Embark on a creative journey with a delightful Paper Plate Boat craft for kids. Easy and enjoyable activity that encourages imaginative play. Set sail today!

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This paper plate boat is a fun summer craft that will row row row the fun throughout the Summer!

Summer holidays and boating - what a fun combination! But today, it's not about splashing waves out in the sea. It's about getting crafty and creative at home. Yes, I have another one of my super summer crafts for you - making a paper plate boat!

It's super easy, and it doesn't take much to make one. The best part? It's for kids of all ages. If you have toddlers, you can take over the cutting duty and let them do all the coloring and pasting. If you have grown-ups, well, they won't let you do much anyway. Ready to sail your paper plate boat? Let's get started.

Are Paper Plate Crafts Good for Learning?

Crafting, in general, is an amazing pastime. It fires the brain cells to think, be creative and come up with solutions. Plus, you'll be creating a learning environment without the children realizing it. Win-win!

As for paper plate crafts, they are fun and easy. There isn't much material required, which means little to no mess.

Besides the fun part, handling paper plates teaches kids to be careful and use their fine motor skills. It's like doing puzzles - only in arts and crafts form!

There's also a little scissor work involved, like cutting paper strips. It'll enhance the hand-eye coordination of your kids.

Simple Popsicle Stick Crafts

In addition to the paper plate, you will need a popsicle stick for this sweet sailboat craft. Popsicle sticks are one of our favorite simple supplies for crafting. They are super inexpensive and can create so many wonderful things with them.

These materials make it easy for children to create their little boats, inspiring their imagination to set sail on exciting adventures. Let their creativity flow as they transform basic items into a fun crafting experience. Perfect for an afternoon of family fun and creative playtime!

Don't miss our full list of Popsicle Stick Crafts

How to Decorate the Paper Plate Boats?

This paper plate boat craft for kids is as versatile as it gets. Your little ones can open the doors to their deep sea and pirate ship adventure imaginations. You can vary the decoration items you use. Pom poms, wiggly eyes, crayons, markers, and glitter glue - it's all up to you!

Since the idea is to unleash creativity, let the children do what they like. Give them fish stickers and watch their faces light up with joy. Kids love stickers!

If you're trying to teach them different colors, use a theme for the boat decoration and make sure each part of it is painted in a different hue. For instance, use blue paint for the bottom of the boat and yellow paint for the front sails.

You can also introduce different textures and materials here. Use a popsicle stick for the helm and attach a paper flag flying in the wind.

We also have a fun Juice Box Boat Craft, Sailboat Drawing, Ship Craft, and Origami Boat too!

How to Use This Sailboat Craft?

Are the paper plate sea boats ready? Great. Now let's bring them to use. Here are a few ways to use this great craft:

Make personalized cards for birthdays or special occasions.
Use the boats as centerpieces on the kids' table during a beach-themed party.
Create a floating boat train by adding some string and attaching several vessels together.
Make word and math association games with the boats.

Variations of the Paper Plate Boat

If you want to take the paper plate boat craft a step further, here are some variations for you:

Use light cardboard instead of paper plates.
Give the boat a 3D element with clay or pipe cleaners.
Make the sailboat out of recycled materials.

Making a paper plate boat is the perfect way to combine a simple craft with learning activities. Your little boat lover will love to play with this new fun toy! As for you, it's a great stress-buster and quality time spent together.

So, get your supplies ready and set sail with this fun craft.

Check Out These Other Paper Plate Crafts!

Rainbow Fish Craft

Bunny Craft

Shark Craft

Pumpkin Pie Craft

Paper Boat Supplies

Paper Plate
Pencil
Scissors
Colorful Craft Paper
Paint
Paintbrushes
Craft Stick
Glue

How To Make a Boat Out of Paper Plate

Start with one plain paper plate.

Cut your paper plate in half.

Paint your paper plate boat. We started with a fun stripe along the top of the boat.

Finish painting your boat. We went with simple stripes.

Print out the sailboat template from the bottom of the page and then cut each template out.

*There are two sizes of sails. There is a smaller sail for small paper plate boats and one for general size. Use the size that fits your boat craft best.

We cut each sail out of a different piece of construction paper as well as the small circles.

Glue the tips of the larger sail to the top of the craft stick.

Next, glue the smaller sail to the back of the craft stick.

Glue the three blue paper circles in the middle of the boat.

glue popsicle stick to back of paper plate boat

Glue the bottom of the popsicle stick to the back side of the paper plate.

Viola, you have a sweet boat craft!

We highlighted this Paper Plate Craft along with some other fun kid's crafts in our Summer Crafts along with our 101+ Easy Kids Crafts.

You also do not want to miss our 101+ Printable Coloring Pages For Kids and 101+ Printables For Kids full of Crafts and Coloring Pages.

Other Fun Summer Ocean Crafts

Download Boat Sails Free Templates

Enter your name and email address in the form below and you'll be taken directly to the free sailboat template pdf file.

*For personal use only

Paper Plate Boat Craft

Embark on a creative journey with a delightful Paper Plate Boat craft for kids. Easy and enjoyable activity that encourages imaginative play. Set sail today!

Course Kids Crafts

Cook Time 20

Total Time 20

Author Alli Ward

Equipment

Scissors
Paintbrushes

Ingredients

Instructions

Start with one plain paper plate.
Cut your paper plate in half.
Paint your paper plate boat. We started with a fun stripe along the top of the boat.
Finish painting your boat. We went with simple stripes.
Print out the sailboat template from the bottom of the page and then cut each template out. There are two sizes of sails. There is a smaller sail for small paper plate boats and one for general size. Use the size that fits your boat craft best.
We cut each sail out of a different piece of construction paper as well as the small circles.
Glue the tips of the larger sail to the top of the craft stick.
Next, glue the smaller sail to the back of the craft stick.
Glue the three blue paper circles in the middle of the boat.
Glue the bottom of the popsicle stick to the back side of the paper plate.
Viola, you have a sweet boat craft!