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Today we’re showing you how to make a paper plate dream catcher – such a fun and easy craft for all ages. We’ve made these before back when my girls were pre schoolers to help bring them good dreams at night, but this week I decided to revisit the craft and create a new tutorial.
This time around I’ve changed it a little and included a free printable template of the feathers and paper web to make this craft super easy for you to set up and make at home. There’s also a new video.
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Dream catchers are super popular in the crafting community and you can create all sorts of versions of them – we’ve even made them from gum leaves and recycled plastic in the past. Their whimsical look and sweet name make them popular decorations for homes and kids’ bedrooms.
Traditionally though, they were a craft of the Native American people. You can read more about the spiritual origin and meaning of dreamcatchers here.
This paper plate version has been simplified for kids to make. They will love hanging them on their bedroom wall to catch the bad dreams in the paper web and and filter through the good ones. Snipping out the shapes and gluing them on is great fine motor practice too, they really are very easy to make.
How to make a paper plate dream catcher
You will need
- Paper plates
- Acrylic or poster paint
- Construction paper
- Yarn
- Glue stick
- Optional beads
- Optional plastic gem stickers to decorate
- Scissors
- Paintbrush
- Hole punch
How to
Fold your paper plate in half and cut the inner circle out to make your paper plate dream catcher frame.
Lay it over a sheet of newspaper or non stick paper and paint it to decorate.
Print the paper web and feathers out directly onto coloured construction paper. Alternatively you could use white paper and hand colour the feathers if you like. Cut out the strips (you won’t need all of them for a single dreamcatcher, one sheet of printed strips will make 2-3 dream catchers).
To make the paper feathers, fold along the dotted line and cut out the black line shapes. It’s recommended to score the fold lines first, but not essential. Once you’ve cut the feather out you can cut a couple of random V’s in the edge to give it a more authentic feather look.
Glue the strips into place by placing glue all around the inner ring and laying the strips over it. Kids could create a pattern with them if they like but I’ve glued them on in a hap-hazard sort of way with no pattern.
Punch four holes across the bottom of the paper plate, trying to keep them evenly spaced.
Tie yarn tails and thread a few beads onto the end.
Punch a hole in the paper feather and thread the yarn through to tie the feathers on. I’ve threaded the yarn through and then wrapped it around the feather stem once to keep the feather hanging straight.
Add a few plastic gem stickers, and punch another hole in the top. Thread sting through for hanging.
That’s all there is to it! If you wish to hang your dreamcatcher from the middle of the room, you could decorate a second paper plate on the inverse side. Glue this over the top of the paper strips to hide the messy back. If you’re hanging it on the wall, no need to bother.
Simple and easy!
Simple paper plate dream catcher craft for kids
Materials
- Paper plates
- Acrylic or poster paint
- Construction paper
- Yarn
- Glue stick
- Optional beads
- Optional plastic gem stickers to decorate
- The free printable template
Tools
- Scissors
- Paintbrush
- Hole punch
Instructions
- Fold your paper plate in half and cut the inner circle out to make your paper plate dream catcher frame.
- Lay it over a sheet of newspaper or non stick paper and paint it to decorate.
- Print the paper web and feathers out directly onto coloured construction paper. Alternatively you could use white paper and hand colour the feathers if you like.
- Cut out the paper strips (you won’t need all of them for a single dreamcatcher, one sheet of printed strips will make 2-3 dream catchers).
- To make the paper feathers, fold along the dotted line and cut out the black line shapes. It’s recommended to score the fold lines first, but not essential. Once you’ve cut the feather out you can cut a couple of random V’s in the edge to give it a more authentic feather look.
- Glue the strips into place by placing glue all around the inner ring on the back of your plate and laying the strips over it. Kids could create a pattern with them if they like but I’ve glued them on in a hap-hazard sort of way with no pattern.
- Punch four holes across the bottom of the paper plate, trying to keep them evenly spaced.
- Tie yarn tails and thread a few beads onto the end.
- Punch a hole in the paper feather and thread the yarn through to tie the feathers on. I’ve threaded the yarn through and then wrapped it around the feather stem once to keep the feather hanging straight.
- Add a few plastic gem stickers, and punch another hole in the top. Thread sting through for hanging.
Notes
If you wish to hang your dreamcatcher from the middle of the room, you could paint a second paper plate on the inverse side. Glue this over the top of the paper strips to hide the messy back. If you’re hanging it against the wall, no need to bother.
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