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Crafts

Paper Plate Tambourine Kids Craft

May 15, 2022 By Terri Thompson

Do you remember some of the fun crafts you did as a kid? I do. I’ve always loved craft projects.

Let’s go on a trip down memory lane and do some of those fun classic craft projects with our own kids. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

This paper plate tambourine craft is a fun choice. It’s easy to make and you can make music with them after you’re done.

Make your own musical instrument with this fun classic kids craft, Paper Plate Tambourine. It's fun for preschoolers to make and play their own instrument.

Let’s grab some craft supplies and get ready to have some fun!

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Make your own musical instrument with this fun classic kids craft, Paper Plate Tambourine. It's fun for preschoolers to make and play their own instrument.

Supplies needed for your tambourine craft

Paper plate (2 per tambourine)
Paint
Dried beans
Stapler
Hole punch
Ribbon

How to make a paper plate tambourine

The first thing you want to do is decorate your paper plates. You’ll need to decorate two plates for each tambourine. Decorate the bottoms of your plates, since that will be the side facing outward.

My girls chose paint because they love every excuse that can get to throw on their smocks and start painting.

You could also use crayons, markers, stickers, or even glitter glue to decorate your plates.

Once your paint is dry, flip one of the plates over and add a handful of dried beans.

If you don’t have any dried beans, or do not want to use a food product, you can add beads or small pebbles.

Take your second plate and line it up over your other plate. Both of the bottom sides will be facing outward.

Use your stapler and staple along the edge all around your tambourine.

Leave enough room in between your staples to punch a hole. We put one hole between all the staples.

Cut small pieces of ribbon and tie them in each hole. We used curly ribbon from our gift wrapping supplies and found it worked really well.

Now it’s time to play with your paper plate tambourine.

Shake it.

Rattle it.

Drum it.

Or, hide behind it.

It also works quite well if you hold it under your chin and beat it like a drum!

What was your favorite craft you made as a kid?

Make your own musical instrument with this fun classic kids craft, Paper Plate Tambourine. It's fun for preschoolers to make and play their own instrument.

You may also enjoy one of these fun classic crafts for kids:

Craft Stick Frames

Pom Pom Caterpillar Craft

God’s Eye Craft for Kids

Pet Rocks and Pet Rock Houses at Buggy and Buddy

30 Summer Crafts for Kids at Hands On As We Grow

Make your own musical instrument with this fun classic kids craft, Paper Plate Tambourine. It's fun for preschoolers to make and play their own instrument.

My recommended craft supplies for this paper plate tambourine

You only need a few simple supplies to make these paper plate tambourines. And, the best part, is that you can use these supplies over and over again with other craft projects. Here are some craft supplies I recommend:

Butterfly Paper Plate Wreath Craft

May 3, 2022 By Terri Thompson

B is for balloon, bear, and boat. And also, B is for butterfly.

We’re going to have fun with the letter B and also with butterflies with this fun craft, a Butterfly Paper Plate Wreath.

With this craft, we’ll combine a couple of different classic crafts to form one pretty wreath. It’s so much fun to make!

Let’s get started.

Create a pretty butterfly paper plate wreath with simple supplies. This is perfect for a preschool springtime unit or letter B unit.

Disclosure: CraftProjectIdeas.com provided some of the supplies we used in this project (fuzzy craft sticks and watercolors). All ideas are our own. There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Supplies Needed

Paper plate
Light blue craft paint
Scissors
1 coffee filter for each butterfly
Watercolors (We love this set from CraftProjectIdeas.com for its bright, vibrant colors.)
1 fuzzy craft stick (pipe cleaner) for each butterfly
Stapler (or tape)

How to make your Butterfly Paper Plate Wreath

Before beginning, cut out the middle of your paper plate. Depending on the age of your child, this part may best be done by an adult. Save the middle for a future craft project.

Use your light blue craft paint to paint your paper plate wreath. If you don’t want blue, use whatever color you want. We used blue to mimic the color of the sky.

While you are waiting for your wreath to dry, flatten your coffee filters. Use watercolors to paint a design on each coffee filter.

Paint a bulls-eye design (like we did above), splotches, stripes, squiggles, a solid color, or any design you desire. Get creative. Have fun!

Paint as many coffee filters as you want butterflies. We used two coffee filters per wreath, so that we could have two butterflies on our wreath.

Let your coffee filters dry completely.

