Fun Paper Plate Football Craft for Kids
Making crafts for kids at home is a great way to help your little ones get creative! And they’ll have even more fun making a craft about something they’re interested in. So, if you have a sports fan at home, they’re sure to have a blast making this paper plate football. All you need are some plates, paint, and ribbon to put together this fun lacing project today!
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Since this easy art project is so simple to make, it’s a fun craft kids of any age or in any grade can put it together at home or in the classroom!
And the best part about this fun football party activity is that you only need a few household craft supplies to put it together. That means you probably already have everything you need at home right now!
Paper Plate Football Craft
This fun paper plate craft is so simple to make, which means it’s a great option for entertaining kids at your Super Bowl party or putting together with your kids on a rainy fall afternoon.

What we love most about this simple DIY is that you can put it together with just a handful of supplies you probably have laying around the house right now. And if there’s something on the list that you don’t have, you can grab it at Dollar Tree!
Here’s what you need to make your own paper plate football with your kids:
- Paper plates. To make your football craft at home, you can use any size paper plate you want. Our footballs were made with small 6-inch plates because that’s what we had on hand, but full-sized plates would also work to make larger footballs.
- Brown paint. To turn your plates into footballs, you’ll need some brown paint. I suggest using acrylic craft paint because it provides a nice, thick coat.
- Pom poms and clothespins. To give the painted footballs a textured look, we used pom poms to paint the plates instead of a traditional paint brush. Use a clothespins to hold the pom poms in place while your kids paint to keep their hands from getting messy!
- Hole punch. The fun part about this craft is that it’s also a chance for your kids to practice their fine motor skills with lacing. To create the lacing part of your paper plate craft, you’ll need a hole punch.
- Ribbon or string. To finish turning your plate into a football, you’ll also need some ribbon so your kids can add the laces on top.
How to Make a Paper Plate Football
Now that you have all your supplies gathered up, it’s time to get crafty! Have some fun with your kids making your own football DIY at home or in the classroom by following these easy instructions.

The first step to turning your paper plate into a Minion is to cut the paper plate into the correct shape. Start by folding the plate in half. Then, trim the edges to form an oval shape to mimic the shape of a football.

After that, grab your hole punch. Keep the plate folded in half and punch one hole in each end of the football. Then, a row of four holes along the center. The holes on each side should be slightly lower than the row of holes in the center of the plate.

Next, it’s time to do some painting. We used brown paint to give it the look of a traditional football. First, pour the paint onto a paper plate. Then, pinch the ends of the clothespin to open it. Place a pom pom in the center of the clip and close the clip to hold the pom pom in place.
After that, your kids can dip hold the end of the clothespin and dip the pom pom into the paint. Then, dab the paint all over the football until it’s fully covered.

When the paint is completely dry, cut a long piece of ribbon or string and thread the end through one of the holes on the side of the plate. Tape the end of the ribbon in place so it doesn’t come out while your child is threading the ribbon through the remaining holes.

Then, thread the ribbon across the plate and into the hole on the opposite side of the plate. Repeat the process through the next set of holes that cross the plate horizontally.

After that, finish lacing the ribbon through the holes on the football by threading it through a hole on the top of the plate. Then, pull it down to the hole directly below int to create vertical laces on your football. Continue lacing until all the holes have been threaded.
Football Craft Ideas
Your kids are going to have a blast making their own footballs with supplies you have on hand. Whether you’re putting together this cute craft at home, in the classroom, or at a party, it’s sure to be a hit with everyone involved.

And since this football themed craft is so simple to make, it’s also easy to customize! Try these craft ideas as you’re putting your own art project together to create an adorable sports themed craft with your kids today.
- Use a brown paper plate. You can skip the mess of paint by using a brown paper plate to make your football craft. You can find solid colored paper plates at Dollar Tree in the party section!
- Draw the laces with paint. If you don’t want to make this a lacing activity, you can also have your child draw the laces on top of the football with white paint.
Paper Plate Football Craft
Your kids will have a blast making this paper plate football craft at home, in the classroom, or at your Super Bowl party!
Materials
- Paper plate
- Brown paint
- Pom poms
- Clothespins
- Ribbon
Tools
- Scissors
- Hole punch
Instructions
- Fold the paper plate in half and use scissors to trim the edges to form a football shape.
- Keep the plate folded in half and punch one hole in each side of the plate. Then, punch four holes in a line across the center of the plate. Make the row of four holes slightly higher than the holes on each side.
- Place a pom pom in the bottom part of the clothespin, then dip the pom pom in brown paint. Dab the paint all over the plate until it's completely covered.
- Allow the paint to dry, then thread the ribbon through one of the holes on the side of the plate. Tape or glue the end of the ribbon in place on the back of the plate.
- Thread the ribbon through the hole on the opposite side of the plate, then repeat the process by threading the ribbon back through the second set of horizontal holes.
- Then, thread the ribbon through the vertical holes until all the holes are filled.
More Easy Craft Ideas:
DIY Football Mason Jars Perfect for a Party
Toilet Paper Roll Football Craft
Cute Minion Paper Plate Craft for Preschool
Emily is a midwestern mom of two boys. She loves all things DIY — from home renovations to kids birthday party planning. Whether she’s making a new farmhouse craft for her home or helping her kids with a cool activity, you can bet she’s in the middle of some kind of DIY project (or three) right now!
