A simple tutorial for making a Halloween inspired bat craft with a paper plate, paint, printable, and more!

Take your Halloween festivities to the next level with this kid-friendly paper plate bat craft! Rather than being spooky, it’s SPOOKY FUN!

It’s great for kids preschool age and older and is made with household items. Whether you’re throwing a Halloween party, wanting to make Halloween cheap decorations for your house, or simply looking to entertain your little ones, it’s an activity that covers all the bases!! It truly is the perfect activity to do with your kiddos to celebrate the holiday.

And don’t forget to check out our other ideas for celebrating Halloween. We’ve got everything from Halloween costume inspo to party treats and even more holiday crafts!

Paper Plate Bat Craft - With Free Printable

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Materials For This Bat Craft

While there are many reasons to LOVE this stinkin cute bat craft, one of my personal favorites is the fact that you don’t really need any specialty materials to make it! I’ll admit, I hate going to make a craft and then realizing that I need to go to the store before I can make it. So, hopefully you appreciate the simplicity of this craft as much as I do!

All you need for this craft is:

Paint – To make this bat craft, you need fresh black paint. It can be matte or glossy, just needs to be high enough in quality to cover the paper plate.
Paper Plate – This item serves as your canvas for the craft and needs to be paper – not plastic – in order for the paint to stick and dry properly. Additionally, it is best to use a plain white plate if possible. The paint can be used to cover designs on the plate, but it may require additional coats.
Bat Craft Printable – For this bat craft, you will need to use the printable provided in this post or gather a few sheets of black and white colored paper.
Scissors – These will be used to cut out the facial features and wings of the bat.
Paint Brush – Either a wide brush or sponge will work. The larger the paint brush, the fewer the paint strokes needed to coat the paper plate in a layer of paint.
Optional: If you prefer, you can substitute googly eyes for the eyes in the printable.

Paper Plate Bat Craft Instructions

This bat craft comes together in 5 simple steps!

Step 1: Gather together all of your craft materials.

Step 2: Lay down a craft mat/parchment paper. This will help protect your crafting surface.

Step 3: Use black paint and a paint brush to coat the bottom side of a paper plate. Make sure to let it fully dry before adding the facial features and wings.

Step 4: Cut out facial features (eyes, fangs, ears, etc.) and wings to add to the bat. I included nostrils in the printable as well, but I chose not to use them on my version of the bat craft. All up to personal preference!

Step 5: Use hot glue or regular glue to stick the facial features and wings to the paper plate. Let it dry, and then you’re done!!

Tips:

Be mindful to put the eyes on facing the same way. Mine got just a little wonky.
If you have any white edges from where the facial features were cut out, just go over them with a sharpie or black marker.
Glue the bottom part and the wings to the non-painted side of the plate. This way there aren’t weird edges standing out.

Free Bat Craft Printable

While it isn’t necessary to use this printable to make the bat craft, it certainly makes things easier! Click the link here to access the free bat craft printable featured below.

Paper Plate Bat Craft Features Printable

bat wings printable for paper plate bat craft - Halloween

Tips for Making this Fun Craft

Use Washable Paint – Try as you might to keep the paint contained, it will likely end up in places you didn’t want (ie. your kids clothes, the countertop, furniture, etc!). All the parents out there know this too well haha. So, definitely opt for washable paint.
Put a Craft Mat or Parchment Paper Down – This can simply make clean up faster and easier. It can also protect your table or other craft surface from being stained or damaged during the crafting process.
Consider Using Hot Glue – I know I have liquid and stick glue in the images for the materials; however, I recommend using hot glue if you can. Why? Hot glue dries faster and works as a stronger adhesive. Although the other forms of glue may be safer for little kids to use (avoid burns). As a result, parents can choose which form of adhesive to provide their kids with for this craft.

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Paper Plate Bat Craft

A simple Halloween craft made of a paper plate and other materials that transforms into a bat!

Prep Time20

Total Time20

Keyword: bat craft, halloween craft, paper plate craft

Yield: bat

Equipment

1 paper plate
1 bat craft printable
1 paint brush
1 set of scissors
1 bottle black paint
1 stick of glue

Materials

1 craft mat optional
1 glue gun optional

Instructions

Step 1: Gather together all of your craft materials.
Step 2: Lay down a craft mat/parchment paper. This will help protect your crafting surface.
Step 3: Use black paint and a paint brush to coat the bottom side of a paper plate. Make sure to let it fully dry before adding the facial features and wings.
Step 4: Cut out facial features (eyes, fangs, ears, etc.) and wings to add to the bat.
Step 5: Use hot glue or regular glue to stick the facial features and wings to the paper plate.

Other Halloween Crafts, Activities, and Treats

Fall is a season that is jam packed with reasons to celebrate! Here are some fun ideas to make your Halloween festive and memorable!!

Halloween Costume Inspiration

And if you’re looking for reasonable DIY Halloween costumes, check out our collections below!

Don’t Leave Just Yet

Here at Events to Celebrate, my whole goal is to help real people plan for their kids’ birthday parties, life events, and holidays! Life is crazy. I GET IT. You don’t have endless time OR money to spend on parties, but you still want to help your guests have a great time. I’m here to help give you tips, tricks, and ideas for celebrating life on a budget.

As a mom, you want to do it all. You want to make your family happy and create special memories. My brand is all about creating special moments with those you love. The kind of moments that you will look back on years later and wish you could relive! So, if that’s something you’re interested in, stick around! I have an email list you can sign up for, so you don’t miss my future party ideas!

Spooky FUN Paper Plate Bat Craft