Paper plates are one of the best materials for crafting in your home or projects in the classroom or a play group because of their incredibly low price and easy storage. Paper plate crafts make simple projects and are perfect as kids don’t need expensive, complicated or fancy things to let their creativity show. You can make anything with a paper plate ranging from masks to purses to animals.
Paper Plate Crafts Ideas for Kids
You can spend a lovely afternoon with your children turning plain paper plates into fun craft projects. Listed below are some fun paper plate crafts ideas.
1. Baby Birds Nest
Things you need:
- Paper plate
- Stapler
- Brown paint
- Brown and orange paper
- Blue pom-poms
- Googly eyes
- Popsicle sticks
How to make it: Cut your paper plate along the middle, stapling the edges together so the middle is open creating the nest. Have your kids paint it, then glue on shredded brown paper for texture. Add googly eyes and small beaks made of orange paper to blue pom-poms for the birds. Attach the birds to popsicle sticks and slide them into their nest.
Why kids love it: This project uses a lot of textures and colors and can teach kids about birds.
2. Paper Plate Banjo
Things you need:
- Paper plates
- Staples
- Paint
- Stickers
- Beads
- Rubber bands
- Paint sticks
How to make it: Place two thick paper plates on top of each other and attach them together with staples. Have your kids paint and decorate the plates anyway they want. Connect a paint stick on the back of the plates, using beads for pegs. Stretch rubber bands around the plates for strings.
Why kids love it: Children love making music and this instrument is fun to make and play with afterwards. Best of all, kids can decide exactly what color it is.
3. Finger Puppet Cup Doll
Things you need:
- Paper cup
- Scissors
- Paint
- Stickers
- Markers
- A wooden bead
- Pom-poms
- Feathers
- Paper
How to make it: Flip your paper cup upside down, cutting out armholes with scissors (your child will use their fingers as the arms). Let your kid decorate the cup however they want. Attach the wooden bead as the head, add a face and use the pom-poms and feathers for hair. Cut a collar out from the paper.
Why kids love it: This gives them the chance to create their own dolls and they can pick their colors, hairstyles and more.
4. Paper Cup Owl
Things you need:
- Paper cup
- Brown paint
- Felt
- Office stickers
- Feathers
How to make it: Paint the paper cup brown and cut out an oval and heart from the brown felt to make the belly and head. Make the beak out of pink felt and the eyes out of office stickers. Fold brown felt triangles in half to make the ears and add some fluffy feathers.
Why kids love it: Children love making their own toys and they can have hours of fun with this owl.
5. Cotton Cat
Things you need:
- Paper cup
- Cotton balls
- Sequins
- Button
- White pipe cleaner
- Golf tees
- White felt
How to make it: Glue cotton balls onto the cup, add the button as the nose and sequins as the eyes. Poke a hole to use the pipe cleaner as a tail and then poke the golf tees through the cup as legs. Add ears by cutting holes in the cup and adding folded squares of white felt.
Why kids love it: This cat is fun to make and you can even color the cotton balls to make a fun pattern.
6. Paper Frog Puppet
Things you need:
- Paper plate
- Green paint
- Construction paper
- Utility knife
- Scissors
How to make it: Fold the plate in half and make a one-inch slit for the tongue in the middle of the fold. Add somewhere to hold onto with a green piece of paper. Use green rectangles with rounded edges for eyes, gluing just the bottom half onto the body. Add black and white paper circles to finish the eyes. Make the frog legs with green paper and be sure to make the back ones bent and longer before taping them in place. Cut a tongue with red paper and put it through the slit.
Why kids love it: This frog is not only fun to make, but is also a great puppet for puppet shows.
7. Family Faces Totem Pole
Things you need:
- Paper plates
- Large stick
- Tape
- Glue
- Natural materials
- Markers
How to make it: Have each person in the family make a self-portrait on a paper plate with markers and natural materials. After everyone’s plate is dry, tape them onto a large stick so everyone can see.
Why kids love it: Children love drawing and this lets them do so with every member of the family. You can even have your child draw each family member themselves if they want to.
8. Paper Mask
Things you need:
- Paper plate
- Hole puncher
- Scissors
- Colored paper
- Yarn
- Glue
- Glitter
- Markers
- Other decorations
How to make it: Measure where the eyes belong in the mask and cut out two holes, then cut the plate so your child’s mouth shows. Punch a hole in either side, tie a foot of yarn on either end. Let your child decorate the mask however they want with markers, glitter glue, stickers, and fabric.
Why kids love it: Your child gets to decorate the mask however they want and then can play with it frequently.
9. Paper Sun
Things you need:
- Paper plate
- Construction paper
- Glue
- Scissors
- Coloring supplies
- Googly eyes
How to make it: Paint the back of the plate yellow. Trace your child’s hands around seven times on yellow construction paper, then cut them out. Staple or blue the handprints to create rays of sun. Let your child color in the sun adding a mouth and nose, using the googly eyes as well.
Why kids love it: By using the handprints, your child gets to be physically part of the project.
10. Flower Crown
Things you need:
- Paper plate
- Colored paper
- Coloring supplies
- Glue
- Scissors
- Optional ribbons and glitter
How to make it: Cut four slits into the plate’s center, be sure to leave an inch around the edges, these should all go across the center facing different directions to form triangles. Bend the triangles upward to make leaf shapes, then color or paint them green. Make colorful paper flowers and glue them on. Add glitter or ribbon to the crown if your child wants.
Why kids love it: This crown is fun to make and great for playing dress up. It can also make your child feel like a princess.
11. Star Wreath
Things you need:
- Construction paper
- Paper plate
- Glue
- Scissors
- Optional glitter
How to make it: Make a large hole in the center of the plate. Cut a lot of stars from colorful construction paper and then glue them into place. You can add names to the stars or simply add glitter and other decorations.
Why kids love it: Kids get to pick the colors and cut, glue, and decorate. This also works great for special occasions such as red, white and blue for the Fourth of July.
Here is a video about some fun Easter bunny crafts. Paper plate crafts are not that difficult!