The wheels on this bus go round and round! Preschoolers, pre-k, and young elementary school students will enjoy making a yellow paper plate school bus craft that’s perfect for back-to-school, and making the wheels really turn! 
This paper plate craft is simple fun for young children, and can be modified in so many ways to fit supplies you may already have on hand!
Paper Plate School Bus Supplies
Here are the paper plate school bus supplies we used for this project:
- Paper plate
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Circle craft punch
- Do-A-Dot paint stick in yellow
- Black construction paper
- Decorative brads
- Glue
- Popsicle stick
- Sharpie
How to Make a Paper Plate School Bus
Step One
Depending on the age of the children making this craft, an adult may want to complete this first step. Draw two lines on the paper plate to form a 90 degree angle in the top right of the paper plate. Also draw a straight line across the paper plate, about 2.5″ from the bottom of the plate. 
Step Two
Cut across the line on the bottom of the plate and the L-shape at the top right of the plate. This will turn the paper plate into the shape of a school bus! 
Step Three
Now for the important part: turning the school bus yellow! We used a Do-A-Dot paint marker in yellow for this step, because Do-A-Dots are a great way to keep the mess of paint contained! If you don’t have Do-A-Dots or other paint markers, children could use crayons, markers, or tempera paint to complete this step. 
Step Four
Next, cut out two circles from black construction paper for the wheels. We used a circle craft punch, but if you don’t have one of those, this would be a great fine motor skills activity for children to practice cutting with scissors. 
Step Five
To make the wheels on the bus moveable, we used decorative brads. First, we poked the brads through the center of each wheel, and then we poked them through the bottom of the paper plate. Children will probably need help with this step so they don’t poke their fingers or tear their paper plates! 
Step Six
Then we cut out three rectangles for passenger seat windows on the bus, and a larger rectangle for the bus windshield. We glued them to the bus with school glue, but glue sticks would work well here, too. 
Step Seven
Finally, we wrote “School Bus” on a popsicle stick in black Sharpie, and glued it to the front side of the bus for an adorable finishing touch! 
Once dry, let the kids gently spin the wheels on the bus and enjoy their school bus paper plate project! Maybe a class sing-a-long to The Wheels on the Bus will be in order, too? Oh, and hey before you go, make sure to check out our post on 15 Fall Paper Plate Crafts for Kids – it’s never too early to start planning!
You May Also Like This Paper Plate Apple Craft! 
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