Today we have a fantastic and fun Summer Sun Paper plate craft which I'm sure the kids will love to make at home or in the classroom setting. This is a simple and easy task and encourages fine motor skills, promotes colour recognition and the craft can be used as a puppet.
It is a great preschool resource and could be used while singing a song about the sun or colours. There are lots of fun ways this can be used.
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💖 Why You'll Love This Craft
- Bright and Cheery: The sun’s warm, sunny face will bring smiles all around!
- Perfect for Hot Days: A cool, easy project to keep the kids entertained during summer break.
- Interactive Play: After crafting, your little ones can turn the puppet into a fun summer character.
🎨 Supplies Needed
- 1 large white paper plate
- Yellow paint
- Paint brush
- Construction paper - white, dark blue, light blue, red, black, pink, yellow, green
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Optional - craft stick and tape
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🖌️ How To Make This Paper Plate Sun
- Step 1: Flip the paper plate over and paint the entire back side yellow. Set aside to dry. For the eyes, cut out 2 large circles, from the white construction paper.
- Step 2: For the eye pupils, cut out 2 quarter-size circles from the dark blue paper.
- Step 3: Glue each pupil onto each eye and set aside.
- Step 4: For the nose, cut out a quarter-size heart shape from the red construction paper. Cut out a large mouth from the black construction paper. Cut out a smaller shaped mouth from the pink construction paper and glue on top of the black mouth.
- Step 5: Apply glue from the glue stick on the backside and place in the middle of the paper plate, underneath the eyes.
- Step 6: Apply glue from the glue stick to the back of the mouth and place on the paper plate.
- Step 7: Cut out three (1 ½" wide by 5" long) strips from each of these coloured papers: yellow, red, green and blue.
- Step 8: Flip the sun plate over and glue the ends of the coloured strips onto the outer one-inch diameter of the plate.
- Step 9: Glue the strips in the following order: yellow, red, green and blue. Repeat twice.
- Step 10: OPTIONAL: if you would like to use this sun craft as a puppet, tape a craft stick onto the back of the sun, towards the bottom.
Enjoy!
💡 Pro Tip: If storing several puppets together, place a sheet of scrap paper between each one. This prevents smudges and sticking when they’re packed away after crafting.
🧑🎨 Expert Tips
- Standing Display: After completion, tape the puppet to an upright cardboard piece so it can stand on shelves or windowsills. This adds more visibility and makes it useful as seasonal decor.
- Weather Connection: Use the puppet as part of a daily routine where kids hold it up when it's sunny outside. This adds real-world relevance without shifting the focus from crafting.
- Activity Divider: Bring out the sun puppet as a cheerful signal between activities, like transitioning from playtime to lunch. It adds a playful touch to daily structure.
- Sun-Themed Countdown: Let the puppet "count down" to a summer event like a picnic or field trip by lowering a paper number each day. This builds anticipation in a simple, craft-based way.
- Color Session Starter: Before beginning, ask kids to name everything they can think of that’s yellow or orange. It gets minds focused and gently connects to the theme.
- Visual Contrast: Use a dark-colored background when displaying the sun puppet to make its colors pop. This enhances its visual impact without needing to modify the puppet.
💭 FAQs
At summer camps or birthday parties, kids can show their finished sun puppet at check-in, turning their craft into a fun entrance pass or activity ticket.
Each puppet can mark a seat or section at a picnic table, helping kids find their spots easily while adding a playful, sunny touch to the setting.
Yes, you can use different colors for the features and rays, and add extra decorations like glitter or stickers to personalize your sun puppet.
The bright sun puppet can be taped inside windows to catch light and add a cheerful, seasonal vibe from both inside and outside the house.
Summer Sun Paper Plate Craft Puppet
Equipment
- Scissors
Materials
- 1 large white paper plate
- Yellow paint
- Paint brush
- Construction paper – white dark blue, light blue, red, black, pink, yellow, green
- Glue stick
- Optional – craft stick and tape
Instructions
- For the eyes, cut out 2 large circles, from the white construction paper.
- For the eye pupils, cut out 2 quarter-size circles from the dark blue paper.
- Glue each pupil onto each eye and set aside.
- For the nose, cut out a quarter-size heart shape from the red construction paper.
- Cut out a large mouth from the black construction paper.
- Cut out a smaller shaped mouth from the pink construction paper and glue on top of the black mouth.
- Apply glue from the glue stick on the backside and place it in the middle of the paper plate, underneath the eyes.
- Apply glue from the glue stick to the back of the mouth and place it on the paper plate.
- Cut out three (1 ½″ wide by 5″ long) strips from each of these coloured papers: yellow, red, green, and blue.
- Flip the sun plate over and glue the ends of the coloured strips onto the outer one-inch diameter of the plate.
- Glue the strips in the following order: yellow, red, green, and blue. Repeat twice.
- OPTIONAL: if you would like to use this sun craft as a puppet, tape a craft stick onto the back of the sun, towards the bottom.
- Enjoy.
🖌️ Related Crafts
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This is a fun thing to do outside in the summer!