I grew up in a small town. A very small town. The population was somewhere around 500 people.

Naturally, there weren’t a ton of things to do for fun.

So the annual county fair was a big deal for the kids in the area. We went every year.

Whenever we’d get close, I’d start watching for the lights on the midway and the top of the Ferris wheel going around and around.

You could usually see it a mile away.

So I still have a soft spot in my heart for Ferris wheels. And that’s why this easy coffee filter Ferris Wheel craft was so fun to make!

This is an excellent crafting project for early elementary kids. It’s great for strengthening fine motor skills, but it’s easy enough to finish in about 10 minutes.

Perfect if you’re looking for a fun indoor art activity for kids!

Read on to see the full directions. And, for more crafting fun, don’t miss my list of preschool crafts you can do in just 10 minutes!

Easy Coffee Filter Ferris Wheel Craft for Kids

To make this easy Ferris Wheel craft, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• White basket coffee filter
• Construction paper
• Glue stick
• Child-safe scissors
• Crayons or washable markers

To begin, find a brightly colored piece of construction paper and turn it vertically.

You need enough space to add the Ferris Wheel and the support stand at the bottom.

Use a glue stick to attach the coffee filter on the top center of the construction paper.

Draw a colored circle in the center of the coffee filter. I added a yellow cut-out star, but you don’t have to.

Use a black crayon or a black marker to add spokes coming out of the circle in the center. There should be eight in all.

Now use child-safe scissors to cut the “seats” out of construction paper.

The shape I used is flat on the top and rounded on the bottom, but you could use rectangles, squares, circles – really any shape is fine.

Before you glue the construction paper “seats” onto the wheel, lay them out and make sure that you can fit them all onto the coffee filter.

You want the seats to hang just a little below the white filter – just like they do on a Ferris Wheel!

When you’re sure you can get all eight onto the circle, glue them down.

Note: You might have to extend the black “spokes” out to connect all the way to the seats.

Now all that’s left is to add the stand!

Use a colored marker or a bright crayon to outline the stand legs. Then color them in!

Add a few gold stars and we’re all done!

This is such a fun craft to add to a spring or fall unit!

Or you can share it with students in small art groups or with your own kids at home.

If you make this, I’d love to see how it worked out. Feel free to share pictures of your projects in the comments!

Don’t miss these other simple crafts for kids!

A few years ago, we got to visit the Georgia Aquarium. It was incredible. 

The kids gathered around each display to look at amazing sea creatures, from Beluga whales to otters. 

Some of the animals that caught my eye, though, were the jellyfish. I had never seen them up close before and I’d only ever heard horror stories from childhood classmates who were stung by them at the beach.

I had no clue that jellyfish were so gorgeous. They are truly beautiful.

And now that summer is here (yay!), I wanted to make a new coffee filter craft for kids. So why not try a coffee filter jellyfish craft?

This is a super easy and fun summer craft to share with little ones during the warm weather. It’d also make a perfect addition to an ocean or beach unit study!

Read on to get the full project instructions. And, for more fun with summer crafting, try our Coffee Filter Crab Craft as well! 

Coffee Filter Crafts for Kids: Simple Coffee Filter Jellyfish Craft

To make this coffee filter jellyfish craft, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• White basket coffee filter
• Construction paper
• Crayons
• Child-safe scissors
• Glue stick
• Ribbon

To get started, use the scissors to cut the coffee filter horizontally. You’ll want to cut about one-third of it off of the bottom.

Use a black crayon to draw the eyes and smiley mouth on the jellyfish.

Now, color the entire coffee filter with a bright color. You can use any color you like here, because jellyfish come in a huge variety of colors. 

We went with red purple for a nice contrast to the blue of the construction paper.

After you finish coloring the coffee filter, use a glue stick to glue it near the center of the paper. Make sure the paper is laid vertically. You’ll need room at the bottom for the jellyfish tentacles.

Use the scissors to cut a few pieces of ribbon from the spool. We only cut five, but you can cut as many as you like.

Carefully lift the bottom of the coffee filter and lay each piece of ribbon underneath. Space them out so that they’re fairly evenly distributed.

Stick them to the paper with the glue stick and then press the coffee filter back on top to keep them in place.

If you want the tentacles to look a little curly, run each piece of ribbon against the open pair of scissors. You’ll see each ribbon start to curl afterwards. (Only an adult should perform this part to avoid cutting little fingers, even with child-safe scissors.)

Draw a few ocean waves at the top and the bottom and you’re done!

Did you enjoy making this easy coffee filter jellyfish craft? Try some of these other summer crafts for kids!

And follow my Summer Activities for Kids board on Pinterest for even more fun summer ideas!