Make a bright summer sunshine by weaving yarn on a paper plate with this easy sun craft for kids of all ages.
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Paper plates and yarn make a great beginner weaving project. We created a simpler version for this sun craft.
Weaving helps kids practice counting, fine motor skills, and patience. You can easily change up this craft to fit your child. Learn about our solar system and make a paper plate and yarn sun!
Craft tips
You can customize this craft to fit the age of your child.
- Punch fewer holes for little kids or more holes for big kids.
- We cut a single long piece of yarn, but you can use several shorter pieces to make it easier for little kids to manage. You’ll need to tie knots more often.
- Use a single-color yarn (yellow) or multiple (shades of red, orange, and yellow). You could even use ombre striping yarn.
- Add embellishments, like threading beads onto the yarn, for extra decoration.
- For a bonus activity, make yarn tassels and tie them around the outside of the finished sun.
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How to make a yarn sun craft
Supplies
Instructions
1. Cut the paper plate frame.
Start by cutting the paper plate into a frame for the yarn. Some paper plates have a circle already and you can cut along that line. If not, draw a circle on the plate to create a frame around 1 inch wide. (Hint: trace a bowl!) Cut out the center with scissors.
Punch holes evenly spaced around the frame. The easiest way to do this is to imagine a clock. Punch 2 holes directly across from one another at 12 and 6. Rotate the plate and punch another 2 holes halfway between those at 3 and 9. Punch 2 more holes, roughly even spaced between the 4 “corner” holes at 1 and 2, 4 and 5, 7 and 8, and 10 and 11.
2. Paint the plate yellow.
Use the brush to paint the front of the plate yellow. You only need a thin layer and one coat. Let the paint dry completely.
3. Weave the yarn.
Cut a piece of yarn about 10 feet long. Leave a long tail of yarn, 3-4 inches, that you can hold with one hand while you weave with the other. For younger kids, you may want to tie the tail to begin with. Start by weaving up through one hole and down through the one directly opposite. (eg. Up through 12 and down through 6.)
Move one hole clockwise, then weave up through that hole and down through the hole opposite. (eg. Up through 7 and down through 1.) Repeat, continuing clockwise around the circle.
The yarn should form a starburst spiral shape in the center where the yarn strands overlap. Keep the yarn taut so that it doesn’t sag, but not so tight that it tears the plate. When you complete one round, keep going and weave a second strand through each hole.
4. Tie the ends.
When you have woven the yarn through every hole twice, you should end up back where you started. Tie the end of the yarn to the tail you’ve been holding using a simple knot on the back of the plate. Cut off any excess yarn.
Printable instructions
Yarn Sun
Materials
- paper plate
- scissors
- single hole punch
- yellow paint
- paintbrush
- yellow yarn
Instructions
- Cut the paper plate frame.
Start by cutting the paper plate into a frame for the yarn. Some paper plates have a circle already and you can cut along that line. If not, draw a circle on the plate to create a frame around 1 inch wide. (Hint: trace a bowl!) Cut out the center with scissors.
Punch holes evenly spaced around the frame. The easiest way to do this is to imagine a clock. Punch 2 holes directly across from one another at 12 and 6. Rotate the plate and punch another 2 holes halfway between those at 3 and 9. Punch 2 more holes, roughly even spaced between the 4 "corner" holes at 1 and 2, 4 and 5, 7 and 8, and 10 and 11. - Paint the plate yellow.
Use the brush to paint the front of the plate yellow. You only need a thin layer and one coat. Let the paint dry completely. - Weave the yarn.
Cut a piece of yarn about 10 feet long. Leave a long tail of yarn, 3-4 inches, that you can hold with one hand while you weave with the other. For younger kids, you may want to tie the tail to begin with. Start by weaving up through one hole and down through the one directly opposite. (eg. Up through 12 and down through 6.)Move one hole clockwise, then weave up through that hole and down through the hole opposite. (eg. Up through 7 and down through 1.) Repeat, continuing clockwise around the circle. The yarn should form a starburst spiral shape in the center where the yarn strands overlap. Keep the yarn taut so that it doesn't sag, but not so tight that it tears the plate. When you complete one round, keep going and weave a second strand through each hole. - Tie the ends.
When you have woven the yarn through every hole twice, you should end up back where you started. Tie the end of the yarn to the tail you've been holding using a simple knot on the back of the plate. Cut off any excess yarn.
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