Easy Paper Plate Donut Craft for Kids

This sweet treat is totally yours to design. For your donut craft, choose the colors and the toppings as you create your very own pastry masterpiece. It all starts with a paper plate. Just a heads up that even without the paint, this craft does get a little messy. So, be sure to use that newspaper on your crafting surface. I personally think that messy crafts are the best!

If you enjoy making this doughnut craft, you’re also going to love create these cupcake crafts, this taco craft and this Swedish fish craft. Make them all and have a pretend feast or party.

Save this paper plate craft for later. Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board…

Grab 100 Craft Flashcard Sets for Under $20!!!

Fun Facts About Doughnuts

• The first donuts were made in the early 1800s. They were called “oily cakes” because they were deep-fried and covered in oil.
• The inventory of the modern day donut in its tube form was a sailor named Hanson Gregory.
• Krispy Kreme was a regional donut corporation before becoming a nationwide sensation.
• A study we conducted showed that more than 80% of people surveyed ate donuts regularly, and more than half eat them at least once per week. 

For more interesting facts about donuts, check out this article from Mental Floss.

All activities require adult supervision. By using this site, you are agreeing to our terms of use. This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Check Out Our Favorite Donut Themed Books

The only thing better than making crafts is combining creating with reading a good book on the same topic. It’s a great way to also encourage a love of reading.

How to make a Doughnut Craft

The special part about this donut is that the glue “frosting” is so fun to apply and easy to add “sprinkles” to afterward. Yes, it can get a little messy…but isn’t that what makes it fun too?

SUPPLIES FROM THE BAG

• Paper plate (9-inch coated)
• Scissors
• Newspaper
• Large pompom
• Paints
• Elmer’s glue
• Pipe cleaners (or beads)

To make crafting with your kids actually do-able and fun (like it should be), we always stick to a list of basic supplies that fit into one bag for all of the crafts that you see on this site. We never stray from the master list so that once you fill your bag, you’re ready to craft along over and over again, even when time and money is tight. Now let’s craft some memories!

Check Out the Video Tutorial for this Simple Doughnut Craft

Step-by-step Instructions:

Step 1: Cut the Doughnut Shape

• Fold your plate in half gently and snip the center.
• Then cut a hole in the center of your donut. Be sure not to make it too large.
• Optional: Cut off the small ruffle edge all around the outside of your paper plate.

Step 2: Paint Your Donut

• Spread out some newspaper on your crafting surface.
• Place the paper plate bottom side up on top.
• Use your large pompom as a paint brush to apply light brown or tan paint to your donut.

Step 3: Add the Frosting

• Grab a bottle of Elmer’s glue that is about half full.
• Unscrew the top of the glue and squeeze in a bit of paint in the color of your choice to create the donut’s “frosting”.
• Shake up the bottle or use a popsicle stick to thoroughly combine the paint and glue.
• Now use your colored glue to make an outline of the frosting on your donut.
• Fill in that outline.

Step 4: Give It Some Sprinkles

• Before the paint dries, add some “sprinkles”. This can be cut up pieces of pipe cleaner, tiny pompoms, snips of construction paper or beads. *I did find that if you’re using something that is absorbent, it will soak up a bit of the paint color so that it’s not quite as vibrant as you might like. The beads were the best choice.
• Now it’s just about waiting for the paint and glue to dry on your donut craft. This may take overnight.

Now that you’ve learned how to make this fun doughnut craft, make a dozen! Change up the “flavors” and the toppings. Just have fun with it. You can even clip the finished donuts to a string and hang it up for a decoration.

What if I don’t want the mess of paint?

You can do this craft without painting the donut first. Instead of paint, just use crayons or markers to color the plate tan. You will still need a bit of paint to color the glue. If you want to skip the glue step also, just construction paper to cut out the frosting and glue it in place with your glue stick.

Here are even more Food Crafts to make

Paper Plate Cookie Craft

Gummy Bear Craft

Pizza Craft Pouch

Share With Us

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 email it to us directly by clicking here or use #inthebagkidscrafts on your social media!