Some of the easiest crafts for kids include using paper plates. Take a look at these Paper Plate Preschool Crafts including animals, cars, Dr. Seuss, rainbows, flowers and more. Let’s get crafting!
Paper Plate Preschool Crafts
Plan a fun, screen-free afternoon of crafting with the kids. We’ve put together 20 paper plate preschool crafts that parents, teachers, and kids will love. These fun and easy projects are perfectly suited for preschoolers, but you’ll find that your toddler can complete some of them with a little help, too. Of course, it’s totally fine if the older kids want to join in!
You’ll find paper plate crafts that help kids work on their fine motor skills with cutting, tearing, painting, and gluing. They’ll also learn a few other skills, such as color mixing, focus, and concentration.
From making a paper plate turtle to a colorful rainbow, there’s something here to interest every child.
So grab your crafting materials, and let’s get started on these adorable projects with your preschooler today!
Easy Paper Plate Preschool Crafts
Grab some pretty pink paint to make this adorable paper plate pig. This paper plate preschool craft is perfect for a unit on farm animals and is easy enough to make at home or in the classroom. If you’re making this in the classroom and need to save a little time, use pink plates from the party aisle to eliminating the painting step. | Simple Everyday Mom
If you’re celebrating Black Bear Day or learning about them because they’re your state animal (looking at you, Alabama, Louisiana, New Mexico, and West Virginia), black bears are incredible creatures, indeed. This black bear craft allows preschoolers to practice fine motor skills like cutting crepe paper and simple shapes and gluing/assembling their craft. | ABCs of Literacy
This super-colorful torn crepe paper bird craft will be a huge hit with preschoolers. Use any bright and bold color combinations you’d like, and it will look like a beautiful tropical bird. | Artsy Craftsy Mom
Did you know that snails are more closely related to an octopus than an insect? Strange, but true! This cute little paper plate snail is sure to capture your little one’s attention. We love the bright colors and the patterned paper version, too. What colors will you make your snail? | Non-Toy Gifts
Spring or summer is the perfect time to make a buzzy little paper plate bee. Isn’t it adorable with its big, friendly eyes and cute little wings? Teaching kids about bees is so important from a young age. Crafts are a terrific way to introduce the topic and teach them not to fear these helpful pollinators. | Simple Everyday Mom
This mosaic rainbow craft is wonderful for using up scraps of scrapbook paper. You can also use pre-cut tissue squares if you’d like. Assemble the colors according to the ROYGBIV color system of the rainbow, and glue the pieces in place. Easy peasy! | Kids Activities Blog
Is your preschooler completely obsessed with dot markers? Okay, I have to admit, they are a lot of fun. Use the bright neon ones to decorate paper plate wings for a cute butterfly craft. The only other materials you need are craft sticks, glue, and googly eyes. | Glitter on a Dime
Kids of all ages recognize the Cat in the Hat from the book and the movies based on it. This easy preschool paper plate craft is made with simple shapes—rectangles, triangles, and the circle plate—so it’s quite easy for kids to cut the pieces they need to make his hat and ears. | Artsy Craftsy Mom (More Dr. Seuss Crafts on Frugal Coupon Living.)
Speaking of Dr. Seuss, you don’t want to miss this Put Me in the Zoo-themed paper plate craft, either. Kids will cut up lots of tissue paper and use a pencil to place the pieces, which is good for fine motor skills. Then, colorful pom-poms are added to the face as well. Totally adorable! | Natural Beach Living (Similar one in our Dr. Seuss Activities – Crafts, Printables & Recipes )
Turtles are such fascinating animals. After all, they carry their homes on their backs! Preschoolers will adore making this cute paper plate turtle with green construction paper, a paper plate, and some green paint. It’s a fun craft for a unit on reptiles. | Simplistically Living
If you have a preschooler, you’ll undoubtedly recognize Piggie, one of the Mo Willems Elephant and Piggie series characters. This craft involves lots of cutting to make the tissue paper squares and other features for Piggie, so it’s wonderful fine motor practice for those little hands. | Living Life and Learning
Who doesn’t love Minions? Those little yellow guys are loads of fun (though mischievous), and this is a terrific craft for family movie night. Make your Minion paper plate crafts while popping some popcorn, and then sit down to enjoy one of the films together. | Glue Sticks & Gumdrops
Looking for a fun project to go along with The Grouchy Ladybug? Make this totally adorable paper plate ladybug! You may need to sketch out the head and spots for your toddlers or preschoolers, but older children can probably free-hand the design just fine. Alternatively, you could let the little ones paint the plate red and cut the spots and head from construction paper to glue and paste to the plate. | Teaching With Children’s Books
Get all the late summer and fall vibes with this cute paper plate sunflower. The black dots (for seeds) are made with an eraser, but you could let your kiddo make fingerprints in the center instead if you’d like. | Non-Toy Gifts
The Rainbow Fish is a popular book for preschoolers, and this craft goes along perfectly with the story. The sparkly, colorful gills are made with bright paper cut into circles. Cutting out these shapes will provide your little ones some fantastic scissor practice which can help their concentration as well! | Natural Beach Living
This is a really cool craft that your kids will LOVE. You need 5 minutes and a couple of paper plates to set up this cute Paper Plate Dinosaur Craft for the kids! Then, it’s easy enough for toddlers or preschoolers to get in on the creative action by painting the plate and the clothespins. | Taming Little Monsters
How adorable is this paper plate car? It’s made with super simple shapes: circles, half-circles, and rectangles, so it’s easy for preschoolers to cut the shapes. Also, you could make a bus by painting the paper plate yellow and using blue windows instead. This is a great choice for a transportation unit study. | Real Life at Home
The kids will have a roaring good time with this paper plate lion. Snipping the main and ruffling it up a bit gives the craft a more 3D look. | Kids Activities Blog
Celebrate a birthday or any other special occasion by making a sweet paper plate cupcake. Use pretty scrapbook paper for the cupcake liner and lots of bright, colorful tissue paper for the frosting. Of course, no cupcake is complete without sprinkles—they’re made with mini pom-poms! | The Simple Parent
Have a hopping good time making some paper plate frogs. They’re so easy! Cut a paper plate in half, paint it, then add the facial features. The curled-up red tongue is a fun addition! | Our Kid Things
I did say 20 crafts, but of course I had to share our own paper plate idea. How about turning a paper plate into a Sunday School craft with this Noah’s Ark activity for kids. | Frugal Coupon Living
We hope you enjoyed these preschool paper plate crafts. They are so creative and fun! We can’t wait to see what your little ones create. Which one are you going to make first?
Don’t forget to pin this post so you can come back to it later!
Speaking of Preschool Craft Ideas, take a look at these A to Z Letter Crafts for Kids. Such a fun way to learn the alphabet. Pin to Pinterest.
There isn’t a preschool classroom that doesn’t read Dr. Seuss! Celebrate this beloved author with these Dr. Seuss Preschool Crafts & Activities. Pin to Pinterest.
WHAT’S TRENDING? Looking for a few engaging activities? Grab Minute to Win it Games – Traditional, Holiday, Group, and more! Use these fun activities in the office, classroom, or at your next birthday party.
