friendly elephant face. This safari animal craft introduces kids to animals from different places and uses large shapes for easy cutting.
40. Paper Plate Octopus
Paint the plate, glue on googly eyes, and add eight paper strip legs curling at the ends.
This silly sea animal activity helps with counting and coordination while making something kids will enjoy moving around.
41. Paper Plate Zebra
Paint the plate white, add black paper stripes, ears, and a snout to make a friendly zebra face. This craft lets kids explore animal patterns and build focus while layering black-and-white pieces with glue.
42. Paper Plate Robot
Cut paper shapes for eyes, a mouth, and buttons, and glue them onto a silver- or gray-painted plate. This futuristic activity sparks STEM interest while letting kids design their own robot faces with creativity and control.
43. Paper Plate Snail
Glue a spiral-cut plate onto a paper snail body and decorate it with colors and patterns. This garden-themed craft encourages imagination, cutting practice, and adds a playful science tie-in.
44. Paper Plate Camping Scene
Use cutouts of trees, tents, and stars to create a camping scene on a dark-painted plate. This storytelling craft builds scene-setting skills and works well for nature or outdoor learning days.
45. Paper Plate Mosaic Art
Cut colored paper into small pieces and glue them in patterns or pictures on the plate. This simple art project teaches patience, color planning, and is great for quiet or calming creative time.
46. Paper Plate Kite
Punch holes in the bottom and add yarn streamers, then draw fun kite shapes on the plate. This cheerful activity adds motion and is fun for spring or windy weather themes while working on stringing skills.
47. Paper Plate Barn
Paint a plate red, add a white paper door and roof lines, and glue on farm animal pictures. This farm unit craft introduces rural life and encourages thoughtful placement and basic constructional shapes.
48. Paper Plate Peacock
Paint the plate in blues and greens, cut feather shapes, and glue them in a fan shape behind a paper peacock body. This lively craft is perfect for learning about exotic birds while practicing patience and decoration layering.
49. Paper Plate Sunflower
Cut petal shapes around the edge of a yellow-painted plate and add brown paper for the center. This bright and happy craft is ideal for spring or garden themes and lets kids focus on symmetry.
50. Paper Plate Snow Globe
Paint a winter scene on the plate, then glue a clear plastic sheet on top to look like a snow globe. This seasonal project adds a little magic and creativity, perfect for winter holiday crafts with visual layering.
51. Paper Plate Mermaid
Use colored paper for hair, a shell top, and tail, and decorate the plate like a mermaid’s face. This fantasy-themed craft delights children and gives them room to be imaginative with shapes, glitter, and detail.
52. Paper Plate Space Scene
Paint the plate black or dark blue, and add cutout planets, stars, and rockets using colored paper. This activity helps teach about outer space while building composition and encouraging curiosity in science.
53. Paper Plate Giraffe
Paint the plate yellow with brown spots, and add a long paper neck and ears for a tall giraffe. This safari animal project is great for practicing height comparison and creative animal building.
54. Paper Plate Volcano
Create a cone shape from the plate, paint it brown and red, and glue on paper lava. This exciting project is fun for earth science themes and helps build awareness of 3D crafting and design.
55. Paper Plate Carousel
Cut the plate in half, glue on animal cutouts around the edge, and add a central paper pole. This imaginative craft is great for fair or circus units and lets kids create movement-inspired designs.
56. Paper Plate Castle
Paint the plate gray, cut out towers and windows from paper, and glue them on to build a castle. This medieval-themed activity encourages storytelling and shape work in a fun fantasy setting.
57. Paper Plate Mask with Feathers
Cut eye holes, glue on feathers, sequins, and a handle to make a carnival mask. This colorful activity helps children with fine motor skills and makes for great pretend play afterward.
58. Paper Plate Campfire
Use paper flames and logs glued to the plate to create a pretend campfire craft. Great for outdoor learning or pretend camping, this helps kids work on layering and color mixing.
59. Paper Plate Pirate Ship
Cut the plate into a boat shape, paint it, and add a paper sail and flag on a stick. This high-seas craft adds fun to your lesson plans and encourages creativity with imaginary travel play.
60. Paper Plate Dragon
Paint the plate green, add spines, a tail, and fire using colored paper for a fire-breathing dragon. This fantasy creature helps boost imagination and lets kids explore character design and storytelling.
61. Paper Plate Wind Chime
Punch holes, tie ribbons with beads or bells, and hang the plate to create a simple wind chime. This musical craft is great for sensory play and outdoor learning through sound and motion.
62. Paper Plate Stained Glass
Cut a hole in the center, tape colored tissue paper behind it, and hang the plate near a window. This art-and-light project teaches color blending and lets kids enjoy watching their craft change with sunlight.
63. Paper Plate Earth
Paint the plate like a globe, using blue and green to represent land and water.
This Earth Day craft encourages environmental awareness and supports geography learning with easy painting practice.
64. Paper Plate Whale
Cut the plate into a whale shape, paint it blue, and add a paper spout and googly eye. This fun ocean animal project helps with shape matching and encourages interest in marine life.
65. Paper Plate Alphabet Wheel
Divide the plate into sections, write letters in each, and use a second plate with a window to spin and reveal. This educational craft helps with letter recognition and makes learning fun through movement and hands-on activity.
Helpful Tips for Easy Crafting
Follow these helpful tips to make your paper plate crafting sessions smooth and enjoyable for everyone.
- Gather all supplies first: Collect paper plates, scissors, glue, and art supplies before starting any project
- Cover work surfaces: Use old newspapers or plastic tablecloths to protect tables and floors
- Wear old clothes: Dress kids in clothes that can get messy or use aprons
- Start with simple projects: Choose easy crafts that match your child’s age and skill level
- Have wet wipes ready: Keep cleaning supplies nearby for quick cleanup of hands and surfaces
- Take breaks when needed: Let children rest if they feel frustrated or tired during crafting
- Praise their efforts: Focus on the fun process rather than making perfect finished products
- Plan for drying time: Set up a safe space where wet projects can dry completely
Safety Tips for Parents
Craft time is fun, but it’s also important to keep kids safe while they cut, glue, and paint. Always stay nearby and follow these simple safety tips.
- Help young children use scissors and show them how to hold them the right way.
- Use child-safe scissors with soft grips and rounded ends.
- Watch kids closely when they use glue, paint, or small decorations.
- Remind them not to put craft items like beads or glue in their mouths.
- Wash your hands after using glue, paint, or markers.
- Clean up spills quickly to prevent slipping.
- Make sure the craft table has enough light so everyone can see.
- Keep sharp tools and choking hazards away from little ones.
- Keep a small first aid kit nearby in case of small cuts or scrapes.
These tips will help keep craft time both safe and fun.
The Bottom Line
Crafting helps children feel happy, creative, and proud, and it’s a fun way for families or classrooms to spend time together.
We’ve shared lots of fun paper plate crafts that are great for kids at home, at school, or even at birthday parties. You don’t need to try them all at once. Just pick one or two that sound fun and start from there.
So gather your supplies, follow the steps, and enjoy watching your child’s face light up with joy and imagination.
Craft time isn’t over; head to our Children’s Crafts category for more!
