Bring a Dr. Seuss favorite- All the Places You’ll Go to life with this fun Paper Plate Hot Air Balloon Craft idea for kids. If your kids love vibrant crafts that pop with color, this one’s for you! Plus, there’s a little bit of science magic in here with bleeding tissue paper that will have them totally hooked.
This craft checks all the boxes:
- Colorful (hello, rainbow vibes!)
- Fine motor skill-building
- Process art fun with tissue paper and water
- Big imagination energy (because who doesn’t want to soar in a hot air balloon?)
Perfect for rainy afternoons, preschool projects, or when you just need something fun and easy that looks amazing when it’s done!
Why You’ll Love This Paper Plate Hot Air Balloon Craft
- Easy Prep: Minimal materials you probably already have.
- Process Art: It’s about the experience, not just the finished product.
Materials You’ll Need
- Paper plate
- Bleeding tissue paper (bright colors are a must!)
- Bowl of water
- Paintbrush
- Paper straws (any fun pattern works!)
- Brown construction paper (for the basket)
- Glue
- Scissors
How to Make Your Paper Plate Hot Air Balloon
- Take your paper plate and lay it face-up. This will be your hot air balloon’s base. If your plate has ridges, even better—it adds texture! Grab a bowl with water and a paint brush. Apply a thin layer of water to the paper plate.
- Tear or cut bleeding tissue paper into pieces. Arrange them all over the paper plate—layering is totally encouraged for more vibrant effects. Dip a paintbrush into the bowl of water and dab over the tissue paper. Watch the colors bleed and blend like watercolor magic! Pro Tip: The more water you add, the more the colors blend. But don’t drench it—too much water makes the paper soggy. Also try to keep the colors that you use to colors that are newer to each other in the rainbow. For instance choose red, orange and yellow so when the colors mix, it doesn’t turn immediately brown.
- Now comes the hard part—waiting. Let the plate dry completely. Once dry, carefully peel off the tissue paper to reveal the gorgeous patterns left behind.
- Cut a small rectangle from the brown construction paper for the basket.
- Use paper straws as the balloon’s ropes—cut two equal pieces and glue them to the top of the basket.
- Glue the basket to the bottom of the plate, attaching the straws securely. Optional: add any extra decorations! Think: clouds, glitter, or even a mini photo of your child riding in the basket!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
