Looking for fun and creative summer crafts for kids? Our collection of summer paper plate crafts offers a range of engaging activities perfect for children of all ages. These projects spark creativity and are excellent screen-free activities, keeping your little ones entertained and imaginative.
From creating colorful suns to adorable sea creatures, these projects are simple to make and use materials you likely already have at home. Dive into our curated list and discover endless possibilities for summer fun!
What Are the Developmental Benefits of Crafting for Kids?
Crafting brings loads of developmental benefits for kids, making it much more than just a fun activity. For starters, craft projects boost creativity and imagination as kids think outside the box and play around with colors, shapes, and materials.
This type of creative expression is key for cognitive growth, helping them solve problems as they figure out how to bring their ideas to life. Plus, the hands-on nature of crafting hones fine motor skills as children learn to handle small objects and use tools like scissors and glue with precision.
Beyond these physical and cognitive perks, crafting offers emotional and social benefits. It’s a great stress reliever, letting kids focus on a calming activity that promotes mindfulness and reduces anxiety. Plus, completing projects fosters a sense of accomplishment and boosts confidence.
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Ways to Use Summer Paper Plate Crafts
Incorporating summer paper plate crafts into lessons and activities at home or in the classroom can be a fantastic way to enhance learning while keeping it screen-free.
These crafts can complement thematic lesson plans, such as unit studies about ocean animals, summer fruits, boats, and the sun. For instance, after reading a book about marine life, children can create paper plate sea creatures, reinforcing the knowledge they’ve just acquired while fostering their creativity.
These crafts are also perfect for planning summer camp at home activities or as engaging rainy day projects, ensuring children remain entertained and productive indoors. The finished crafts can also be turned into beautiful decorations, adding a personal touch to classrooms or home environments.
Inviting children to create these crafts provides a hands-on learning experience and encourages imagination and fine motor skill development in a fun, interactive way.
Essential Craft Supplies
What I love about paper plate crafts is they don’t require a lot, and it’s easy to create something using materials from around the house.
To get started on these delightful projects, you’ll need some basic supplies such as paper plates, paints, markers, and construction paper.
These essentials allow kids to paint, cut, and decorate their creations. Consider incorporating items such as glitter, googly eyes, yarn, and pom poms to add texture and fun details to your projects. Using various colored paper party plates can also add an extra layer of creativity to their creations.
Children can embark on unlimited adventures with just a few simple items, transforming ordinary paper plates into extraordinary summer-themed masterpieces.
Cute Coffee Filter Crafts eBook
Summer Books for Kids
Crafting is an excellent extension activity to accompany books, allowing children to bring stories to life through hands-on projects.
Engaging in crafts after reading can deepen understanding and retention of the book’s themes and characters. Here are some fun summer books for kids that can be paired with different projects from this list:
The Rainbow Fish
Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach (My First I Can Read)SwimmyToy BoatSummer Vacation, Here I Come!Summer Days and Nights
Additional Summer Craft Ideas for Kids
Summer is perfect for kids to dive into creativity with various materials. Beyond paper plates, items like popsicle sticks, coffee filters, and other household staples open up endless crafting possibilities.
These summer craft ideas keep children engaged and let them experiment with different textures, techniques, and concepts. Here are fun projects to inspire your kids to explore and innovate using various materials.
Easy Summer Paper Plate Crafts for Kids
Summer is perfect for kids to get creative, and easy summer paper plate crafts are a great way to spark their imagination. These affordable, simple crafts are a great way to use up paper plates and keep kids entertained.
With options from vibrant suns to cute sea creatures, these crafts bring summer fun home. They also boost fine motor skills, spur creativity, and offer quality family time.
Decorate a paper plate with yellow paint and add rays using a handprint cutout to make a bright and happy sun. Great for younger kids, this craft encourages exploring color and texture.
An easy craft for kids, this paper plate jellyfish requires few materials and can be brightened with colors and googly eyes. It's a cute addition to any summer ocean theme.
With a paper plate, green and yellow paint, and some sunflower seeds, kids can create their own sunny flower. This craft is perfect for teaching about nature and gardening while getting messy with paint.
Simple and fun, this craft is perfect for younger kids. Using a paper plate, paint in various shades of green and pink to create a juicy watermelon slice for pocket or purse. This is also a great opportunity to teach about healthy eating habits.
Craft delicious summer memories with this Paper Plate Strawberry Craft. Kids will love creating this juicy, handprint-held strawberry. Perfect for summer camps, classrooms, or a fruity-themed party. Simple, fun, and irresistibly adorable
Bring the ocean to your home with this vibrant Fish Paper Plate Craft. Perfect for summer or an ocean-themed activity. Use colorful cupcake wrappers for fins and scales. Easy, budget-friendly, and tons of fun!
Make your very own ocean scene with a paper plate and some simple materials. This craft is perfect for pretend play, storytelling, or just having fun. Kids will love making their own moving porthole to explore the wonders of the sea.
Turn a paper plate into a smiling shark with this fun craft. With just a few simple supplies, kids can create their own ocean predator and learn about these fascinating creatures in the process.
Ribbit, ribbit! Make a fun and friendly frog out of a paper plate with this easy craft. Perfect for younger kids, this craft also teaches about the frog life cycle and encourages outdoor exploration.
Who doesn't love ice cream in the summer? Kids can create their own sweet treat with this Paper Plate Ice Cream Craft. It's easy, fun, and budget-friendly. Download the free template and let the creativity flow!
Create a burst of summer right in your home with the Paper Plate Rainbow Craft. Ideal for kids wanting to explore and learn about colors in the most fun way. It's simple, engaging, and perfectly captures the essence of summer.
Set sail on a summer adventure with this Paper Plate Boat Craft! Kids will love using their creativity to design and assemble their own boat. Perfect for imaginative play, storytelling, or even water play.
Bring the beach to your home with this colorful Paper Plate Starfish Craft. Using simple materials, kids can create their own starfish and learn about these fascinating creatures of the sea.
Dive into the ocean deeps and create a friendly Paper Plate Whale! Perfect for a summer-themed activity, this craft is simple, fun, and teaches about marine life. Add googly eyes for an extra touch of cuteness.
Slow and steady wins with this Paper Plate Turtle Craft. Kids can easily make their own cute turtle using a few basic materials, perfect for teaching about animal habitats.
Summer paper plate crafts are a fun and engaging way to get kids’ creativity flowing, develop fine motor skills, and bring stories to life. This curated list offers endless possibilities for screen-free summer fun, whether for home activities or as extension projects in the classroom. So gather your craft supplies and let your kids dive into these delightful projects today!
Darcy is the founder of “Life With Darcy and Brian,” where she combines her love for education, board games, and crafting to create engaging learning experiences for kids. Her creative projects and writing have been featured in outlets like The Toy Insider, CafeMom, Mom.com, Parents.com, Country Living, and The Pioneer Woman.