Paper Plate Octopus
Kids love silly Octopus! It’s one of the most magical sea creatures. That’s why they will have so much fun creating this Paper Plate Octopus Craft. It’s a quick and easy kids craft to engage little minds. Perfect to go with an ocean animal unit or just for fun.
“Under the sea, under the sea”…Dive deep into ocean fun with this adorable paper plate octopus! This fun little sea creature is really easy to make and perfect for children of all ages.
This easy paper plate octopus craft is great to use in the classroom, at home craft time, or a fun activity at a party. You can watch a fun movie like Finding Nemo or read a book like Leo and the Octopus by Kane Miller. Then make a silly octopus together! It’s a great way to teach your kids about the sea and how an octopus is so unique.
And, if you want to have a full day of educational ocean fun, then do this letter fishing kids activity too! There is so much fun to be had with this cutie little octopus.
Why You’ll Love this Paper Plate Octopus Craft
- It only takes about 25 minutes to complete this paper plate craft! Great for craft time on a time crunch.
- Making a paper octopus is a really affordable craft. If you need an economical craft for a large group of children, this is a great option.
- Painting, cutting, and pasting are all activities that help refine fine motor skills.
Supplies Needed to Make a Paper Plate Octopus
- Paper plate – The cheap plain white paper plates work great for this craft! You can use any paper plate though. Plates without designs will be easier to paint.
- Acrylic paint – I chose purple paint for this craft, but you can use any color you want!
- Googly eyes – Giant googly eyes are extra cute on this silly little octopus! You can use different size eyes if you want, or cut them out of construction paper if you can’t find googly eyes.
- Glue – Any craft glue will work, and you can also use a glue stick if you prefer.
- Scissors – If you are making this craft with young children, consider using safety scissors.
- Circle paper punch – This is the easiest way to create the “suction cups” on each tentacle of the octopus. If you don’t have a circle paper punch, you can freehand cut some.
- Cardstock – Match the card stock with the color you painted the plate, or use different colors and mix things up.
- Paint brush – Use a simple small paint brush or foam brush to paint the paper plate.
- Tentacle template – Print out this template and cut out each shape to trace onto colored card stock. If you don’t have a printer, you can freehand them.
How to Make a Paper Plate Octopus
- Paint the paper plate purple (or with any other color you want!) and let it completely dry.
- While the paper plate is drying, print out the template for the tentacles and cut out each shape. Trace the shapes onto card stock and cut them out. You’ll need 8 tentacles in total!
- Check that the paper plate is dry, and then glue the extra large googly eyes to the center of the plate.
- Then, begin gluing the tentacles to the bottom. Overlap a few of the tentacles and alternate positions so that there’s a tentacle going in every direction.
- Punch out a bunch of small circles from white cardstock or computer paper. Apply glue to each dot and place them along the tentacles in a random pattern.
- Allow the glue to completely dry, and then you’re done!
Can I use a colored plate?
If you want to save a little bit of time, you can purchase paper plates that are already colored! Check the party section of your local grocery store for purple plates. You can also order a pack online if you need plenty of plates for a large group.
What can I use instead of googly eyes?
Large googly eyes can be difficult to find sometimes, so there’s a few other options if you don’t have them! You can make eyes out of construction paper or use black and white paint to paint eyes on.
Pro Tips for the Best Paper Plate Octopus
- While the paint is wet on the paper plate, sprinkle fine glitter dust onto the wet paint. Allow it to dry and shake off the excess and now you’ve got a glittery octopus!
- If you don’t want to use liquid or stick glue, use glue dots to attach everything to the paper plate.
- Make your paper plate octopus into a puppet by hot gluing a large paint stir stick onto the back of the octopus.
Have fun making this fun deep sea octopus buddy! The perfect fun summer craft.
More Paper Plate Crafts You’ll Love
- This Paper Plate Chick Craft is the perfect thing to make around Easter time!
- Want to make some more fun sea creatures? Check out this Paper Plate Jellyfish Craft.
- Make a Paper Plate Penguin for some exciting winter fun!
- If your kids are crazy about dinosaurs, they’ll have a blast making this Paper Plate Dinosaur Craft!
Paper Plate Octopus
Ingredients
- Paper plate
- Purple paint
- Cardstock – darker purple lighter purple, white
- Large googly eyes
- ¾ inch circle paper punch
- Scissors
- Glue
- Tentacle Template
Instructions
- Begin by painting a paper plate purple. Let dry completely.
- While the paper plate dries, print out the template for the tentacles and cut out the shapes. Trace the pieces on purple cardstock. You will want a couple different shades of purple for interest. Cut out the tentacles. You will need 8 tentacles total.
- Once the paper plate is dry, glue large googly eyes to the center of the plate.
- Now, begin gluing the tentacles in place on the bottom of the plate. Some tentacles should overlap, and alternate position so that they’re going in every direction.
- Continue gluing until all tentacles are in place.
- Finally, punch a bunch of small circles out of the white cardstock or paper.
- Glue the dots in place along the tentacles.
Notes
- While the paint is wet on the paper plate, sprinkle fine glitter dust onto the wet paint. Allow it to dry and shake off the excess and now you’ve got a glittery octopus!
- If you don’t want to use liquid or stick glue, use glue dots to attach everything to the paper plate.
- Make your paper plate octopus into a puppet by hot gluing a large paint stir stick onto the back of the octopus.
