Looking for a fun and easy paper plate jellyfish craft to make with your kids or students? This adorable ocean animal craft is a great way to get little hands busy while learning about life under the sea!
I created this paper plate jellyfish craft with a free printable template to make crafting a little easier for parents, homeschool families, and teachers. Using just a paper plate, some paint, and colorful strips of paper, kids can create their very own smiling jellyfish with curly tentacles.
One of my favorite things about this craft is how simple it is to prepare. You don’t need expensive supplies or complicated instructions, and the finished jellyfish makes an adorable decoration for an ocean-themed classroom or learning space.
Whether you’re planning an ocean unit, looking for a summer craft, or just need a creative afternoon activity, this jellyfish craft is a fun choice for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and elementary-aged kids.
Why Kids Will Love This Paper Plate Jellyfish Craft
Paper plate crafts are some of my favorite projects to share because they’re affordable, easy to prepare, and offer so many opportunities for creativity.
This jellyfish craft is especially fun because kids get to paint, cut, glue, and curl colorful paper tentacles to bring their jellyfish to life.
Here are a few reasons I think this craft makes a wonderful addition to your ocean-themed activities:
- Easy to prepare: You only need a few basic craft supplies and the free printable jellyfish template.
- Great for fine motor skills: Cutting, painting, gluing, and curling paper help children practice important hand movements.
- Encourages creativity: Kids can choose different colors for their jellyfish and decorate them however they like.
- Perfect for ocean units: Pair this craft with a jellyfish lesson, ocean animal worksheets, or an under the sea picture book.
- Makes an adorable display: Hang the finished jellyfish on a bulletin board, classroom wall, or bedroom door.
I especially like crafts that give children an opportunity to be creative while practicing skills they’re already learning. This project does both without requiring a lot of preparation.
What’s Included in the Free Paper Plate Jellyfish Craft Template?
I’ve included a simple printable template to help make this jellyfish craft easy to assemble.
The printable includes:
- Jellyfish eyes: Two large eyes to give your jellyfish an adorable expression.
- Pink cheeks: Two colorful cheeks to add a little personality.
- Tentacle strips: A printable cutting guide for creating the jellyfish’s long, colorful tentacles.
- Step-by-step instructions: Easy directions to help parents and teachers assemble the craft.
The tentacle template can be printed directly onto pink, purple, and blue colored paper. This saves children from having to color both sides of every strip and makes the finished craft colorful from any angle.
The template is designed to work with a standard 9-inch paper plate. Since each jellyfish only uses half a plate, you can make two jellyfish from one plate!
Supplies Needed for This Paper Plate Jellyfish Craft
Before getting started, gather the following supplies:
- Free printable jellyfish craft template (available below)
- 9-inch white paper plate
- Blue washable craft paint
- Paintbrush
- Pink, purple, and blue colored paper
- Child-safe scissors
- Glue or glue stick
- Black marker
- Pencil for curling the tentacles
I recommend using cardstock for the printable eyes and cheeks if you want the facial features to be a little sturdier. Regular printer paper will also work.
For the tentacles, regular colored construction or printer paper is a good choice because it’s easier to curl than thick cardstock.
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How to Make a Paper Plate Jellyfish Craft Step by Step
This easy paper plate jellyfish craft comes together in a few simple steps. I recommend preparing the printable templates ahead of time if you’re making these with a larger group of preschoolers or kindergarteners.
Step 1: Cut the Paper Plate in Half
Start with a standard 9-inch white paper plate.
Carefully cut the plate in half to create two semicircles. You’ll only need one half for each jellyfish.
The rounded portion of the plate will become the jellyfish’s bell, which is the umbrella-shaped part of its body.
If you’re working with younger children, an adult can prepare the paper plates ahead of time.
Step 2: Paint the Jellyfish Blue
Using a paintbrush, paint the paper plate half blue.
Encourage children to cover the entire front surface of the plate, including the edges.
Set the painted plate aside and allow it to dry completely before adding the face and tentacles.
Although I chose blue for this craft, kids can experiment with pink, purple, or any other color they like!
Step 3: Print and Cut Out the Jellyfish Face
Print the jellyfish craft template onto white paper or cardstock.
Carefully cut out the two eyes and pink cheeks.
Once the painted paper plate is dry, glue the eyes near the center of the plate, leaving enough room underneath for the jellyfish’s smiling mouth.
Glue one pink cheek on each side of the face.
Use a black marker to draw a small, curved smile between the cheeks.
Your jellyfish is already starting to look adorable!
