Paper plate animals are so fun to make, and this bold and colorful paper plate bird craft for kids is no exception! There are so many lessons at play in this project – from motor skills, to shapes, to art history (keep reading!) – making this project “soar” above the rest (ha! Get it?). 
Plus, using our free paper plate bird template (which you can download below), makes this project a breeze!
Paper Plate Bird Craft Supply List
As with all projects on Paper Plate Fun, the listed supplies are what we used to create the project pictured in this post. We encourage you to modify supplies to work with what you already have on hand!
- Paper plate
- Paper plate bird template (click to download it for free)
- Black permanent marker
- Oil pastel crayons
- Glue
- Fuzzy chenille stems (similar to pipe cleaners but larger and fuzzier)
- Google eye
- Tape
How to Make a Colorful Paper Plate Bird
Step One
Begin by printing the paper plate bird template from the supply list above. Once printed, cut out the individual pieces and trace them onto a paper plate as shown in the photo below. All of the pieces for this paper plate bird craft fit into one paper plate, leaving little waste!
If you don’t want to print the template, try to freehand the shapes on the paper plate and make your bird your own!
Step Two
Cut out the shapes from the paper plate. 
Step Three
Have children use a black permanent marker to draw lines and shapes on all pieces of the paper plate that have been cut apart. 
Step Four
Once the marker-drawn shapes are dry, color the paper plate pieces in lots of bold colors with oil pastel crayons. Oil pastels work great for creating a rich and vibrant color on the paper plate! If you don’t have oil pastels available, crayons will work in a pinch, as will markers! 
This bold graphic print and colors combination is reminiscent of the artwork of Keith Haring, whose work rose to prominence in the 1980’s and is seen all over today! Haring’s work is very popular with children, making him a wonderful artist to study with kids. The Keith Haring Foundation even has a website filled with art history information and lesson plans for kids!
Step Five
Once all of the bird’s body parts are colored, glue the paper plate pieces onto the bird. 
Step Six
Then, glue a googly eye onto the bird’s head so that this paper plate bird can see the world around him or her! 
Step Seven
Cut chenille stems into pieces that are about 3″ long. Fold them into an “L” shape and tape them onto the back of the paper plate bird. Tape works better than glue for holding the stems in place. This will serve as the bird’s feet. 
Step Eight
Finally, use the scissors again to fringe the bird’s feathered tail. 
With that, this paper plate bird is ready to take off! 
If you enjoyed this paper plate kids craft, please be sure to share it on Pinterest or with your friends! 
And, check out our ever-growing gallery of paper plate kids crafts! We’re a new website but constantly adding new project ideas.
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