How do we turn trash into treasure and do our bit for the environment? It is a question many parents and educators ask as we watch our recycling bins fill up week after week.
With global climate challenges becoming more evident—from unexpected weather patterns to rising temperatures—teaching the next generation about sustainability is no longer optional; it is essential. But here is the good news: saving the planet can be incredibly fun!
You don’t need to wait for Global Recycling Day (March 18th), Earth Day (April 22nd), or World Environment Day (June 5th) to start. In fact, the best time to start is right now, in your living room, with the items you were about to throw away.
Have you ever weighed how much trash your family generates every day? While the statistic might be shocking, the potential for creativity is even higher. Those used egg cartons, plastic Easter eggs, empty tin cans, and Styrofoam takeout containers are not just waste—they are the building blocks of imagination.
Gather your glue, scissors, and paints! Here is our mega guide to 100+ recycled crafts for kids, organized by material so you can find exactly what you need.
Why Upcycling Matters for Kids
Before we dive into the glue and glitter, let’s talk about the “Why.” When children participate in upcycling (the process of transforming by-products into new materials of better quality), they learn three crucial lessons:
- Resourcefulness: They learn to see potential in ordinary objects.
- Environmental Stewardship: They understand that “away” isn’t a magical place where trash disappears; reducing waste matters.
- Creative Problem Solving: Unlike a kit with instructions, recycled crafting requires them to engineer solutions using unique shapes and materials.
Part 1: Plastic Egg Transformations
Perfect for leftover Easter supplies!
Plastic eggs are surprisingly versatile. Their oval shape is perfect for creating round animals and characters.
1. The Blue Plastic Egg Whale This is an excellent use for those bright blue eggs.
- How to make it: Hold the egg horizontally. Cut a tail shape and two fins from blue cardstock. Glue the fins to the sides and the tail to the back (rounded end). Using a black sharpie, draw a smile and eyes. For the spout, stick a blue pipe cleaner or a tuft of blue tissue paper out of one of the holes at the top.
- Tip: These float! They are great for bath time play.
2. The “Ribbit” Egg Frog Who’s that croaking? It’s a green egg turned into a hopper!
- How to make it: Use a green plastic egg. Glue two small green pom-poms on top for eye sockets and stick googly eyes onto them. Cut a long, thin strip of red paper and curl it around a pencil to make the tongue. Glue the tongue inside the “mouth” (the seam of the egg). Cut out webbed feet from green foam and glue them to the bottom so the frog sits upright.
3. Plastic Egg Bird of Paradise Perfect for spring lessons about nature.
- How to make it: Mix and match top and bottom colors for a tropical look. Glue real craft feathers to the sides for wings and a tuft of feathers on top. Cut a small orange triangle for a beak. These look beautiful hanging from a “tree” made of twigs in a vase.
4. The Friendly Alien The aliens have landed, and they are adorable!
- How to make it: Use purple or neon-colored eggs. Use pipe cleaners to create wacky antennae. Glue on multiple googly eyes—maybe three or four! Use silver markers to draw space gear on their “bodies.”
5. Fireflies
- How to make it: Place a small battery-operated LED tea light inside a yellow or translucent plastic egg. Add pipe cleaner wings and draw a face. At night, flicker them on for a magical glowing bug!
Part 2: The Magic of Cardboard Tubes
Toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls are the MVPs of recycled crafting.
6. Binoculars for Explorers Tape two toilet paper rolls together side-by-side. Punch holes on the outer sides and attach a yarn neck strap. Let the kids paint them camouflage colors. Perfect for backyard safaris!
7. Cardboard Tube Racing Cars Cut a rectangle out of the top of a tube (the driver’s seat). Paint the tube bright red or blue. Glue four plastic bottle caps to the sides as wheels.
8. Dragon Fire Breathers Paint a tube green. Glue green pom-pom eyes on one end. Glue long strips of red, orange, and yellow tissue paper to the inside of the “mouth” end. When kids blow through the other end, the “fire” flutters!
9. Confetti Poppers Tie a knot in a deflated balloon and cut off the top tip. Stretch the balloon over one end of a toilet roll. Fill the tube with hole-punch remnants. Pull the balloon knot back and release to shower confetti!
10-25. Rapid Fire Tube Ideas:
- Pencil holders.
- Napkin rings.
- Christmas crackers.
- Superhero cuffs (slit lengthwise).
- Castle towers.
- Rocket ships.
- Rainsticks (filled with rice and sealed).
- Butterflies (add paper wings).
- Snakes (cut spirally).
- Octopus (fringe the bottom).
- Ninjas (use fabric scraps for masks).
- Mummies (wrap in white gauze).
- Kazoos (wax paper over the end).
- Bowling pins.
- Advent calendar pockets.
Part 3: Egg Carton Creations
The bumpy texture of egg cartons makes them perfect for creatures.
26. The Classic Caterpillar Cut a strip of cups from the carton. Turn it upside down and paint it green. Add pipe cleaner antennae and googly eyes to the front “hump.”
