With summertime just around the corner, teachers just like you are probably not only searching for the best end-of-the-year activities but also different activities to do at home with your own little ones. There are so many different activities out there, some of our personal favorites are simple craft activities using paper plates!
Like teachers, moms, dads, daycare providers, aunts, uncles, and more using paper plates and different craft supplies can keep kiddos busy for hours. Check out these 30 paper plate craft ideas.
1. Paper Plate Snail
This paper plate snail is a great motor activity for even our youngest toddlers. Whether you plan to have your little one’s finger paint while your older ones paint their best designs this adorable craft will be a great backyard activity for any household member.
Learn More: Fun with Moo
2. Backyard Sun Dial
This super simple and awesome paper plate craft will have your kiddos engaged. They will be so excited to tell everyone about the summer sundial they create. Turn it into an entire craft project by adding in a little history about the sundial.
Learn More: Green Kid Crafts
3. Olympic Bean Bag Toss
Have your kiddos follow along with the simple steps that it takes to create this bean bag toss game. Kids will love making their own props and then using them to play the game! This is a great project to be used at field day or in the classroom.
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4. Managing Emotions Wheel
Managing emotions can be difficult for kids of all ages. Using a bit of paint or some stickers have your child or students create their own emotions wheel. Using emoji stickers might be a bit easier for processing emotions in the long run – check these out.
Learn More: Creative Mindful Ideas
5. Puffy Paint Palooza
Puffy paint is SO MUCH FUN for kids of all ages. Creating different colors and abstract art using puffy paint will be a blast. A creative activity that can be completed in the classroom, in the backyard, and much more!
Learn More: Fun with Moo
6. Colorful Birds
Making these colorful birds is a great craft for old kids stuck at home during the summer. Have them help the younger kids too! Using googly eyes and plenty of sparkles your kids will love to show off the color birds they’ve created.
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7. Paper Plate Christmas Tree
Are you planning your lessons for the year? Looking for a fun activity to complete before Christmas break to decorate the classroom with? Well look no further, this fun craft will keep kids busy and engaged throughout the entire art class.
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8. Hanging Supply Kit
A perfect activity for the classroom or the bedroom. Have students create their own hanging baskets at their desks. They’ll love making crafts with paper plates that can actually be used in the classroom or at home.
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9. Paper Plate Activities & STEM Creations
Combining sensory activities with a little STEM challenge will be a great way to challenge and entice your kiddos with adventure and building skills. A fun craft that will also keep kids busy!
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10. Paper Plate Dinos
This is perfect for dinosaur-loving kids. Creating these Dinos out of paper plates will be super fun for kids not only to make but also to play with! There are so many different games and activities that these can be used for.
Learn More: Easy Kids Craft
11. Paper Plate Snakes
Crafts with paper plates are simple and inexpensive. It’s better to have kids paint the paper plates before cutting them! It will be less of a clean-up and easier for their little hands to stay on track. These paper plate snakes are so much fun to play with.
Learn More: Easy Kids Craft
12. Dream Catcher Craft
Dream catchers are beautiful and loved by many. The history behind dream catchers is even more special. Before creating this dream catcher craft with your kiddos, read about the history of dream catchers. Your kids will be much more appreciative of their craft ideas.
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13. Paper Plate Fish Craft
This basic fish craft can easily be created by using a paper plate and cupcake tissue cups! Using tissue paper might work the same but the cupcake cups will give the fish a special kind of texture.
Learn More: Easy Peasy and Fun
14. Paper Plate Merry Go Round
Finding kid’s crafts that are good for engaging older kids can sometimes be a bit difficult. Well, looking no further. This merry go round a super fun and a bit challenging craft for kids.
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15. Paper Plate Shaker
A great activity for toddlers is making these paper plate shakers. For younger kids, it might be best to fill the shakers with bigger beads like beans to prevent choking if the plates break! Kids will be engaged while coloring their shakers and even more excited when it’s turned into a musical instrument!
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16. Story Telling Paper Plate
This spring craft will be a great way to get your kiddos more interested in using their crafts to tell stories! Crafts with paper plates can help to provoke your child’s imagination.
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17. Crown Me
Make a colorful craft that your child will absolutely love. In a preschool classroom, at daycare, or just at home making a beautiful crown is always a fun project! Making on out of paper plates though might just top the adorable craft crowns made in the past.
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18. Rainbow Craft
Paper plate crafts have seriously taken on a whole new meaning in the age of technology. Being able to find a creative craft has never been easier. This beautiful rainbow craft for children will be great for a rainy day!
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19. Paper Plate Aquarium
An adorable craft for kids like this can be used for so many different things. Whether you’ve recently taken a trip to the aquarium or you’ve just finished reading a book about the aquarium, this will be a great activity to incorporate into any ocean-themed lesson.
Learn More: Anybody Can Make
20. Older Kid Painting
These genius paper plate crafts have been designed for older kids stuck home during the summer. Follow along with this amazing craft tutorial and come out with a beautiful painting that will make an amazing addition to any wall.
Learn More: Draw with David
21. Oh the Places You’ll Go
Here is a paper plate art project that will go along wonderfully with one of my and my students’ absolute favorite books – Oh the Places You’ll Go. I love to decorate my bulletin board with their paper plate hot air balloon creations at the end of the year!
Learn More: Kids Craftland
22. Paper Plate Life Cycle
Teach the life cycle using this paper plate craft! Not only will this craft be fun and engaging for students, but also be beneficial for their learning and understanding of the life cycle. By providing a hands-on approach students will quickly grasp the concept.
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23. Hatching Chick
Make the most outstanding craft this Easter to bring with you to Easter parties or decorate your own home. This hatching chick paper plate activity will be a great addition to any Easter celebration.
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24. Itsy Bitsy Spider Craft
Use this in your kindergarten class or home to reenact the Itsy Bitsy Spider. Students will love to use the hand motions they know to sing while following along with this paper plate craft. Work together so students can make their own paper plate spiders!
Learn More: K-Teacher Create
25. Dragon
These cool dragons can be easily made and used! Your kids will love flying them around or using them to perform in puppet shows. You’ll also love the engagement painting and decorating it will take to create these.
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26. Sight Word Practice
Practicing sight words could be the make or break of your students’ reading comprehension levels. It’s super important to practice sight words at home just as much as it is in the classroom. Use this paper plate target practice activity to practice with your kiddos! Simply write some sight words on the plates then let your little ones take aim, saying the word they hit out loud!
Learn More: I Can Teach My Child
27. Motor Skills Paper Plate Activity
Build your students’ motor skills with these line-drawing activities. However, if students find the lines (on a dice, or deck of cards) it will be great for them to practice drawing them on the plates. Use these plates as a matching game afterward!
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28. Paper Plate Sunflower
Create this beautiful sunflower simply out of a paper plate. Have your students complete this project at recess, during art class, or at home. Use this paper plate craft tutorial to guide them in making these beautiful flowers.
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29. Captain America Shield
Make this captain America shield out of a paper plate! A great idea for kids of all ages who love Captain America! Kids will not only love painting or coloring this shield but they’ll always absolutely love playing with it.
Learn More: Easy Kids Craft
30. Paper Plate Masks
Making masks out of paper plates has to be one of the oldest crafts in the book. Over the years it’s never lost its value. Follow this cute craft tutorial to make a phenomenal spiderman mask. Use it as a prop and have your kids copy it or make it for them to play with!
Learn More: Easy Kids Craft
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