Paper Plate Snake: A Fun Craft for Kids

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When homeschooling my children, we delved into the wonders of the rainforest and jungle. Naturally, making a rainforest animal craft became an exciting project. The paper plate snake was an easy idea that appealed to both my kids, despite their age difference.

Paper plate snakes are a classic craft with various interpretations. Whether it’s using toilet rolls or other materials, they offer a fantastic opportunity for children to practice their scissor skills while having fun. In this version, we used pom poms for a simple painting technique that not only brought joy but also supported their fine motor skills.

A Simple and Accessible Craft

I am a massive advocate for paper plate crafts because they are easy and versatile. Most people already have paper plates at home, either leftover from parties or stored with their craft supplies. Additionally, supermarkets stock them inexpensively, making it convenient to pick them up alongside your regular groceries. No need to wait for expensive online deliveries!

Crafting with my kids always starts with a basic idea, which is the tutorial I’ll be sharing here. However, kids being kids, they always add their creative twist to the project. As a result, I’ve included pictures of their finished crafts, showcasing their unique adaptations. We had an absolute blast with this activity!

Craft Supplies

To make your own paper plate snake, you’ll need:

Paper plate
Scissors
Pom poms
Paint
Plate or tray
Red and white cardstock
Black marker
Glue or double-sided tape
Optional: string and tape

Creating Your Snake

Both my six-year-old and nine-year-old followed the instructions below to make their paper plate snakes. They made a few alterations to make their crafts unique.

Start by using scissors to cut a spiral shape into your paper plate. You can choose to have a thick or thin gap between each part of the spiral. Ensure you leave enough space to create the snake’s head in the middle. We made ours a few centimeters wide to allow the snakes to “drop” when held up without unravelling too much.
Pour some paint onto a plate or tray. Dab a pom pom into the paint and then onto your paper plate, coloring it in. If your child doesn’t like getting their hands messy, a clothes peg can hold the pom pom instead.
Feel free to experiment with colors. Initially, I started making a more traditionally painted snake craft using bronze and green paint. However, I preferred the vibrant colors my kids used, so I changed mine to match theirs, incorporating purple, blue, and red.
My daughter decided to make a “kitty-unicorn snake” with its unicorn horn and cat ears. I adore the rainbow horn she added!

Once your snake craft is dry, it’s time to add some features. For my craft, I cut the snake’s tongue out of red cardstock and made the eyes using white cardstock. I drew pupils with a black marker. If you have googly eyes at home, those would work too!
My son wanted his snake to have fangs, so we grabbed some cardstock (leftover from the paper plate) and cut out the shapes needed, leaving a fold at the bottom. We attached them to the paper plate using small pieces of double-sided sellotape. He also positioned the snake’s tongue underneath its head, adding an extra challenge compared to the easier version I used.

More Paper Plate Animal Crafts

If you enjoyed making the paper plate snake, we have other fantastic paper plate craft ideas that you and your kids will love:

Make a charming paper plate bee using torn paper and old newspaper.
Create a delightful paper plate ladybird, perfect for accompanying a reading of “What The Ladybird Heard” or simply as a cute animal craft.
Reuse your pom poms to craft an adorable paper plate cow.