Step 4: Print and Cut the Colorful Jellyfish Tentacles
Next, it’s time to make the jellyfish’s tentacles!
Print the tentacle template onto pink, purple, and blue colored paper.
The printable provides cutting guides so children can cut long, evenly sized strips.
You’ll need eight strips total for one jellyfish, so choose a mixture of colors.
I recommend using several different colors to make the finished craft extra bright and cheerful.
Cut along the lines to separate the paper strips.
For younger children who are still developing their scissor skills, you can prepare the strips ahead of time or let them practice cutting with supervision.
Step 5: Glue the Tentacles to the Paper Plate
Turn the painted paper plate over so the back is facing up.
Arrange the eight colored paper strips along the straight bottom edge of the plate.
Space them out so the tentacles hang down evenly.
Glue the top of each strip to the back of the paper plate, making sure the strips extend below the plate.
Allow the glue to dry enough to hold the tentacles securely before moving on to the next step.
Step 6: Curl the Jellyfish Tentacles
This is one of the most fun parts of the craft!
Take a pencil and gently wrap the bottom of one paper strip around it.
Carefully slide the pencil out to create a curl.
Repeat this process with the remaining tentacles.
You can make some curls tighter and others looser to give your jellyfish a playful, flowing appearance.
Younger children may need a little help with this step, but it’s also a wonderful opportunity to practice hand coordination.
Step 7: Add the Finishing Touches
Once the tentacles are curled, your paper plate jellyfish craft is almost finished!
Kids can add painted spots, small dots, or other decorations to the jellyfish’s body if they like.
Allow everything to dry completely.
Now your smiling jellyfish is ready to display!
I think these would look especially cute hanging together on an ocean-themed classroom bulletin board, with the colorful tentacles dangling underneath.
Fun Ways to Use Your Paper Plate Jellyfish Craft
One of the best things about this craft is that it can be used for more than just an afternoon art project.
Here are some simple ways to incorporate your finished jellyfish into learning activities.
Ocean Animal Learning Unit
Use this paper plate jellyfish craft as part of an ocean animals unit for preschool or kindergarten.
Introduce children to different ocean creatures, including jellyfish, sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, and octopuses.
Talk about where these animals live, how they move, and what makes each one unique.
After completing the craft, encourage children to share one interesting fact they learned about jellyfish.
Under the Sea Classroom Decorations
These colorful jellyfish make adorable decorations for an ocean-themed classroom.
Hang them from a bulletin board or display them against blue paper to create an underwater scene.
You can even add paper fish, seaweed, and bubbles to complete your ocean display.
For a group project, let every child choose their own jellyfish colors so the display is filled with unique creations.
Jellyfish Counting Activity
Turn the colorful paper tentacles into a simple math activity!
Before attaching the tentacles, ask children to count how many strips they’ve cut.
Have them sort the strips by color, compare the groups, or create a repeating pattern.
For example, children could arrange their tentacles in a blue, pink, purple, blue, pink, purple pattern.
This is a simple way to practice counting, sorting, and pattern recognition while crafting.
Ocean-Themed Story Time
Pair the craft with a picture book about jellyfish or other ocean animals.
Read the story together, talk about the characters or animals, and then let children create their own jellyfish.
I love the idea of combining books and crafts because it gives children another way to connect with what they’re learning.
Fun Jellyfish Facts for Preschool and Kindergarten
Before starting your paper plate jellyfish craft, introduce children to a few interesting facts about real jellyfish.
These simple facts are great for an ocean unit, science lesson, or classroom discussion.
1. Jellyfish Have No Bones
Jellyfish are invertebrates, which means they don’t have backbones. Their bodies are soft and mostly made of water.
2. Jellyfish Don’t Have a Brain
Unlike humans, jellyfish don’t have a centralized brain. Instead, they have a simple network of nerves that helps them respond to their surroundings.
3. Jellyfish Have Tentacles
Many jellyfish have tentacles that contain special stinging cells. They use these cells to capture food and protect themselves.
4. Jellyfish Move Through the Water
Jellyfish can pulse their bell-shaped bodies to help them swim, but ocean currents also carry them through the water.
5. Jellyfish Come in Different Colors
Depending on the species, jellyfish may appear clear, white, pink, purple, blue, or other colors.
Some jellyfish can even produce their own light through a process called bioluminescence!
6. Jellyfish Have Been Around for Millions of Years
Jellyfish are among the oldest groups of animals on Earth. Their ancestors existed long before dinosaurs.
After sharing these facts, ask children which one surprised them the most.
