St. Patrick's Day is a wonderful time to get crafty with the kids. Little leprechauns, lucky shamrocks, and pots of gold inspire so many fun activities for families and classrooms alike.

Today I'm sharing a cheerful Paper Plate Leprechaun Craft that is simple to make and full of personality. With his bright orange beard, wiggly eyes, and lucky shamrock hat, this friendly leprechaun is sure to bring smiles while children practice cutting, painting, and gluing.

Paper plate leprechaun craft with orange glitter beard, green hat with shamrock, googly eyes, and yellow buckle displayed on a white background for a St. Patrick’s Day kids craft tutorial.

The best part? Many of the supplies can be picked up at your local dollar store, making this an easy and affordable activity.

This craft takes about 30 minutes to complete, making it perfect for a quick afternoon project or a festive classroom activity.

Why Kids Love This Leprechaun Craft
Materials You'll Need
How to Make a Paper Plate Leprechaun
Display Your Lucky Leprechaun
A Little Irish Inspiration
Grab Your Free Printable Instruction Sheet
A Little Leprechaun Crafting Magic

Why Kids Love This Leprechaun Craft

Children love crafts that let them create colorful characters, and this little leprechaun certainly fits the bill.

This activity also helps kids develop important skills:

Fine motor skills through cutting and tracing
Creativity with painting and decorating
Hand-eye coordination while assembling the craft

Finished paper plate leprechaun craft with glittery orange beard, googly eyes, green hat with yellow buckle, and shamrock decoration during a St. Patrick’s Day kids craft tutrial. with text banner.

And of course, there's something magical about making your own lucky leprechaun just in time for St. Patrick's Day.

Craft supplies for a paper plate leprechaun craft including paper plate, acrylic paint, googly eyes, cardstock in green black yellow and orange, paintbrush, scissors, marker, and glue gun on a wooden background.

Materials You'll Need

Here's a quick list of what you'll need. You can print the complete list in the printable craft tutorial at the bottom of this post.

Paper plate
Wiggle eyes
Tan pom pom
Orange glitter glue
Craft paint - flesh tone and orange
Cardstock - bright green, medium green, black, yellow, and orange
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Paintbrush
Scissors
Pencil
Printable pattern template

You can download and print the template here:

Printable Template for Leprechaun Face and Buckle

How to Make a Paper Plate Leprechaun

Here's a simple overview of the steps. Full details are included in the printable instruction sheet.

Paper plate with leprechaun beard template traced onto it next to the printed pattern and pencil during a paper plate leprechaun craft tutorial for kids.

Step 1: Prepare the Template

Gather all of your supplies.

Download and print the leprechaun pattern template, then cut out the pieces. Trace the beard and face pattern onto the inside of a paper plate.

Paper plate with the top half painted flesh tone for a leprechaun face beside acrylic paint and paintbrush during a paper plate leprechaun craft tutorial.

Step 2: Paint the Face

Paint the upper section of the plate with a flesh-tone acrylic paint to create the leprechaun's face.

Allow the paint to dry, then apply a second coat if needed.

Paper plate painted with bright orange beard and flesh tone face beside acrylic paint bottles and paintbrush during a paper plate leprechaun craft tutorial.

Step 3: Paint the Beard

Paint the lower section of the paper plate orange to create the leprechaun's beard.

Let the paint dry fully before moving to the next step.

Printable template pieces for leprechaun hat, mustache, shamrock, and buckle traced onto colored cardstock with pencil during a paper plate leprechaun craft tutorial.

Step 4: Trace the Hat Pieces

Using the template, trace the following shapes onto cardstock:

Hat onto medium green cardstock
Mustache onto orange cardstock
Hat band onto black cardstock
Shamrock onto bright green cardstock
Buckle onto yellow cardstock

Construction paper, craft foam, or felt would also work nicely for this step.

Cut cardstock pieces for a paper plate leprechaun craft including green hat, black hat band, yellow buckle, shamrock, and orange mustache with scissors on a wooden background.

Step 5: Cut Out the Shapes

Carefully cut out all the traced shapes. Cutting just inside the pencil lines helps create a neat finished look.

Paper plate leprechaun craft with orange beard, googly eyes, and cardstock mustache being assembled using a hot glue gun during a St. Patrick’s Day kids craft tutorial.

Step 6: Assemble the Face

Glue the wiggle eyes onto the face.

