Fun and Easy Paper Plate Ghost Luminary Craft

Find out out how to make this simple Paper Plate Ghost Luminary craft that is perfect for Halloween.

Paper plate crafts are some of my favorite types of crafts to do with kids. The paper plate jack o ‘ lanterns we made have been so fun (and popular) that I decided it would be fun to make a ghost version of the craft.

Not only is the ghost luminary a cute craft, it’s a fun Halloween decoration the kids will love making.

We had a lot of fun making this craft and as soon as we finished it we had to go test it out in the dark pantry.

The fact that you can make this craft light up at night makes it even more fun.

Paper Plate Ghost Craft Supplies

To make this fun Halloween ghost craft you need only a few craft supplies.

2 White Paper Plates (per ghost)
Scissors / Craft Knife
Stapler
Marker
White Tissue Paper
Battery operated tea light

How to Make Paper Plate Ghost Luminary Craft

There are a couple of different ways you can make this cute paper plate ghost craft.

Cut Flat Side on Plates

First you’re going stack both plate together and cut off about 1 inch (about where the bumps around the plate stop)on one side of the plate so it’s flat.

This is so that your ghost will be able to stand up once it’s put together.

Draw and Cut Out Ghost Face

Then you are going to draw your ghost face on the back of one of the paper plates. I let my kids draw their own faces on the plates.

After drawing the face your going to cut it out. A craft knife makes it really easy to cut out but you can do it with scissors.

Depending on the ages of your kids you may want to draw and cut out the Ghost face before starting this craft.

Tissue Paper and Extras (Optional)

You can leave your paper plate ghost simply as a white paper plate or you can add a texture element with pieces of white or silver tissue paper.

If you add tissue paper make sure you glue tissue paper on the backside of the plates.

The top of the plate is going to be the inside of your ghost and it can just be white plate.

It can also be fun to add some rosy cheeks to your ghost or any other type of embellishments you want (sparkles, glitter, etc.)

Putting Together Your Paper Plate Ghost

There are several ways you can put together your paper plate ghost. You can use a hole punch and string, staples, glue or even tape.

My kids currently think using the stapler is awesome so we stapled our ghosts together.

Stapling is the easiest way to put together your ghost together, but I love the threaded look and it’s a great hand eye coordination activity.

Threading Together Your Ghost

To thread together your ghost you are going to put the plates together with the tops facing each other and punch holes around the plate (not the flat end).

Then using white string (with a little bit of tape on the end to give it a point) let your kids thread through the holes to “sew” the ghost together. Make sure to tie a knot at both ends.

You can see how the threading together looks when we did it on our j ack o ‘lanterns.

Stapling Together the Ghost

Stapling is the easiest way to put together your ghost.

Simply put right sides of the plate together (so it’s hollow inside) and staple around the plates. Don’t staple the flat end of your ghost.

Displaying Your Paper Plate Ghost Craft

Now for the bets part of this whole Halloween ghost craft, lighting it!

After your ghost is put together decide where you want to display it. Take a battery operated tea light turn it on and put the paper plate ghost over the top.

Doesn’t it look so fun? Now you have a ghost luminary that is unique and handmade.