Under the Sea Paper Plate Crafts {get the templates}

These under the sea paper plate crafts are so much fun to make. You can practically imagine that they are swimming in the ocean when the rock back and forth. From the shark craft to the dolphin craft to the narwhal craft, you can add a little bit of personality to each. Print and use the templates for all 7 sea animal crafts in this collection.

Get the entire printable collection of Paper Plate Sea Animal Crafts now.

Here are the sea animals that are included in this collection:

• Killer whale craft
• Dolphin craft
• Seal craft
• Humpback whale craft
• Walrus craft
• Narwhal craft
• Shark craft

SUPPLIES FROM THE BAG

• Paper plate (9-inch coated)
• Paint (gray and white for the humpback)
• Scissors
• Construction paper (gray for the humpback)
• Glue stick
• Markers
• Newspaper
• Pompoms
• Clothespin
• Q-tips
• Whale craft template

Just like every single fun craft on this site, this collection of sea animals only uses supplies that you already have in your craft bag if you have used our master list to stock up. It’s a list of 27 basic supplies that fit into one bag. Once you fill your bag, you are done…no more prep! Just pick a craft the next time your find yourself with a few free moments, and craft some memories together.

---

Each of the paper plate sea animal crafts in this collection go together the same basic way. You will just change up some of the details, like paint and paper color, etc. We will use the humpback whale as an example for the step-by-step instructions.

HUMPBACK WHALE CRAFT INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Cut

• Fold your paper plate in half with the glossy side out.
• Then cut a small crescent shape into the fold. It should be off center, leaving about 2 inches on one side and 3 inches on the other side uncut.

*If you are not sure how much to cut, use the templates as a reference and mark the width of the head and tail on the paper plate before cutting.

Step 2: Paint

• Spread out some newspaper to control the mess
• Then place your paper plate on top of the newspaper and squeeze out some paint (gray for the humpback whale)
• Pinch a pompom with the clothespin to form your “paint brush”
• Paint half of the plate and set it aside to dry while you move on to the next step.

Step 3: Use the Sea Animal Craft Templates

• Print the whale craft template (part of the collection of under the sea animal templates)
• Use the template to cut out the parts of your whale craft in gray construction paper.

*I couldn’t find a gray paint to match my gray paper. So, I also put a light coat of paint on the cut out whale pieces so that they would match the body. This is totally optional and up to you.

Step 4: Put the Whale Craft Together

• Once the paint has dried, glue the head and tail of your whale onto the back of the folded paper plate as pictured.
• Fold a small tab down on the whale’s flipper and glue it in place on the front.

Step 5: Add Some Details

• First, draw some details onto your whale using a black marker. Give him a smile and an eye. I also added some little wrinkles around the eye and mouth.
• Now put your whale back on the newspaper and squeeze out a bit of white paint.
• Use the q-tip to add some details to your whale however you like.

Step 6: Glue

• Once the paint has dried on the details, glue the paper plate closed. This will help your sea animal stand up and rock better.

Step 7: Add Some Support

For the ocean animals that have longer tails and heads, they may not stand up on their own. So, we added this extra step. Not all of the under the sea paper plate crafts will need this step to be completed.

• Cut a long strip from a paper plate, not wider than the part of the animal you will be placing it on.
• Then glue it in place on the back of the tail or head. For the humpback whale, we added paper plate supports for both the head and tail since he is a bigger animal.
• Press firmly and give the glue a minute to set up.

Save these Under the Sea Paper Plate Crafts for later. Pin them to your favorite Pinterest board…

And now that you know how to make these paper plate sea animal crafts, be sure to get all of the templates so that you can make the entire collection. Stock up on those paper plates because you are going to make every single one of these adorable animals…maybe even more than one of each!