Today, we’ve got a delightfully simple and enjoyable craft activity that will bring a whole lot of fun to your home or classroom. We’ll be guiding you through an adorable paper plate turtle craft that your little ones will absolutely love.
This is a perfect way to inspire creativity, hone fine motor skills, and even engage their language skills while having tons of fun. Let’s get started on our own sea turtle craft!
This printable turtle craft is a perfect activity for your ocean crafts theme.
With this craft, we’re going to dive under the sea and enter the fascinating world of turtles. This printable turtle craft is a fun, easy, and creative activity that is perfect for kids of all ages.
Whether you’re spending a rainy afternoon indoors or looking for a great addition to your classroom activities, this craft is the perfect way to combine fun and learning. We’ve broken it down into simple steps so that everyone can follow along and create something truly adorable!
Paper Plate 3D Sea Turtle Craft With Free Printable Template
Remember, crafting should be lots of fun! So dive in, let loose, and enjoy the process of creating your very own paper plate turtle craft. Your little ones are sure to have a blast, and you might find that you do, too!
How to Make a 3D Paper Plate Turtle
Our printable turtle craft is a charming, green-colored sea creature made primarily out of a paper plate. It has a beautifully textured shell, created using construction paper cutouts painted green.
The turtle’s head, feet, and hands, cut from the provided template and painted, add character to the craft.
The highlight, though, are the googly eyes, which bring this lovely little turtle to life. Finished with a smile drawn by a black marker, it's an enchanting craft that children will be proud of.
Materials
- Paper plate
- Folder
- Green colored/construction paper (If you don't have this to hand you can use white paper and green paint)
- Googly eyes
- Scissors
- Black marker
- Green acrylic paint
- Paint brush
- Glue stick
- Turtle template ( download our free printable turtle craft template below)
Tools
- Printer
Instructions
- Get your supplies gathered together and print out the template so that you're ready to begin the craft
- Cut the paper plate into a triangular shape at approximately a 45-degree angle. This forms the base of our turtle's shell!
- Using a glue stick, connect the cut-out edge of the paper plate to create a cute, cone-shaped figure.
- It's time for some color! Paint the entire paper plate with the green acrylic paint, transforming it into a beautiful turtle shell.
- Cut rectangular strips from the green paper.
Then, shape these papers into cone, trapezoid, and cylinder figures, following the guide photo for an accurate outcome. 
These will add some dimension and texture to our turtle's shell. - Use your glue stick to secure the green paper pieces onto your painted paper plate.
- Cut out the provided turtle template onto cardstock, or paste it onto a thin piece of card before cutting. (You can also try our other free printables for more fun ideas!)
- Now let's paint the parts of our sea turtle template with the green acrylic paint, covering the entire surface.
- Attach the parts (head, feet, and hands) of the turtle to the paper plate using your trusty glue stick. You'll start seeing your adorable turtle craft come to life!
- Finally, bring your turtle to life by adding the googly eyes and drawing a mouth with a black marker.
- Voila! You now have a beautiful, green-colored turtle craft!
Notes
The timings are estimations and may vary depending on your circumstances. The most important part is to have fun and enjoy the process!
This paper plate turtle craft is perfect for kids of all ages, and it’s a fun way to learn about ocean animals like sea turtles.
It’s also a great addition to ocean-themed crafts for bulletin boards. What’s more, it’s an easy craft that also enhances kids’ scissors skills.
Remember to be careful with the scissors and acrylic paint, and above all, let your creativity flow freely.
This is a great way for children to express themselves and learn about the hard work and dedication that go into crafting.
Download Free Printable Turtle Craft Template PDF
Download the free turtle template below in PDF form.
Our printable turtle craft is for personal or classroom use only, as per our terms of use. Please do not distribute the electronic file or the printed version commercially.
We would love to see your completed turtle crafts, so don’t hesitate to share your hard work on our Facebook page. The sea turtle crafts make wonderful contributions to our community of fun animal crafts!
More Ocean Themed Crafts
We hope you enjoyed this printable sea turtle craft for kids.
Looking for more fun crafts? We have some more great ideas that you will love for the Ocean theme… check out some of our under the sea crafts below. Happy crafting!
- Watercolor Paper Bag Jellyfish Craft
- Paper Plate Whale
- Easy Paper Plate Fish Craft
- Fine Motor Fish Collage
- 38 Jawsome Shark Crafts for Kids
- Yarn Wrapped Popsicle Stick Mermaid Craft
- Ocean Scene Window Art for Kids
And if your kiddo is a big fan of turtles, check out our teenage mutant ninja turtles coloring pages
Share
Please go ahead and share this printable turtle craft with friends and family or on social media, thanks so much.
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
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