Preschool Paper Plate Seashell Craft

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From cute preschool activities for the classroom to fun summer art projects to make at home, you can’t go wrong with simple crafts for kids! And what better way to celebrate summer than at the beach? Even if you can’t head to the beach right now, you cans till bring the ocean to you with this cute paper plate seashell craft. All you need is paint and scissors to make your own shells at home with your preschooler today.

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You won’t believe how quick and easy this paper plate sea shell is to make! That means it’s perfect for kids in any grade.

Since you just need two basic craft supplies to put it together, I bet you already have everything you need at home right now! What better way to keep your kids entertained this summer than making a cute beach craft at home?

Paper Plate Seashell Craft

This adorable paper plate craft is so easy to make, it can be put together with just a few minutes of prep work. That means it’s perfect for a summer afternoon at home with your kids! And since it’s so simple to put together, all your kids can get in on the fun, no matter how old they are!

The short list of supplies needed to put this easy art project together is the best part about this ocean themed craft! But it’s also super easy to customize, so don’t forget to keep scrolling to the bottom of the post to get more ideas for making this project with your kids.

• Paper plates. You can use any size paper plate you want to make your own seashells. We used small 6-inch plates because that’s what we had on hand, but full-sized plates would also work!
• Watercolor paint. To get the pretty color swirls found on our seashell craft, I suggest using watercolor paint to decorate your paper plates. You can grab a set of basic watercolors in the craft aisle at Dollar Tree!
• Scissors. To transform your paper plate into a shell, you’ll need to do some cutting. But the cuts are simple enough for even young kids to do on their own!

How to Make a Paper Plate Seashell

Now that you have all your supplies gathered up, it’s time to get crafty! Have some fun with your kids making your own ocean craft at home this summer.

The first step is to decorate your seashells. Use watercolor paint and water to create colorful swirls all over the plate. Then, rinse your brush with water and brush water over the top of the wet paint to help the colors blend together.

After giving the paint on your paper plate plenty of time to dry, grab a pen or pencil and draw lines on the bottom of the paint like those in the picture. This will give your kids a guideline so they know where to cut to turn their plate into a shell shape.

Next, give your kids the plates and some safety scissors and let them start cutting. Just have them cut along the lines to trim off the bottom edges of the plate to form a seashell shape.

Paper Plate Shell Craft Ideas

See how easy it is for your kids to their own sea shells with supplies you have on hand? Whether you’re putting together this cute art project at home, in the classroom, or at Bible School, it’s sure to be a hit with everyone involved.

And since this ocean 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 some adorable under the sea art projects with your kids this summer.

• Use acrylic paint. If you don’t have any watercolor paints on hand, you can also use acrylic craft paint to decorate your shells. I would suggest diluting the paint with a little bit of water to make it lighter and less thick.
• Color the plate with markers or crayons. If you want to skip using messy paint, don’t worry! You can still make this cute jellyfish. Instead of having your kids paint the plate, just tell them to color the paint with markers or crayons. Then, you don’t have to wait for the paint to dry to move on to the next step.
• Make different sizes. Use different sized plates to make different sized shells. The same concept will work for plates of any size!

More Easy Craft Ideas:

Floating Popsicle Stick Boat Craft for Kids

Seashell Necklaces

Paper Plate Beach Ball Preschool Craft

Tropical Seashell Fish Craft

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