If you’re looking for a fun ocean-themed activity that’s easy to make with simple supplies, this paper plate octopus craft is the perfect choice.
Using a paper plate, paint, and our free printable template, kids can create an adorable smiling octopus while practicing cutting, painting, and other important fine motor skills. It’s a great craft for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and elementary-aged children, whether you’re learning about sea creatures, enjoying an under the sea theme, or simply looking for a creative afternoon activity.
This easy paper plate octopus is a wonderful addition to ocean units, beach themes, or summer craft sessions. Children will love decorating their octopus with colorful dots and googly eyes, while adults will appreciate how inexpensive and simple this project is to put together.
Since it uses a paper plate as the base, it’s sturdy enough to display once finished and looks great hanging on a classroom bulletin board or even on the fridge.
Paper plate crafts are always a favorite because they’re affordable, easy to prepare, and perfect for little hands. This octopus craft encourages creativity while also helping children develop important early learning skills. Painting, tracing, cutting, and gluing all strengthen hand muscles and improve coordination, making this activity both fun and educational.
It’s also a fantastic opportunity to talk about ocean animals. You can discuss where octopuses live, how they use their eight tentacles, how they camouflage themselves, and other fascinating facts while creating your colorful sea creature.
Supplies You’ll Need for your Paper Plate Octopus Craft
To make this paper plate octopus craft, you’ll need a paper plate, purple paint, construction paper, scissors, glue, markers, googly eyes, and our free printable octopus template.
These are all simple craft supplies that many families and classrooms already have on hand, making this an easy project to put together at short notice.
How to Make a Paper Plate Octopus
This friendly octopus comes together in just a few simple steps using a paper plate, paint, and our free printable template. Follow along below to create your own colorful ocean friend that’s perfect for displaying at home or in the classroom.
Paper Plate Octopus Craft
Make a cute purple paper plate octopus with our free printable template! This easy ocean craft is perfect for preschool, kindergarten, summer activities, and under the sea learning.
Materials
- Paper plate
- Purple paint
- Construction papers
- Scissors
- Glue
- Markers
- Googly eyes
Tools
- Printer for template
Instructions
- Cut out the octopus template, trace it onto your paper plate, and carefully cut out the shape. Paint the entire paper plate octopus purple and set it aside to dry completely before moving on to the next steps.
- Once the paint has dried, use a black marker to carefully outline the edges of the octopus. This helps define the shape and makes the finished craft stand out.
- Draw small dots along each of the octopus's tentacles using your marker. This simple detail gives the tentacles extra texture and makes your ocean animal look even more realistic and fun.
- Glue the googly eyes onto the octopus's face. Kids always enjoy adding this step because it instantly brings their sea creature to life.
- Cut out the pink circles for it's blushing cheeks
- Glue them on
- Finish your paper plate octopus by drawing a happy smile with a marker. Your cute ocean friend is now ready to display!
This paper plate octopus craft fits perfectly into so many different learning themes. Pair it with books about ocean animals, create a whole collection of paper plate sea creatures, decorate an under the sea classroom display, or use it during a beach-themed week. It also works well alongside lessons about marine life, habitats, and conservation.
Kids can even personalize their octopus by using different paint colors, adding glitter, or decorating the tentacles with stickers or sequins for a unique underwater creation.
Download the Free Octopus Template PDF
Ready to get started? Simply download and print our free octopus template to make this paper plate craft even easier. The template provides the shape you need, making this a quick, low-prep activity for home, preschool, daycare, classrooms, homeschool lessons, or summer camps.
This paper plate octopus craft is a simple and enjoyable project that’s perfect for ocean units, summer afternoons, or rainy day crafting. With just a few basic supplies and our free printable template, kids can create an adorable sea creature while building fine motor skills and having fun. We hope your little ones enjoy making their own smiling octopus as much as ours did!
More Ocean Animal Crafts
If your kids loved making this paper plate octopus, keep the ocean fun going with even more sea creature crafts. From colorful fish and playful dolphins to turtles, jellyfish, sharks, and crabs, these easy ocean animal crafts are a great way to encourage creativity while learning about life under the sea.
- Handprint Jellyfish Craft for Kids
- Easy Handprint Turtle Craft
- Paper Plate Dolphin Craft for Kids (Free Printable Template)
- 38 Jawsome Shark Crafts for Kids
- 28 Fin-tastic Fish Crafts for Kids
More Paper Plate Crafts
Paper plate crafts are one of our favorite ways to create fun seasonal and educational projects with inexpensive materials. If your kids enjoyed making this octopus, be sure to explore our collection of paper plate animals, holiday crafts, and themed activities for even more creative inspiration.
We have plenty of easy paper plate craft ideas for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and older children to enjoy throughout the year.
- Flying Superhero Paper Plate Craft
- Fun Paper Plate Football Super Bowl Craft For Kids
- Garden Paper Plate Twirler Craft
- Paper Plate Pokeball and Pokemon Craft
Share This Paper Plate Octopus Craft
If your kids had fun making this paper plate octopus craft, we’d love to see their creations! Share this post with friends, family, teachers, and fellow parents, and tag us on social media so we can admire your colorful ocean masterpieces.
