Paper Plate - Page 10 of 11

Hats for All

A young child at a kitchen table using scissors to cut out paper shapes for a DIY paper plate hat project.

Draw a line from the outside edge of the paper plate into the center.

On the construction paper, draw different shapes (note: some ideas for shapes your child can cut are red, blue, and white stripes, stars, or circles for 4th of July, hearts for Valentine’s day, or flowers for springtime).

Provide the child with a pair of scissors and ask him to first cut along the line you drew on the plate and then cut the different shapes you traced on the paper.

Overlap the edges of the paper plate to create a hat shape and staple them together.

Have the child glue the different cut out shapes on the hat.

Finally, help your child poke two holes on each side of the plate and put the lace through each hole.

Marshmallow Stamper

Place paint in a shallow bowl or a paper plate. Have the child dip a piece of marshmallow or foam in the paint and stamp it onto the construction paper.

You can let the child create his own picture or if you would like to work on visual-motor skills, you can have the child trace lines, shapes, and letters.

You can use small or big marshmallow for this activity.

For children that tend to place objects in their mouths, you might want to try using Jell-O mixed with a small amount of water and use it as your paint.

Cut Me a Slice

This is a fun way to help you child prepare his favorite pizza.

On the paper plate, draw a horizontal line and a vertical line, in such a way that you divide it into 4 equal parts (just like you would slice a pizza pie). Use green, red, yellow and brown construction papers to draw different shapes such as rectangles (for pepper), curved lines( for cheese), circles (for pepperoni), etc.

Ask the child to first cut the plate, following the lines you drew on it. Instruct the child to color each quarter in red (using a crayon, a marker, or a colored pencil). Then, provide the child with the different shapes you drew on the construction papers and ask him to cut these shapes following the lines. Let the child glue the different shapes on the paper plate quarters based on what he would like to have on his pizza.

Sensory Salad

You will need to use green construction paper (light and/or dark) and assorted small different textured objects (i.e. pom-poms, buttons, small blocks, etc.). You may also want to use different size and color straws.

First, explain to the child that you are going to make a salad. Let the child tear up the pieces of paper using both hands, to make lettuce leaves, and place the pieces in the bowl.

Then, have the child cut the straws into different size pieces and add them to the bowl. Ask the child to add the pom-poms, buttons, blocks, and think of creative things they can be (e.g. red pom-poms for cherry tomatoes, blocks as croutons). Have the child “toss” the salad by hand, allowing him to feel the different textures.

Use the tongs to “serve” the salad. To focus on social skills, ask the child to serve you/other peers/ themselves/co-treating therapists and say things like “more please!”, “no more, thank you”, etc.

Yarn Painting

A 5-year-old child practicing fine motor skills by pulling a paint-covered piece of yarn through a folded paper butterfly cutout during a home art activity.

Draw a geometric shape or a picture on the paper and fold it in half (i.e. square, pumpkin, a person, butterfly, etc.). Let the child cut out the picture and open the paper.

Cut a piece of yarn (about 6-inch long). Put paint into the container and ask the child to dip one end of the yarn in the paint while holding on to the other end. Instruct the child to place the painted end of the yarn on one side of the paper, at the top. Fold the paper again and tell the child to pull the yarn out, from the bottom.

Open the folded paper, place the painted yarn at the top again, fold the paper, and pull the yarn out. Repeat these steps until the picture is painted.

You can use different colors and cut a piece of yarn for each color the child is using.