Paper plate crafts are a great, cheaper way to create a fun, easy craft. Most of these can be made in a 30-minute session – unless there is paint involved and then you’ll need to wait until the paint is dry before proceeding. How much you do and how much the kids do is determined by the age of the students.
Paper Plates:
Some of these crafts are made using the plain white (cheap) paper plates. Some use brightly colored paper plates. I purchased most of these at Hobby Lobby and a party store. The colors I couldn’t find locally, I found online at Amazon.com. These are all dinner plates. I’m sure you could use the small, dessert plate size, if you want.
Googly Eyes:
If you’ve ever purchased googly eyes, you know how expensive the really big eyes can be. I teach hundreds of kids, so buying those eyes is not an option. I came up with a MUCH cheaper idea! I purchased a roll of 1,000 white 1-inch labels and a roll of 1,000 black 1/2-inch labels. I spent about $20 for both rolls on Amazon.
They may not wiggle like traditional googly eyes, but they sure are cute! Most of the paper plate crafts you see here used this type of eye.
Paper Plate Fish:
- Plain paper plates
- Markers
- Crayons
- Tape or glue
- Googly eyes
Use regular, cheap, white paper plates for this one. The kind of plates that have the ridges all the way around. Have the kids color the ridges, alternating colors as they go around. Color the inside circle one solid color. Cut a wedge out of the plate and glue or tape it to the back as shown to be the tail. Add an eye and a fin.
Paper Plate Pirate:
- White paper plate
- Colorful scrapbook paper
- Black foam sheets
- Marker
- Glue
- Gold cording
- Googly eyes
Trace a plate onto scrapbook paper and then cut the paper in half. Glue the paper onto the plate as shown to be the pirate’s kerchief. Add a black eye patch cut from black foam, felt, or paper. Add the other eye, nose, and mouth. Punch a hole and thread gold cord through it, tying a knot to serve as an earring.
Paper Plate Cow:
- White paper plates
- Pink foam sheets
- Brown foam sheets
- Black paint
- Oval-ish sponge
- Glue
- Googly eyes
Cut the nose/mouth from pink foam or paper. Cut the horns from brown foam or paper. Use a sponge to let students stamp the black spots. Add eyes. Use a marker to draw the nose and mouth onto the pink foam. Glue the pink and brown pieces to the plate.
Paper Plate Monkey:
- Dark brown paper plates
- Dark brown foam sheets
- Light brown foam sheets
- Marker
- Glue
- Googly eyes
Use a brown paper plate. Cut ears from dark brown foam and mouth from light brown foam. Glue these to the plate as shown. Add the eyes. Use a marker to draw the nostrils and mouth.
Paper Plate Sheep:
- Plain paper plates
- Cotton Balls
- White glue
- Black foam sheets
- White marker
- Googly eyes
Have students glue cotton balls onto the plate, making sure to cover every bit of it. Cut the feet, face, and ears from black foam. Glue the feet onto the back of the plate, letting them peek out to the front. Glue the ears to the face. Add the eyes and use a white marker to draw the nose and mouth. Tear one cotton ball in half and glue it to the forehead.
Paper Plate Chicken:
- Plain paper plates
- Red foam sheets
- Yellow foam sheet
- White feathers
- Glue
- Googly eyes
Trace each child’s hand onto red foam and cut it out. Glue the foam to the plate as shown. Add the eyes and a beak cut from yellow foam. Glue white feathers for wings and one to the handprint. Add the googly eyes and trace around them.
Paper Plate Zebras:
- White paper plates
- Black paper plates
- Black foam sheets
- White marker
- Glue
- Googly eyes
Cut stripes from the black paper plate, making small wedges. That way, the stripes fit into the white plate when you glue them on. Cut the snout and ears from black foam and glue on as shown. Draw the nostrils and mouth with a white marker. Add the googly eyes and trace around them.
Paper Plate Lion:
- Orange paper plates
- Orange crayons
- Scissors
- Yellow foam sheets
- Black marker
- Glue
- Googly eyes
Have the students color all the way around the outer edge. If you need to, you can place a small plate inside and trace around it to give the students a guide as to where they color. After coloring is done, cut the mane all the way around. (This one is shown before the students used a pencil to curl the mane.) Cut the ears from the yellow foam and glue as shown. Draw the nose and mouth with a black marker. Add the googly eyes.
Paper Plate Duck:
- Yellow paper plates
- Yellow feathers
- Orange construction paper
- Glue
- Googly eyes
Cut the beak from orange construction paper. Fold in half and glue to the plate as shown. Glue on the feathers as shown. Add the googly eyes. (The picture shows regular googly eyes. This is a sample I made before I started using the labels. They actually look much cuter because they are bigger.)
Paper Plate Giraffe:
- Yellow paper plates
- Yellow foam sheets
- Orange foam sheets
- Orange pom poms
- Orange paint
- Round sponge
- Glue
- Googly eyes
Cut the snout from the orange foam and the ears and horns from the yellow foam. Glue on as shown. Glue the pom poms onto the ends of the horns. Use the sponge and paint to add the spots. Use two black labels (from the googly eyes) to add the nostrils. Add the googly eyes.
Paper Plate Hippo:
- Gray paper plates
- Gray foam sheets
- White foam sheets
- Black marker
- Glue
- Googly eyes
Cut the mouth and ears from the gray foam. Glue on as shown. Cut the teeth from the white foam. Use the marker to draw the mouth. Glue the teeth as shown. Use two black labels (from the googly eyes) to add the nostrils. Add the googly eyes.
Paper Plate Piggies:
- Pink paper plates
- Pink foam sheets
- Pink pipe cleaners
- Black marker
- Googly eyes
Cut the snout and ears from the pink foam and glue on as shown. Use two black labels (from the googly eyes) to add the nostrils. Wrap a pipe cleaner around a pencil to curl it. Tape it (or hot glue it) to the back. Add the google eyes.
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