Need a simple and fun summer craft for the kids to do during break? This paper plate sun craft is super easy, cute, and great for young kids of all ages.

It fits perfectly into a science lesson plan focused on the summer season, weather units, or the solar system.

You may not know, but we love paper plate crafts for kids and this one is no different! It’s also a great way to blend art into learning for your little learners.

sun craft image collage with the words paper plate sun craft

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Easy Sun Craft

Kids as young as toddlers can help make their own cute little sun!

It’s perfect for preschool and kindergarten children to help them work on fine motor skills, creativity, and scissor skills.

Read our directions below or watch our quick step-by-step video tutorial to see just how amazingly simple this craft really is!

Supplies

Paper plates
Yellow paint
Orange card stock
Scissors
Glue stick
Pencil
Sun face template (click the “click here to get your freebies” image at the end of the post)

Click here to see our favorite kids’ craft supplies.

Directions

Start by downloading and printing the template. Once the template is printed, gather the materials for this fun activity. Get those scissors ready, and let’s help the kids bring this sun face to life!

Begin by taking the paper plate and paint 2-3 thin coats of yellow paint all over it. Let it dry completely before you move on to the next step.

If you need to rush, don’t forget you can also use a hairdryer to speed up the process (we do this all the time when we’re short on time).

Click here to see why I recommend these craft supplies

Glue the sun’s face to the middle of the paper plate.

Finish off by flipping the paper plate over and draw on sun points all over the back with the pencil. Cut out along the outlines you made to create your adorable sun!

hands tracing points on back of paper plate sun

Wasn’t that such an easy summertime craft for kids?

Easy Jellyfish Painting

Summer Book Ideas For Kids

How To Catch A Mermaid is the summer version of the classic “How To Catch” series! It’s perfect for mermaid fans and summer lovers alike!

Gorilla Loves Vanilla is all about, you guessed it – ice cream! This silly book will have kids laughing and asking for you to read it again and again.

Goodnight Pirate is a fun bedtime book to read to kids all summer long! They’ll love the illustrations, story, and rhyming words.

two paper plate sun crafts on marble background

Fun Crafts For The Summer

Try out some more summer crafts to keep your kids engaged, off the screens, and having fun! Below are some of our favorites:

Related: Summer Cutting Activity Pages

Paper Plate Fish Craft – This fish craft is perfect for a fun ocean themed activity with the kids.

They’re simple enough that even the littlest ones can join in on the crafting fun, and they’ll love seeing their handiwork come to life as adorable little fish. So grab some plates and get started!

Mermaid Paper Craft – Bring the magic of the ocean to your home with this easy mermaid craft. This activity is perfect for kids and will keep them entertained.

A collage of ocean-themed children's crafts featuring colorful paper fish, smiling mermaids, pirates made from handprint cutouts, and cheerful jellyfish with paper chain tentacles. Each craft is brightly colored and made from cut and assembled paper shapes.

Handprint Pirate Craft – Arrr ye ready for some pirate fun? This easy handprint craft is perfect for kids of all ages. Just follow the simple steps and you’ll have a jolly good time making your very own pirate!

Paper Chain Octopus Craft: This craft is perfect for any kid who loves the ocean! Not only will it get their creative juices flowing, but it’ll also help improve fine motor skills as they put the paper chains together.

Once they’re done, your little one can show off their tentacled friend by displaying it proudly!

Summer Themed Activities

Our The Snail and The Whale Worksheets will be a hit with any little bookworms! Based on the beloved children’s book, your kids can join the two unlikely pals on a fun educational journey.

From line tracing to pattern making, each puzzle in this set of worksheets is designed to help your kids learn and grow.

Try this Clownfish Craft

Download and print these summer color by number printables for a splash of fun. These cute and vibrant summer images are a great way to practice counting, number recognition, and more.

Your little ones will love filling in the spaces with colors as they create a beach-y masterpiece!

A collage of ocean and summer-themed preschool worksheets including a humpback whale labeling activity, several color-by-number sheets featuring a fish, watermelon, sandcastle, and popsicles, and alphabet dot marker pages for the letters S, B, P, and C with related images.

For when it’s a little too hot outside, grab these summer do a dot printables for your kids.

They’ll love using dot markers to complete the coloring pages, and the letter recognition printables will have them practicing their ABCs! Learning doesn’t have to be boring with these summer do a dot printables!

These summer connect the dots worksheets will surely be a hit with your kids. With each page featuring playful summer images, this activity will help them learn about shapes, counting, and problem-solving.

Once your little ones are done connecting the dots, they can unleash their creativity and color the page!

Mermaid Handprint Craft

Did you make this activity with your kids or students? We’d love to feature them on our social media!

For a chance to have your child’s project featured, simply snap a picture of the completed project and post it to our Facebook page, email it to us directly by clicking here, or use #simpleeverydaymom on your social media!

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