Paper Plate Crab Craft for Kids
Finding some simple crafts for kids to make while you’re at home during the summer months is a great way to keep the little ones entertained. And if your kids love the beach as much as mine do, finding quick and easy beach-themed crafts for them to do is a great idea. Bring the beach to your house with this cute paper plate crab craft! And since it’s simple to put together, it’s perfect for kids of any age.
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Not only is this cute paper plate crab craft for kids easy to make, but you probably already have everything you need to make it at home! Keep reading to find out what supplies you need to turn plain paper plate into an adorable crab.
Paper Plate Crab Craft
To make your own ocean crab craft, you’ll just need a handful of simple craft supplies, including
- White paper plate
- Red paint and a paintbrush
- Googly eyes
- Red construction paper
- Glue
- Red pipe cleaner
- Scissors
How to Make a Paper Plate Crab
Before you can start putting your paper plate crab together, you’ll need to paint your plate. Use red paint to cover a paper plate, then allow the paint to dry completely. For this craft, we used a small six-inch paper plate. But if you don’t have any on hand, a full-sized plate will also work.
When the paint on your paper plate is completely dry, fold the plate in half to create a semi-circle. This half-circle will be the body of your ocean crab.
Next, make the crab’s claws with a piece of red construction paper and a red pipe cleaner. Cut out two circles from the construction paper. I used a 2-inch punch to make the crab claws or you can use your scissors to cut out two circles from the paper. Turn the circles into claws by cutting a wedge out of the side of each circle.
Flip the paper plate upside down so that the fold of the plate is resting on the table. Draw a line of glue along the seam of the fold and place the pipe cleaner on top of the glue, making sure the ends of the pipe clear are even on each side of the plate. Hold the pipe cleaner in place until the glue dries.
Bend the ends of the pipe cleaner up over the top of the plate, then glue the construction paper claws to each end of the pipe cleaner. After that, you can reposition the crab’s claws however you like them.
Finish making your paper plate crab by gluing two large googly eyes to the top of the body, right on the seam of the fold in the paper plate. To give the eyes a more crabby look, try gluing the eyes so that the tops of the eyes are sticking up over the top of the fold.
Now that your beach craft is complete, it’s time to play! Your kids can make this crab move by setting the crab up on the sides of the paper plate. Press one end of the crab down and he will rock back and forth!
More Fun Beach Themed Crafts:
Paper Plate Fish Preschool Beach Craft
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!
