School of Fish DIY Banner Craft

Banners are such a great way to brighten up any space. We have several in our home. If you don’t already have a space in your home that is creative friendly or a nook where your kiddos do their homework, this would be a great time to make that space and spruce it up with this DIY banner craft! This would not only make a great school banner but could also be fun as a party decoration. The possibilities are endless.

Even better, it’s made with just a few paper plates and a short list of other supplies that come from the master list used for EVERY project at inthebagkidscrafts.com. We do this to make it so much easier to craft memories with your family. Take the step of prepping your bag, filling it with the 29 inexpensive items from our list (many of which you already have in your home), and you will be ready to craft and craft and craft with no additional prep and easy clean up.

And if you really want to go all out with your creative space, why not go all out? Here are some links to make it the best little nook in the house! There is one item on this list that I think every home NEEDS! Find out more…

Make the Perfect Creative Nook Resources

SUPPLIES FROM THE BAG

• 6+ Paper plates (9-inch coated)
• Newspaper
• 2 Medium pompoms
• Clothespin
• 2 Colors of paint (of your choice-I chose orange and aqua)
• 2 Colors of washi tape (coordinating with the paint colors you chose)
• Hole punch
• Scissors
• Scotch tape
• Large googly eyes
• White yarn
• Glue stick
• Metal brads

Ages: Preschool on Up (Toddlers can do the painting with assistance for other aspects of the project)

Time Frame: approximately 25 minutes

Step 1: Cut the Shape

• Make 2 cuts on one of your paper plates about 3-4 inches apart, angled slightly toward each other. This will make the tail of your fish.
• Then fold down the parts of the plate on each side of the cuts your have made, as pictured below.

• Trim away the parts of the plate that you have folded down and place them to the side. (You will need these later)
• Smooth the edges, slightly rounding the corners with your scissors.
• Repeat this process until you have as many fish as you want in your banner. My banner had six fish in all.

Step 2: Paint the Fish

• Place one of the fish on the newspaper and squeeze out a little paint
• Pinch the pompom with the clothespin to form a “paint brush”
• Paint your first fish on the bottom matte side of the plate and set it aside to dry.
• Now choose another color of paint and repeat this for the remaining cut out fish.
• *Tip: Move the fish on the newspaper a couple of times so that it does not stick to the paper as it is drying.

Step 3: Decorate

• While the paint is drying, let’s make the fins for your fish.
• Choose one of the scraps of paper plate that you previously set aside and round off the sharp corner (but not the point). This will be your fish’s fin.
• *You will notice that you will need to choose the right scraps for the direction that your fish will be swimming. Fish of the same color will swim in the same direction, while the one that is a different color will swim in the opposite direction.
• Cover the outside of paper plate scrap with the coordinating washi tape.
• Once it is entirely covered, trim away the excess tape around the edges.

• Attach the fin with a couple of tape rolls. (The glue just does not make it stick because of the curves in the plate)
• Last, once the paint has dried, add a large googly eye, affixing it with your glue stick.

Step 4: Put It Together

• Now that the the fish are complete, use the hole punch to put a hole in the front and back
• To make your fish banner, connect the fish by placing brads through the holes until your banner is as long as you want it. (Mine is 6 fish long.)
• On each end of the banner, lace a piece of yarn through the holes to give you something to hang your banner with.

Optional Step 5: Add a Quote

As a special finishing touch, use a sharpie marker and print a quote for your DIY banner, one word per fish. Or you can print, cut and glue the quote onto the decorative banner. One example might be “Swim against the stream” or “Be uniquely You!”. This would make a great school banner or decorative banner for your creative nook.

Save this DIY Banner Idea for later! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board…

This banner makes me happy every time I look at it over the fireplace in my office. It is a colorful banner. And I know that after you make it you will love how this banner decorates your little part of the world too! Now, go make your decorative banner and share it with the world.

Happy Crafting!