Paper Plate Fish Crafts for Kids

Gather lots of craft materials to decorate kids' fish-themed paper plates.

Paper plates make a versatile base for lots of different fish-themed kids' crafts. Gather together a selection of non-toxic craft paints, craft glue, white and colored card stock, fabric scraps, craft clay, pens, string, glitter, sequins and beads and let the fun begin. Avoid providing very young children with small items that could be a choking hazard.

Paper Plate Fish Bowl

Turn a paper plate into a fish-bowl with three-dimensional fish. Cut out a fish-shaped template from stiff card. Roll out orange craft clay to approximately 1/4 inch thick, draw around the template and cut out. Repeat until you have several fish. Draw on eyes and mouths with black craft pens and bake clay in oven until hard. Draw around the plate onto a thin sheet of blue cellophane and cut out. Glue fish onto the paper plate. Glue around the rim of the plate and stick the cellophane circle on top, so it looks like "water."

Fish Print Cutout

Draw a fish outline, about 2 inches across, onto a wooden block big enough to hold the design, and trace over the outline with glue. Stick down string along the glued lines to create a raised surface and leave to dry. Dip the string surface into shallow trays of paint and press down onto the plate to create fish prints across the plate as decoration. Cut out a triangular wedge from one side of the plate to create a fish mouth. Glue the point to the back of the plate opposite the mouth hole, to create a tail. Draw an eye with black pen above the mouth.

Fish and Chips

Cut a fish shape about 6 inches long from a chunk of brown craft clay rolled approximately 3/4 inch thick. Press thumbs into the surface all over to create a lumpy "batter" effect. Slice chips from a block of yellow craft clay. Roll green craft clay into small pea-sized balls. Bake clay shapes in the oven and once cool glue the fish, chips and peas on the paper plate and "serve."

Fish in a Frame Plate

Draw a large fish outline in the center of the paper plate. Cut out scale shapes from scraps of fabric, paper and card and glue inside the outline, overlapping slightly until the whole fish is covered in different colored and textured scales. Glue on a shiny black bead for the eyes. Create bubbles coming from the head, by gluing on clear plastic beads. Glue glitter and sequins around the edge of the plate to frame the fish.

References

• Enchanted Learning: Fish Paper Plate Craft