Once your coffee filters are dry, it’s time to turn them into butterflies.

Take a fuzzy craft stick and bend it in half.

Gather your coffee filter in the middle and spread out the two sides (your wings).

Slip the middle of your coffee filter into your bent craft stick. Twist your craft stick both above and below your coffee filter to hold your butterfly’s shape.

Bend the two ends of your craft sticks a little so that they look like antenna.

Finally, it’s time to attach your butterflies to your wreath.

I found it easiest to use a stapler. All it took was one staple next to the craft stick to hold the butterfly in place. You could also use tape to attach your butterflies. Unfortunately, glue does not work well in this situation.

Once your butterflies are attached, your B is for Butterfly Wreath is ready to be hung up! Such a pretty kid-made decoration!

Create a pretty paper plate butterfly wreath with simple supplies. This is perfect for a preschool springtime unit or letter B unit.

You may also like one of these paper plate crafts:

A is for Apple Paper Plate Wreath

Paper Plate Tambourine Kids Craft

Phases of the Moon Mobile

Beach Themed Paper Plate Wreath at Rainy Day Mum

Create a pretty butterfly paper plate wreath with simple supplies. This is perfect for a preschool springtime unit or letter B unit.

My recommended craft supplies

This butterfly wreath is easy to make with a few craft supplies. Many of these you probably already have on hand. If not, keep a few in the craft cabinet so you can do more crafts with your kids.

Beautiful Daffodil Crafts for Kids

April 27, 2022 By Terri Thompson

I always feel so hopeful when I first see signs of spring flowers. Don’t you?

It won’t be long until all those colorful spring flowers bloom.

Even if you still have awhile before the flowers bloom, these daffodil crafts will brighten up your home.

Celebrate spring with these beautiful daffodil crafts for kids. These spring flower crafts are so simple and so much fun to create.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Daffodil crafts for kids

You’ll find a wide variety of daffodil crafts in this list below.

There are ideas for kids of all ages. You can make a fun 3-D crafts, or a beautiful card to send to a friends.

Whether you use a paper plate or some recycled materials, let’s grab our supplies and get started creating.

Daffodil Crafts for Kids

Your kids will love to welcome spring with these beautiful daffodil crafts.

Beautiful daffodil pinwheels :: St David's Day craft

Photo Credit: nurturestore.co.uk

Have fun playing with this beautiful daffodil pinwheel that you make yourself.

Paper Plate Daffodils

Photo Credit: www.herecomethegirlsblog.com

Turn paper plates into a bouquet of daffodils.

Potato Stamped 3D Daffodil Craft

Photo Credit: www.iheartartsncrafts.com

Use potato stamps to create this pretty daffodil craft.

3d Pop Up Daffodil Card - Red Ted Art's Blog

Photo Credit: www.redtedart.com

Make a pop-up daffodil card to send you to your friends.

Create a Spring Daffodil Picture

Photo Credit: rainydaymum.co.uk

Cut and glue to make a pretty daffodil picture.

Pop Up Daffodils

Photo Credit: kidscraftroom.com

Turn paper plates and cupcake liners into gorgeous pop-up daffodils.

Daffodil Thumb Print Salt Dough Keepsake

Photo Credit: www.learningandexploringthroughplay.com

Make pretty salt dough daffodil keepsakes.

Spring Art Project for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Photo Credit: rainydaymum.co.uk

Paint pretty daffodils with this simple art invitation.

DIY Daffodil Clay Pots or Candle Holders 14

Photo Credit: www.muminthemadhouse.com

Create a gorgeous clay daffodil candle holder.

Spring Daffodil Craft

Photo Credit: clareslittletots.co.uk

Make this beautiful 3-D daffodil craft.

Cupcake Liner Daffodil Art

Photo Credit: kidsactivitiesblog.com

Turn cupcake holders into a simple daffodil craft.

Spring crafts :: beautiful daffodil bunting

Photo Credit: nurturestore.co.uk

Decorate with a beautiful daffodil bunting you made yourself.

You may also like one of these crafts for kids:

Beautiful Spring Art Projects for Kids

Butterfly Paper Plate Wreath

Rain and Raindrop Crafts for Kids

Awesome Sun Crafts for Kids

Wind Chime Crafts for Kids

Celebrate spring with these beautiful daffodil crafts for kids. These spring flower crafts are so simple and so much fun to create.

