Make a Ladybug from Paper Plates
A Fun Bug Craft for Kids and Preschoolers
Ladybugs are adorable insects with bold red and black colors, and many cultures consider ladybugs to be lucky. Lucky or not, you can help kids make a cute ladybug craft from construction paper, some basic craft supplies, and a red paper plate.
You can find inexpensive red paper plates in the party section of a dollar store or a party supply store. If you prefer, you trace a regular paper plate on a piece of red construction paper to make a red circle.
Supplies:
- one sheet of black construction paper
- one 9 inch red paper plate
- pencil
- scissors
- paper brad
- markers or crayons
- glue
- plastic google eyes (optional)
- white paper (optional)
- white letter stickers (optional)
Make the Ladybug Body and Face
- Draw a ladybug head and body on a piece of black construction paper, or download a free ladybug craft pattern to print or use as a template. If you draw your own ladybug, the body and head should be connected and big enough to take up most of the sheet of paper.
- Cut out the ladybug head and body along the lines, without cutting the head and body apart.
- Draw a face on the ladybug, or glue scraps of paper or plastic google eyes to the head.
- Glue small scraps of black paper to the top of the ladybug’s head for antennae, if desired.
Make the Ladybug Wings
- Cut the red paper plate (or circle of red construction paper) in half to make the wings.
- Draw black spots on the red wings using a marker or crayons, or cut dots from scraps of black construction paper and glue them to the wings. The dots can be large, small or even heart shaped for a whimsical ladybug.
- Punch a small hole in the top of each half circle, close to the straight edge, using a sharp pencil. Punch a small hole in the center of the lower edge of the ladybug’s head.
- Put a paper brad through the holes in both paper plate wings, then put the brad through the ladybug’s neck. Bend the ends of the paper brad to fasten it in place.
As a finishing touch, you can write a message on the ladybug’s body, such as a friendly hello or a Bible verse for a Sunday school class. To get the message to show, you may need to write it on a small piece of white paper and then glue the white paper to the ladybug, or you can use white letter stickers. This makes the ladybug craft into a great card or gift for a loved one. When the ladybug spreads her wings, the message will be revealed.