You can also explain that the long paper strips on their craft represent a jellyfish’s trailing tentacles. Real jellyfish are fascinating animals, but children should never touch one at the beach because some species can sting.
Picture Books to Pair With Your Jellyfish Craft
I always like to suggest a few picture books to go along with themed crafts. Reading about ocean animals before or after crafting is a wonderful way to introduce new vocabulary and encourage curiosity.
Here are some ocean-themed books that would pair nicely with this paper plate jellyfish craft.
Jellyfish by Mari Schuh
This nonfiction children’s book introduces young readers to jellyfish and their lives in the ocean.
It’s a great choice for learning simple jellyfish facts before beginning the craft.
Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae
This colorful rhyming picture book introduces children to a variety of ocean animals.
It’s a fun read-aloud for preschool and kindergarten ocean units.
Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef by Marianne Berkes
This beautifully illustrated counting book combines ocean animals, rhyming text, and early math concepts.
Pair it with your jellyfish craft for an ocean-themed day filled with reading, counting, and creativity.
Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle
This colorful picture book introduces children to different sea creatures while telling the story of a father seahorse.
The beautiful illustrations make it a wonderful addition to an ocean-themed reading basket.
The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
This popular underwater story follows a gloomy fish who discovers that things aren’t always what they seem.
It’s a fun choice for ocean-themed story time and discussions about feelings.
You can find these books at your local library or look for them on Amazon if you’re building an ocean-themed book collection.
More Free Printable Ocean Activities for Kids
If you’re working on an ocean-themed unit, I recommend pairing this jellyfish craft with other printable learning activities.
Here are a few ideas that work especially well for preschool and kindergarten.
- J is for Jellyfish worksheets: Practice letter recognition, tracing, and beginning sounds with jellyfish-themed alphabet activities.
- Ocean animal tracing pages: Help children strengthen their pencil control with fun ocean-themed tracing activities.
If you’re teaching the letter J, be sure to check out my Free Letter J Coloring Page Worksheets. They’re a fun addition to this jellyfish craft and can help children connect the letter J with the word jellyfish.
You can also explore more free educational printables and activities here at Missy Printable Design.
Tips for Making This Jellyfish Craft With Younger Kids
If you’re planning this craft for preschoolers or a larger classroom group, a little preparation can make the activity much easier.
Here are a few tips I recommend:
Prepare the paper plates ahead of time. Cutting the plates in half before the activity can save time, especially when working with younger children.
Print the tentacles onto colored paper. This eliminates the need to color each strip on both sides and makes the finished jellyfish look colorful from every direction.
Use washable paint. Washable craft paint is a convenient option for young children and classroom activities.
Allow enough drying time. The painted plate should be completely dry before attaching the facial features and tentacles.
Offer help with curling the paper. Some children may find wrapping the strips around a pencil challenging at first. Demonstrating the process can make it easier.
Encourage different designs. Not every jellyfish needs to look exactly alike! Children can experiment with different colors, patterns, and facial expressions.
For classrooms, I recommend organizing the supplies into small groups so children can easily reach the materials they need.
Pin This Easy Paper Plate Jellyfish Craft for Later!
Planning an ocean unit or looking for easy summer crafts for kids?
Be sure to save this paper plate jellyfish craft to your favorite Pinterest board so you can find it when you’re ready to make it.
It’s a fun addition to preschool ocean activities, kindergarten crafts, summer learning, and under the sea classroom themes.
And don’t forget to share your finished jellyfish creations!
Get Your Free Paper Plate Jellyfish Craft Template Here!
Ready to make your own adorable paper plate jellyfish?
I’ve created a free printable paper plate jellyfish craft template to make this activity simple for parents, homeschool families, and teachers.
The printable includes the jellyfish’s eyes, pink cheeks, tentacle cutting template, and easy step-by-step instructions.
Simply enter your email address in the form below and click the download button. Your printable will open instantly so you can print it and start crafting right away!
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Conclusion: Make Your Own Adorable Paper Plate Jellyfish!
This easy paper plate jellyfish craft is a fun way to combine creativity, fine motor practice, and ocean animal learning into one simple activity.
With a few basic supplies and my free printable template, kids can create a colorful jellyfish with a smiling face and curly tentacles.
Whether you’re planning an ocean-themed classroom unit, introducing the letter J, or looking for an easy summer craft, I hope this jellyfish project brings a little creativity to your day.
Don’t forget to grab your free template above, and be sure to explore my other free printables and crafts for even more learning fun!
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