Attach the mustache beneath the eyes and add the pom pom nose in the center.

Step 7: Build the Hat

Glue the buckle to the hat band, then attach the band to the hat.

Finally, glue the hat to the top of the leprechaun's head.

Paper plate leprechaun craft with orange beard and mustache decorated with glitter glue swirls while adding sparkle details during a St. Patrick’s Day kids craft tutorial.

Step 8: Add Sparkly Details

Decorate the mustache with lines of orange glitter glue.

Add swirling designs to the beard using the glitter glue as well.

Allow the glue to dry completely.

Step 9: Add the Shamrock

Finish the craft by attaching the bright green shamrock to the leprechaun's hat.

Now your lucky little leprechaun is ready to display!

Display Your Lucky Leprechaun

Once finished, these cheerful leprechauns make adorable St. Patrick's Day decorations.

You can:

Hang them on a classroom bulletin board
Display them on the fridge at home
Use them as festive party decorations

Each leprechaun turns out a little different, which makes them even more charming.

St. Patrick’s Day paper plate leprechaun craft tutorial showing finished leprechaun with glittery orange beard, googly eyes, green hat with buckle, and shamrock decoration.

A Little Irish Inspiration

In Irish folklore, leprechauns are mischievous little fairies who guard hidden pots of gold. While we may not find gold at the end of the rainbow, crafting together with children is a treasure in itself.

So gather some paper plates, bring out the paints, and enjoy a fun afternoon creating your own lucky leprechaun.

Grab Your Free Printable Instruction Sheet

Here's a printable instruction sheet for this cute little paper leprechaun. Print it for classroom use, home crafting, and party stations.

Plus, you can print it with or without the step-by-step photo instructions.

Leprechaun paper plate craft with glittery orange beard, googly eyes, green hat with yellow buckle, and shamrock decoration for a St. Patrick's Day kids craft tutorial.

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Irish Paper Plate Leprechaun Craft

Create a fun paper plate leprechaun craft for St. Patrick's Day. This easy kids craft includes a printable template and simple step-by-step instructions.

Inactive Time30

Paint Drying Time30

Total Time1

Equipment

glue gun and glue sticks
Paintbrush
Scissors
Pencil.
Printed Pattern free to download on this post

Materials

1 Paper Plate
2 Wiggle Eyes
Pom Pom for the nose
2 bottles Craft Paint flesh tone or brown for skin plus orange for the beard.
5 sheets Cardstock bright green, medium green, black, yellow, orange
Glitter Glue orange

Instructions

Collect all of your supplies. Download and print the leprechaun pattern template, then cut out the pieces with scissors. Trace the beard and face pattern onto the inside of a paper plate.
Paint the face area on the inside of the paper plate with a flesh-tone acrylic craft paint or a color of your choice. Allow it to dry, then add a second coat if needed.
Paint the beard area on the inside of the paper plate with orange acrylic craft paint. Let it dry, then apply a second coat if needed.
Using a pencil, trace the hat onto medium green cardstock, the mustache onto orange cardstock, the hat band onto black cardstock, the shamrock onto bright green cardstock, and the buckle onto yellow cardstock. Construction paper, colored craft foam, or craft felt can also be used for this project.
Cut out the patterns with scissors making sure to cut inside the traced lines for a clean, finished project.
Use a glue gun and glue sticks to attach the two wiggle eyes, the mustache, and the pom-pom nose to the leprechaun's face. Tip: Liquid craft glue can also be used, but you will need to allow extra time for it to dry.
Glue the buckle onto the hat band, then attach the hat band to the hat. Finally, secure the hat to the top of the leprechaun's head using a glue gun and glue sticks.
Decorate the leprechaun's mustache with lines of orange glitter glue and add swirls of orange glitter glue to the beard. Allow the glue to dry completely. Clear or iridescent glitter glue can also be used.
To finish, attach the bright green shamrock to the leprechaun's hat with a glue gun and glue sticks.

A Little Leprechaun Crafting Magic

I hope you and your little crafters enjoy making this cheerful paper plate leprechaun as much as we did. It's a fun and simple way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day while spending some creative time together.

Once finished, your lucky little leprechaun makes a festive decoration for the classroom, playroom, or kitchen fridge. May your crafting be filled with laughter, imagination, and a touch of Irish luck! ☘️