If you’re looking for a quick and easy Christmas craft for toddlers, preschoolers and elementary kids to make, you can’t beat this Paper Plate Popcorn Santa. Using popcorn for the beard and the trim on Santa’s hat provides kids with a fun sensory experience (and something yummy to snack on while crafting!)
See all of our Santa Crafts here.
Guys, we made the most adorable Santa craft the other day.
You know how we love crafting with popcorn, AND how we love a good paper plate craft? Well, this paper plate popcorn Santa is the best of both worlds.
I actually got the idea for this craft when I shared a regular paper plate Santa on my Facebook page last week. One of my followers commented, saying she’d made something similar with her kids but they’d used popcorn for Santa’s beard and the trim on his hat.
Immediately, I thought, “Oh, we’ll definitely be adding that idea to our list of must-make Christmas crafts this year!”
Because you don’t have to dye the popcorn for this craft, it’s really quick and easy to make. And bonus…. the popcorn is safe to munch on while you’re crafting!
From start to finish, our popcorn Santa only takes about 15 minutes to make, so it’s perfect as a last-minute holiday craft at home or for a simple Christmas art project in the classroom. It’s also a fun second activity for kids if they’re stringing a popcorn garland for your Christmas tree.
Here’s how we made ours.
Paper Plate Popcorn Santa Craft
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Supplies:
Instructions:
How to Make a Paper Plate Santa with Popcorn Beard
- Pop Your Popcorn
Pop a big batch of unbuttered popcorn so you’ll have plenty for your craft and lots left over for snacking on. We used our air-popper so there wouldn’t be any oil that might soak into the paper plate.
- Paint your Paper Plate
Paint the top section of your paper plate red and add a band of flesh- coloured paint below for Santa’s face. Leave the bottom portion of the paper plate white as you’ll be covering that up with popcorn.
- Add your Popcorn
Glue a generous amount of popcorn to the bottom of the plate to fill in Santa’s beard, and glue a row of popcorn along the edge of his hat for the trim.
TIP: Kids can either dip individual pieces of popcorn into a puddle of glue and stick them to the plate, or you can drizzle glue onto the plate, and sprinkle your popcorn into it.
- Santa’s Face
For Santa’s nose, we cut a small styrofoam ball in half and painted it red. You could also use a red pom pom for the nose. Glue the nose in place, and glue a couple of googly eyes above it.
- The Pom Pom on Santa’s Hat
Finish by gluing a white pom pom, or a cotton ball, or even a piece of popcorn to the top of Santa’s hat.
Isn’t he just the sweetest little Santa you’ve ever seen?
More fun and easy Santa Crafts for Kids:
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
