Paper Plate Shark Craft for Kids
This paper plate shark craft is a fin-tastic ocean activity for kids! With a paper plate, some paint, and a few cardstock pieces, your little ones can make a shark that looks more friendly than fierce, complete with a wiggle eye, a pink cheek, and white paint pen teeth.
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Materials for This Paper Plate Shark Craft
Print-ready templates and step-by-step instructions.
Less prep, more crafting.
How to Make a Paper Plate Shark Craft
Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
Round up everything from the list above before you sit down, it saves a trip mid-project.
Step 2: Cut the Body
Print the shark patterns, trace the body shape onto the plate, and cut it out.
Step 3: Paint the Belly
Trace the belly section onto the bottom of the body and paint it light gray. Let it dry.
Step 4: Paint the Rest of the Body
Paint the rest of the body and fins section gray-blue and let it dry. Painting the belly and body as two separate sections is what gives this shark its realistic two-tone look, so don't skip doing them separately.
Step 5: Cut the Fins and Mouth
Trace and cut a dorsal fin, a smaller second dorsal fin, a tail fin, and a pectoral fin from the gray-blue section, and a mouth shape from black cardstock.
Step 6: Add the Teeth
Draw a row of teeth along the top and bottom of the mouth and fill them in with the white paint pen.
Step 7: Attach the Fins
Glue the tail fin to the base of the body, the dorsal fins to the top, and the pectoral fin to the side.
Step 8: Attach the Mouth
Attach the mouth using the reference photo for placement.
Step 9: Add the Eye
Add the wiggle eye just above the mouth.
Step 10: Stamp On a Cheek
Dab pink paint onto the sponge and stamp a cheek under the eye, then let dry.
Step 11: Add the Final Details
Finish with a black marker: two oval nostrils on the snout and three half-circle gills along the body.
All done!
Your friendly paper plate shark is ready to swim!
We'd love to see yours! Snap a photo and share it in the comments.
Grab the Printable
Skip the prep and grab the print-ready templates for this craft from my shop.
Mix and match to save 35%. Add any 10 items to your cart and get 35% off your whole order. Ready-made sets count as one item.
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Please Share This Paper Plate Shark Craft
A shark that reads friendly instead of fierce is worth sharing, pass it along to a friend planning an ocean unit.
