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A fierce yet simple paper plate dragon craft activity that kids of all ages are sure to love any time of year.
There’s never a bad time to create your own paper plate dragon activity. A dragon craft is a super fun thing to do on a rainy day, to celebrate the Chinese New Year, or after watching a fun dragon movie. This craft features a dragon head breathing fire. Kids absolutely love these amazing mythical creatures! Grab the free templates down below and get to crafting.
Materials Needed to Make Your Paper Plate Dragon
Having paper plates, craft paper, and glue on hand at all times is the easiest way to be craft ready! You never know when a fun craft will pique your interest. I always have colorful paper in the craft closet so we can occupy time if we aren’t able to find anything else to do. Besides, crafting with your little ones is so much fun! Grab these simple supplies and create your own fierce dragon. What you will need:
- paper plate, dessert size
- FREE Dragon template
- FREE Eyeball Template
- paint – I used purple and green paints found at Walmart
- Paper – in varying shades of green and purple as well as orange, red, and black
- Glue
- Scissors
- Sharpie marker
I found an Everyday Pack of construction paper at Walmart that is really good to have on hand. The pack is a great price and they work well for crafts. They aren’t as heavy as cardstock which is nice for many of the crafts I do. The paper is also not cheap or miscolored like construction paper can sometimes be.
How Do You Make a Dragon at Home?
Follow these easy step-by-step instructions to complete your dragon’s head. Just cut and paste the template pieces where you want them!
- Print off your template and cut out your pieces in the correct colors. Use the pictures on this post as an example if needed.
- Draw wing lines using a black marker from the point all the way to the edges of the wings. It will look like veins running through the wings. These will be glued to the side of the head.
- The next step is to add ridges and nostrils to the nose with a marker.
- Cut off the top part of your paper plate and round the edges to avoid sharp corners.
- Paint your paper plates green and purple (or any other color you would like).
- Attach all of your pieces using a glue stick or liquid glue and let it dry completely. Attach eyes and the fire coming out of the dragon’s mouth.
For extra fun, add giant googly eyes! This might make your dragon look more silly than fierce, but kids can’t resist googly eyes, and neither can I.
Things To Do With Your Dragon Craft
One super cool thing you can do with this dragon is turn it into a dragon mask. Instead of attaching the template eyes, cut out circles so your child can see through the plate. Glue on a large popsicle stick to the bottom of the paper plate or attach elastic so they can wear it around the house for pretend play. Craft sticks are another fantastic art supply to have on hand at all times. Glue these on using a hot glue gun to make sure it doesn’t fall apart easily.
Create a Chinese dragon puppet by attaching a stick to the bottom of the plate. Kids will be able to use their dragons to tell stories or recreate scenes from movies. It’s a fun Chinese New Year Craft the whole family will enjoy.
These dragon’s head crafts make a stunning tablescape for a dragon-themed party or dragon-themed classroom. Let kids create them at the party or make them ahead of time. They make a great party favor at the end of the day!
Fun Dragon Read Alouds to Pair with Your Paper Plate Dragon
If you’re making a paper plate dragon craft, it only makes sense to read a book about dragons. Here are a few of our favorites and why we love them:
- Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin – This hilarious story is all about taco-loving dragons. But wait, they hate spicy salsa so you have to be careful not to serve that at your taco party! We love watching the story unfold as the dragons realize what they’ve eaten.
- How to Catch a Dragon by Adam Wallace – This fun book takes you on a journey through the Chinese New Year celebrations as kids try to catch a dragon. We love the fun colors and illustrations in this one.
- Not Your Typical Dragon by Dan Bar-el – On his seventh birthday, Crispin the dragon tries to breathe fire, but fire doesn’t come out. Instead, he gets whipped cream! Every time he tries to breathe fire, something silly comes out. This is such a fun story to read with the kids.
I hope this fun project brings a smile to your face as you create your own paper plate dragon craft. It’s a must-have craft for older children and younger children. Let your kids enter the hidden world of dragons with this cool craft.
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