Enjoy a spring book while you create

Combine one of these beautiful daffodil crafts with a book for a wonderful family activity time. Here are a few books you may like:

Panda Reading Pointer Craft

April 25, 2022 By Terri Thompson

A reading pointer is a great tool for beginning readers. It helps them track the words on a page and trains the eyes to follow along.

You can grab any sort of reading pointer, but if you’ve got a kid that loves animals, they’re going to definitely love this fun panda reading pointer.

Use a craft stick to make this simple panda reading pointer for kids. It's a fun tool for beginning readers and animal lovers!

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Also, CraftProjectIdeas.com sent me some of the supplies used on this project. All ideas are my own.

Supplies needed for your panda reading pointer

Jumbo craft stick
White craft paint
Black craft paint
Black felt
Glue
Small googly eyes

How to make your panda bear reading pointer

First, paint the entire front and back of your craft stick with white paint. Allow it to dry completely.

While your paint is drying, cut two small circles from your black felt to use as your ears.

Once your white paint is dry, add your details with the black craft paint. Add two ovals for the eyes and a small circles underneath for the nose. Draw your simple mouth details. Finally, add two half circles under your face for your paws. Let all your black paint dry.

If you need something to do while your waiting for paint to dry, read a great book about pandas! Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim is a fun choice. It’s a Chinese American retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

After your paint is dry, glue your felt ears to the back of the top of your craft stick.

Attach your googly eyes on your eye ovals. I found that using self-sticking googly eyes made this step really easy!

Once your glue is dry, your reading pointer is ready to use! Let this cute panda help your child practice reading.

Make this simple panda bear reading pointer for your beginning readers.
Yield: 1 Reading Pointer

Panda Reading Pointer

Panda Reading Pointer

Make this simple panda reading pointer out of a craft stick. It's a great tool for your beginning reader.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Active Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost Under $5 (depending on the supplies you already have on hand)

Materials

  • Jumbo Craft Stick
  • White Craft Paint
  • Black Craft Paint
  • Black Felt
  • Small Googly Eyes

Tools

  • Glue
  • Scissors
  • Paint Brush

Instructions

  1. Paint your entire craft stick with the white paint. Let dry.
  2. While your paint dries, cut two small circles out of your black felt for your panda's ears.
  3. Once the paint is dry, add details with your black paint. Add two ovals for your eyes and a small circle for the nose. Add a simple mouth and two half circles for your paws. Let dry.
  4. Once your black paint is dry. Glue your two ears to the back of the craft stick at the top.
  5. Add your two small eyes to the black ovals.

Notes

If you don't have any black felt you can use craft foam or black card stock instead.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint Set, 18 Piece (2-Ounce), PROMOABI Assorted Colors I
    Apple Barrel Acrylic Paint Set, 18 Piece (2-Ounce), PROMOABI Assorted Colors I
  • Creativity Street Peel and Stick Wiggle Eyes Multi-Pack, 60 -Piece Pack (AC3437-02)
    Creativity Street Peel and Stick Wiggle Eyes Multi-Pack, 60 -Piece Pack (AC3437-02)
  • Darice Jumbo Wood Craft Sticks – Natural Color – Perfect for Craft Projects – Sturdy Wood Sticks Used for Kids Projects, Classrooms, Home, Garden and More – 5 3/4” Long, 80 Per Pack
    Darice Jumbo Wood Craft Sticks – Natural Color – Perfect for Craft Projects – Sturdy Wood Sticks Used for Kids Projects, Classrooms, Home, Garden and More – 5 3/4” Long, 80 Per Pack
© Terri Thompson
Project Type: reading pointer / Category: Crafts

You may also like one of these animal crafts

Cardboard Tube Panda Craft

Arctic Fox Camouflage Craft

Panda Mini Notebook Craft

The Cutest Panda Crafts for Kids

Panda Corner Bookmark at Red Ted Art

Use a craft stick to make this simple panda reading pointer for kids. It's a fun tool for beginning readers and animal lovers!

Use your panda bear reading pointer with one of these great books:

It would be so much fun to use your new reading pointer with a great book about pandas.

For nonfiction, try National Geographic Readers – Level 2: Pandas by Anne Schreiber.

Or, if you’re up to chapter books, try Magic Treehouse: A Perfect Time for Pandas by Mary Pope Osborne.

Here are some other books you may like:

Fun Weather Crafts for Toddlers

April 20, 2022 By Terri Thompson

Do you like to craft with your toddler? They’ll have so much fun with all of these awesome weather crafts for toddlers that I found!