27. Treasure Chests Cut out two individual cups. Tape them together at the back to form a hinge. Paint them gold or brown. Kids can hide tiny trinkets inside.
28. Egg Carton Flowers Cut out individual cups. Trim the rims into petal shapes (pointed or rounded). Paint them bright colors and poke a yellow pipe cleaner through the center for a stem.
29-40. More Carton Ideas:
- Ladybugs (paint red with black spots).
- Turtles (use one cup as the shell).
- Spiders (add pipe cleaner legs).
- Helicopters.
- Boats (add a toothpick sail).
- Mushroom fairy houses.
- Wreaths (glue flowers in a circle).
- Masks (cut eye holes).
- Color sorting trays.
- Seed starters.
- Bees.
Part 4: Tin Can Upcyclin
Safety Note: Always tape over the sharp inner edge of a tin can before letting kids handle it.
41. Robot Pencil Holder Clean a tin can and remove the label. Use nuts, bolts, and washers (glued on with strong glue) to create a robot face. It keeps desks tidy and looks futuristic.
42. Tin Can Lanterns Fill a can with water and freeze it (this prevents it from bending). Once frozen, use a hammer and nail to punch holes in a pattern (star, heart). Melt the ice, paint the can, and put a tea light inside.
43. Windsocks Paint the can. Glue long colorful ribbons to the bottom rim. Punch two holes at the top for a hanging string. Hang it outside to dance in the wind.
44-55. Tin Can Ideas:
- Drums (stretch a balloon over the top).
- Planters for succulents.
- Bowling alley (stack them up).
- Stilts (large coffee cans with rope).
- Bee hotels (fill with bamboo sticks).
- Bird feeders.
- Kitchen utensil holder.
- Piggy banks (plastic lid with slot).
- Snowman (stack three cans painted white).
- Totem poles.
- Bucket toss game.
- Garage storage for nails/screws.
Part 5: Cardboard Box Imagination
From cereal boxes to shipping boxes.
56. Cereal Box Guitars Cut a hole in one side of a cereal box. Tape a paper towel roll to the top as the neck. Stretch rubber bands across the hole for strings.
57. Cardboard City Use various sizes of boxes (milk cartons, shoe boxes, shipping boxes) to build a city. Paint windows and doors. Use black paper for roads connecting them.
58. Shadow Puppet Theater Cut a rectangle out of the bottom of a shoe box. Tape parchment paper over the hole. Shine a flashlight from the back and use paper puppets to tell stories.
59-75. Box Ideas:
- Dollhouses.
- Marble mazes (straws glued inside a lid).
- Pizza box solar oven.
- Shields and swords.
- Postcards (from cereal box cardboard).
- Bookmarks.
- Laptop stand.
- Shoebox diorama.
- Car garage.
- Train tunnels.
- Magazine files.
- Jigsaw puzzles (paint a picture, then cut it up).
- Play kitchen stove.
- Robot costume.
- Airplane (wearable with straps).
- Elevator for dolls.
- Puppet show stage.
Part 6: Miscellaneous Trash to Treasure
CDs, Bottle Caps, and Mason Jars.
76. CD Suncatchers Old CDs reflect light beautifully. Decorate the shiny side with permanent markers or gems and hang them in a sunny window.
77. Bottle Cap Snake Punch a hole in the center of 10-15 plastic bottle caps. Thread a string through them to create a wiggly snake body. Use a larger cap for the head.
78. Mason Jar Snow Globes Glue a small plastic toy to the inside of a jar lid. Fill the jar with water, a drop of glycerin (to slow the glitter fall), and glitter. Screw the lid on tight and flip.
79-100+. The Final Mix:
- Popsicle Sticks: Frames, airplanes, catapults, snowflakes.
- Old Socks: Sock puppets, draft stoppers, heating pads (filled with rice).
- Glass Jars: Terrariums, calm down jars, fairy lights.
- Newspaper: Papier-mâché bowls, woven coasters, hats.
- Bubble Wrap: Painting prints (stomp painting), sensory jellyfish.
- Plastic Bottles: Jet packs (spray painted silver), hanging planters, bowling pins, sensory bottles, bird feeders.
- Milk Jugs: Watering cans (poke holes in the cap), scoops, whale crafts.
- Old Buttons: Mosaic art, jewelry.
- Straws: Pan flutes, bead necklaces.
- Magazines: Collage art, paper beads, woven baskets.
- Fabric Scraps: Rag wreaths, braided bracelets.
- Yarn Scraps: Pom-poms, dream catchers.
- Old Keys: Wind chimes.
- Puzzle Pieces: Picture frames, snowflake ornaments.
- Paper Plates: Masks, flying saucers, sundials.
Conclusion: Small Hands, Big Impact
By engaging in these 100+ recycled crafts, you are doing more than just keeping the kids busy on a rainy afternoon. You are instilling a mindset of sustainability. You are teaching them that with a little imagination, a “useless” object can become a toy, a gift, or a piece of art.
So, the next time you head to the recycling bin, pause and take a look. Is that a milk jug, or is it a future elephant? Is that an egg carton, or a fleet of ladybugs? The choice is yours!
