This Paper Plate Watermelon Craft is a fun craft to enjoy on a hot summer day. Toddlers and preschoolers will love making these juicy watermelons while learning about the letter W, healthy eating, or a Summer themed unit.
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More Paper Plate Crafts for Summer
Paper plate painting is one of my most popular kids art ideas. The kids love turning these basic circles into any number of amazing paper plate crafts. Here are some more Summer play ideas to try with your pack of paper plates.
- Paper Plate Starfish Craft
- Paper Plate Fish Craft
- Paper Plate Sun Craft
- Paper Plate Turtle Craft
- Paper Plate Jellyfish Craft
- Rocking Paper Plate Crabs
- …
For more ideas, visit 40 Paper Plate Summer Crafts for Kids.
Materials Needed
- Paper plates
- Green paint
- Red paint
- White school glue
- Black beans
- Paint brushes
How to Make a Watermelon Paper Plate Craft
Step 1. Mix some liquid glue in with the red paint.
This is optional, but I like mixing the two together because this is a great way for little learners to cut out a step. They don’t have to wait for the paint to dry before sticking the watermelon seeds onto the paper plate.
It also means less cleaning up for you to do when the activity is over.
2. Paint the outside of the paper plate with green paint.
You can make the green rind of the watermelon in any number of ways. I used green tempera paint because it was the most simple method for me to choose that day.
However, you can also use green paper, like tissue paper to glue along the outer edges of the paper plate.
This is a great opportunity for kids of all ages to create in different ways. For example, older children might like to include a strip of lighter green on the inside, along with a little bit of white space or white paint on the innermost ring. This will look like the gradient that you see in a real watermelon.
3. Paint the center of the plate with the red paint/glue mix
The red paint will represent the flesh of the watermelon, and can fill the entire inside of your adorable paper plate watermelon craft.
Younger children will have so much fun doing a bit of color mixing while they paint. Mixing red and green together does make brown, and will affect how the final watermelon looks. But remember not to stop the children from doing it. It’s more important for them to explore and have fun than it is to have a perfect watermelon.
4. Spread a number of seeds over the middle of the watermelon.
Picking up and placing the black seeds is wonderful for fine motor skills. The pincer motion required for picking up small objects is an easy way for toddlers to develop hand strength
I used dried black beans, because that’s what I had on hand. But feel free to add your own twist to this part of the craft.
You can also make the watermelon seeds out of coffee beans, black paper, black paint or even just a black marker. Use what you already have in your craft supplies.
5. Let it dry
Get over 80+ pages of Summer themed play based learning activities and craft templates. Perfect for preschool and kindergarten.
Are you going to make this Paper Plate Watermelon Craft with your kids?
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