Easy DIY Paper Plate May Baskets (4 Ways!)

Ready for a (May) Basket full of fun?

Easy DIY Paper Plate May Baskets (4 Ways!) make it a snap to bring joy to your neighbors! What a simple way to make connection with those around you.

The May Basket Tradition

Before starting, you may want to explain to the grands how these will be used. Many children are not familiar with the tradition of May baskets. They get pretty excited at the idea of leaving a gift of flowers and treats, ringing the door bell and then running so as not to be seen.

Boy, I thought giving May baskets was fun when I was young. I loved getting them as well.

Let’s get the May basket tradition going strong once again! If you'd like to try a different version of a May basket, check out this post to make one out of an upcycled tin can as well!

Paper plates- a craft icon

Paper plates are a staple at my house. Not as much for eating as for crafting! I happened to pick up a heavier weight paper plate last time and they worked great for making May baskets. These are the plain paper type of plate though, not foam or the light weight cardboard type.

May Basket Idea #1- the little pocket

This little pocket May Basket is perfect to hold a note and a few flowers for the person that could use a word of cheer. Simply cut one paper plate in half and staple it onto a second paper plate forming the pocket area.

Instead of staples you could also use a paper punch around the edge of both plates and allow your little seamstress to “sew” the two plates together, going round and round through the holes with the yarn. This takes longer, so if you have several May baskets to make you might want to stick with the staples.

Decorate the plates with cut out paper flowers and leaves. Or simply decorate with markers.

I cut a heart in the larger plate at the top and used two punched holes and a pipe cleaner to make a hanger. Later I thought that if the heart cutout was a bit bigger it could be used to slip over a doorknob to hang the basket.

One more idea is to staple two half plates together. A smaller pocket May Day basket would be so cute hung up on the door with a ribbon as well.

May Basket Idea #2- the cone shaped

A cone shaped May basket is the easiest and quickest of the 4 Easy Paper Plate May Basket Ideas. If you are making a number of May baskets, this is a great choice.

Make a small fold on one edge of the plate and then use that as the tip of the cone. Roll the plate around to the sized cone you would like and then staple it along the overlapped edge. We decorated the cone after it was rolled so we could see where to write and draw so the artwork would be seen.

One grand trimmed hers up and added a ribbon on the tip so it could also be used as a princess hat afterwards. Oh my, I wish I could package and sell kid’s creativity, don’t you?

May Basket Idea #3- The small basket

So the next of the 4 Easy Paper Plate May Basket Ideas really was fun to make and could be used for many more occasions than just May Day.

Draw two parallel lines across the center of the plate about 2 inches apart. (Check out the picture)

Then draw two parallel lines perpendicular to the first two lines that are about 2.5 inches from the edge of the plate.

Cut ONLY the two short lines from the edge of the plate to the perpendicular line, as shown in the drawing.

Fold the plate up (inwards) on the other lines.

Tucking the small almost triangle sections under the small square flaps on either end, staple the ends of the May basket.

Tie a ribbon around the basket and fill it with goodies.

You may want to hole punch each end and add a ribbon hanger to hang this one on the door as well. We chose to leave ours a basket that could sit on the step instead.

May Basket Idea #4- the heart shape

The last May basket idea is a larger heart shaped basket made from two overlapping plates.

This really takes two sets of hands to get stapled correctly.

Make small creases on the edge of each of the two plates. Use those creases as the point of the basket. Roll the two plates so that they overlap and make the sized heart that you want. Staple the overlapping edges.

Hole punch the top of each plate and add a ribbon so that it will hang from a door knob.

Decorate if you wish and then fill with flowers.

Of the 4 Easy Paper Plate May Basket Ideas, this one definitely has the largest capacity and could even hold toys or a loaf of nut bread if you would like.

Which of the 4 Easy Paper Plate May Basket Ideas do you like best?

The kids really enjoyed making May baskets. I’ve got to admit that I did too! Each of them liked a different one the best. Which did you like the best?

If you are able, go ahead and fill and deliver the baskets with the grands. Let me know how it goes!!