Easy Paper Bowl Bat Craft for Kids
Turn a simple paper bowl into a cute Halloween bat! This paper bowl bat craft uses basic supplies like paint, construction paper, and googly eyes and works well for preschool and early elementary kids.
Make one for a Halloween classroom activity, add it to a bat theme, or create several for a fun classroom display.
Grades: Preschool–2
Skills: Cutting, painting, gluing, shape recognition
Great For: Halloween, bat themes, classroom crafts
Supplies for Your Paper Bowl Bat
- Paper bowl
- Black paint
- Paintbrush
- Black construction paper
- White construction paper or cardstock
- Googly eyes
- School glue
- Scissors
- Marker
💡 Tip: Tempera or washable craft paint works well for younger kids. Acrylic paint also works if you have it.
How to Make a Paper Bowl Bat
1. Paint the Paper Bowl
Turn the paper bowl upside down and paint the outside black.
Use a thin coat of paint so it dries more quickly before you add the wings and face.
💡 Classroom tip: Let kids paint their bowls on top of paper plates or scrap paper. Then move the entire bowl and plate to a drying area without making a mess.
2. Cut Out the Bat Wings
Draw one bat wing on black construction paper and cut it out. Trace the first wing to make a matching second wing.
💡For younger kids: Draw the wings ahead of time for children to cut out, or provide pre-cut wings.
3. Make the Bat Ears and Teeth
Cut two larger triangles from black construction paper for the ears.
Then cut two small triangles from white paper for the bat’s teeth.
💡 This is also an easy way to reinforce simple shapes with younger children.
4. Glue on the Bat Wings
Once the paint is dry, glue one wing to each side of the paper bowl.
School glue works especially well because it gives the paper wings a stronger hold. Let the glue set for a few minutes before moving your bat.
5. Add the Bat Ears
Glue the two black triangles to the top of the bowl to make the bat’s pointed ears.
6. Make Your Bat’s Face
Finish your paper bowl bat by adding googly eyes and two small white teeth. Kids can also use a marker to add a mouth or other details.
💡 Try different googly eye sizes, expressions, or wing shapes so every bat looks a little different.
Easy Ways to Change Your Bat Craft
You don’t have to make every bat exactly the same. Try a few simple variations:
- Use purple, gray, or dark blue paint instead of black.
- Draw eyes instead of using googly eyes.
- Add a silly or spooky mouth with a paint marker.
- Hang finished bats from yarn for a Halloween display.
- Let older kids design their own wing shapes.
- Make several bats and create a classroom bat colony.
That last idea is especially fun if you’re also learning about real bats.
Add a Little Bat Learning
Turn the craft into a simple bat-themed learning activity by pairing it with our free Bat Activity Pack.
You can also talk about a few basic bat facts while kids work: bats are mammals, they have wings, and many species are active at night.
👉 For a full bat theme, explore our Bat Activities for Kids.
More Halloween Crafts for Kids
If your kids enjoyed this paper bowl bat, try:
Halloween Bat Art | Popsicle Stick Spider | Spider Web Craft | Toilet Paper Roll Ghost
👉 Then head to our Preschool Halloween Activities collection for even more easy Halloween ideas.
