Kid’s Craft Project: Easy Paper Plate Butterfly

During the summertime we attend and/or host a lot of family get-together’s and parties. We like to plan some easy-to-do activities & crafts for the kids to do and today’s craft project is exactly that! Plus, you can use up some of those unused paper plates from your party!

All of the supplies to make this kid’s craft project were picked up at our local “dollar-type” of store. To decorate the butterfly’s wings you can use crayons, markers, paints and/or colored pencils. We used children’s water paints which really worked well.

Kid’s Craft Project Easy Paper Plate Butterfly

White Paper Plates
Quick-Drying Craft Glue
Scissors
Paints, Crayons, Markers or Colored Pencils
Black Construction Paper
Pencil

Fold the paper plate in half. Have an adult or the child (if old enough) draw a wing-shaped pattern down the fold-line of the plate. We off-centered our design so that the top (front) wing was fatter & larger than the bottom. Use scissors to cut the plate in half, cutting along your penciled line. You now have two halves which serve as the wings.

My daughter drew a body shape onto white paper that was proportionate in size to the wings. She then cut it out so that the kids could trace around it and use it as a pattern. They will want to trace the body shape onto black construction paper and then cut it out. We liked the look of a long & lean body, but other people liked a more “fatter” body…that’s up to you.

Let the kids decorate the paper wings however they wish. We used children’s water paints (the ones that come in a tray with a brush that you dip into water) and left the kids splash the colors onto the paper plate wings. It will take approximately 20-30 minutes for them to dry.

Once everything is dry you’ll want to glue the paper plate wings to the back of the butterfly’s black body. Let it dry for about an hour. Once dry…hang them up on the front of your refrigerator or attach string and hang them up as decorations.

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