I’ve got ideas for snow, rain, clouds, and sunshine that are simple enough that your toddler can do. But, they’ll also be fun for older kids, which makes these crafts perfect for siblings to do together.

Let’s grab some supplies and get ready for a fun craft project with your toddler!

Your little ones will love making all of these great weather crafts for toddlers. You'll find fun ideas for clouds, rain, sunshine, and snow.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Grab a fun book to go along with one of these fun crafts. This makes for a delightful activity time together with your kids.

For example: Read Little Cloud by Eric Carle along with the Cotton Ball Painted Cloud project.

Weather Crafts for Toddlers

Weather Crafts for Toddlers

You'll enjoy all these toddler weather crafts that celebrate rainy days, clouds, and sunshine. They're all easy enough for toddlers to enjoy, open-ended, fun, and creative. These crafts are a perfect way to spend some quality time with your kids.

Making Umbrellas

Brighten a rainy day with this simple paper plate umbrella craft. It's open-ended, fun, and makes a pretty window decoration.

Making Clouds

Let your toddler paint these simple clouds with a cotton ball. It's easy and so much fun!

Cloud Mobile

Photo Credit: craftulate.com

Your toddler will have great fun gluing cotton balls to make this simple cloud mobile. It's a fun craft that they'll be proud to display.

Squish Painted Sun Craft

Photo Credit: www.123homeschool4me.com

Celebrate sunshine with this fun mess-free painting craft. It's beautiful, easy, and fun!

Q-tip Painted Snowflake Crafts

Photo Credit: www.notimeforflashcards.com

Paint with Q-Tips to make this simple snowflake craft. This is great craft for fine motor skills.

Bubble Wrap Rain Craft

Photo Credit: www.123homeschool4me.com

Save a bit of bubble wrap so your kids can great this fun printed rainy scene. Prep the umbrellas ahead of time (or use a sticker) to make this craft go smoothly.

Rain Cloud Gravity Painting for Kids -

Photo Credit: alittlepinchofperfect.com

Let gravity do the work to create this fun rain cloud craft. Your kids will be amazed and love their finished product.

Puffy Paint Clouds

Photo Credit: www.notimeforflashcards.com

Try this simple puffy paint clouds craft. It's a completely open-ended and easy craft. Your little one will definitely want to create more than one cloud!

Super Easy Snowball Painting

Photo Credit: brilliantlittleideas.com

Create a snowy day with this simple printmaking craft. It's so much fun to paint with a puff ball! (Psst... this is another craft that is great for fine motor skills.)

Tissue Paper Rainbow Craft for Kids

Photo Credit: whereimaginationgrows.com

Decorate your window with this simple rainbow craft. It's colorful, fun, and looks absolutely beautiful!

So, what do you think? Don’t these ideas look like fun?

Choose a few ideas and plan some fun activity time with your toddlers. They’ll love the chance to create and will have a project that they’re proud of.

Which of these weather crafts for toddlers is your favorite?

How to do crafts with toddlers

If you want to have a great time doing crafts with your toddler, there’s one important thing you need to do. You need to let go of all your expectations.

Your toddler has a mind of their own, so their project may look nothing like your plan. And, you know what, that’s ok! The important thing is that they have fun and you have fun with them. (And, you won’t have fun if you worry about the outcome!)

These toddler weather crafts are all appropriate for 2-3 year olds, but that doesn’t mean your finished product will look like the picture. Introduce the activity, show them how to use the supplies and let them have fun.

For example, with the Paper Plate Umbrella craft, you can cut the paper plates ahead of time and cut out the handle. But, let your toddler do what they want when they decorate their paper plate. They may smear, finger paint, use a small amount of paint, or mix all the paint colors together! Let them own the project and do what they want. They’ll have tons of fun and so will you!

You may also like one of these toddler activities:

Simple and Fun Shape Crafts for Toddlers

Cork Print Tree Craft for Toddlers

Leaf Shape Collage for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Sponge Paint Process Art at Busy Toddler

Combine this activity with a fun weather book

I always love to combine a book with an activity. And, luckily there are some awesome weather books to go along with a fun weather craft. Here are a few that I like:

Maisy’s Wonderful Weather Book by Lucy Cousins

Biscuit’s Snowy Day by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Let it Rain by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Or you can try any of the other choices below. These books are perfect to go along with any of these crafts.

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