Keep Plates Spinning With 19 Fun Paper Plate Crafts For Kids

Time to dig out any leftover paper plates you have lying around in your kitchen cupboards! Paper plates are perfect for crafting and we've got 19 brilliant ideas to upcycle them into dream catchers, marble tracks, animal masks and much more!

The tradition behind dream catchers is that they protect sleeping children from bad dreams and nightmares. Bad dreams get caught up the web and good dreams filter through.  

You'll Need: wool, a paper plate, scissors, hole punch, pony beads and feathers

Next time you’re in the garden or out on a walk collect some pretty flower petals to make this cute paper plate suncatcher.

You'll Need: a paper plate, coloured marker pens, sticky back plastic/contact paper, flower petals, a hole punch and some wool/string.

How To Make Your Flower Petal Suncatcher: start by cutting out the centre of your paper plate, you can colour the rim of your plate with coloured marker pens. Next, cut out a circle shape just bigger that the centre of the paper plate out of your sticky back plastic and stick it to the bottom of your plate- sticky side up.  Sprinkle your flower petals on to the sticky side then cut another circle out of the sticky back plastic and place it on top of top to secure your flowers.  Using the hole punch make a hole at the top of your suncatcher and thread through a piece of string and secure with a knot. Your suncatcher is ready to hang in your window.

This is a super easy paper plate craft that the kids will love.  Place your completed rainbow on your windowsill for everyone to see.

You'll Need: a paper plate, scissors, blue paint, a paintbrush, crayons in colours of the rainbow, cotton balls and PVA glue

How To Make Your Pop Up Rainbow Paper Plate: to start with you'll need to fold your paper plate in half then cut a semi-circle out of the centre. This will create an arch which will be your rainbow- use your crayons to colour this in. The bottom part of the plate will be the sky so colour this in with blue paint and stick on some cotton wool balls for the clouds. Your pop up rainbow is complete!

If your little ones are mad about dinosaurs then give this easy paper plate dinosaur craft a go!

You'll Need: a paper plate, scissors, pencil, glue, toilet roll, acrylic paint, paintbrush and googly eyes

How To Make Your Paper Plate Dinosaur: start by folding the paper plate in half and cutting it down the middle so that you have 2 halves. Use one of the halves to cut out a head for your dinosaur, some spikes for its back and a tail. Stick these on to the other half to start creating your dinosaur. To make the feet for your dinosaur, cut the toilet roll into 3 equal pieces. Take 2 pieces and cut slits in the top on opposite sides. Insert the dinosaur body onto the feet so it's stable and will stand. Paint your dinosaur with some acrylic paint in your chosen colour, allow to dry then add some googly eyes to complete your dinosaur.

Kids will love making this cute paper plate cat mask.

You'll Need: a paper plate, scissors, grey paint, pink foam sheets/pink card, PVA glue, 2 black pipe cleaners and a straw

How To Make Your Paper Plate Cart Mask: start by cutting your paper plate in half. Cut out two small circles for your eyes. Paint both pieces of the plate with the grey paint and allow to dry. Cut out a small heart shape out of the pink foam for the nose and stick this on. Then, cut out some large triangle shapes for the ears and stick these on to the top of your mask. Fold the pipe cleaners in half and stick these on to your cat mask to make the whiskers. Finally, attach the straw to the side of your mask with a little sellotape and your cat mask is complete!

These paper plate doughnuts will look good enough to eat!

You'll Need: a paper plate, scissors, brown and pink paint, paintbrush, PVA glue and some coloured rice or some colourful cake sprinkles

How To Make Your Paper Plate Doughnuts: start by cutting the centre out of your paper plate. Paint the outer rim of the plate with some brown paint and then the rest in pink.  Allow the paint to dry and then brush a layer of PVA glue onto the pink paint and sprinkle on some coloured rice or sprinkles. Your doughnut craft is complete!

Kids will have hours of fun with this ring toss game and it’s also a great way to help develop fine motor skills.

You'll Need: 5 paper plates, empty kitchen roll, scissors, sellotape, paints and paintbrush

How To Make Your Paper Plate Toss Game: start by painting a paper plate and the kitchen roll for the stand for your game- you can be as creative as you like with the design of this.  Then, cut the centres out of the remaining paper plates- these will be your rings.  Paint these with different designs and colours. When the kitchen roll is dry cut about 6 half-inch slits into the bottom of the tube. Fold the tabs outwards and press onto the base of your plate and secure with sellotape.  Once the paint has dried your ring toss game is ready to play!

Kids will love creating their very own crown and being crowned a prince or princess for the day!

You'll Need: a paper plate, scissors, crayons, a variety of buttons, stick-on gems and some PVA glue

How To Make Your Paper Plate Crown: start by gently folding the paper plate in half. Using the scissors you'll need to cut slits into your plate in 4 equal sections like pizza slices- only cut up to the ruffled part of the paper plate. Open your paper plate up and turn it upside down. Now get creative and colour in the paper plate trying out different designs until it's all coloured in. Finally, stick on some buttons at the tips of the triangles and add some stick-on gems to complete your crown.

• Have a go at paper plate vases, great for holding artificial flowers
• Make your own paper plate desk tidy
• Kids will have so much fun making a marble track using paper plates
• Help teach the time with a paper plate cat clock
• Up, up and away! Make some fun paper plate hot air balloons
• Make a giant chain using paper plates and duct tape
• If you’ve baked cookies and want to give them as a gift then give cute little cookie baskets  a try!
• Kids will love a paper plate craft dragon
• Make your own mini aquarium
• Kids will have a whale of a time making a 3D paper plate whale
• Have a go at a hatching chick paper plate craft

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For some more creative craft ideas, check out how to make pipe cleaner flowers and these cute turtle crafts.