8 recycling crafts for preschoolers, each with a picture and simple steps. Easy ideas for ages 3 to 5 using paper, paint, and glue.
The recycling bin is a craft drawer that refills itself. Here are eight recycling crafts for preschoolers with pictures, supplies, and steps, from a toilet paper roll bee to an eggshell caterpillar garden that grows real grass hair.
A three-year-old paints a tube yellow, and the table along with it. A five-year-old adds stripes, wings, and antennae herself and checks the garden each morning for hair. Families make these around Earth Day in April, or whenever the bin is full and it is raining.
The child paints cut-out egg carton cups in bright colours and attaches them to straw or pipe cleaner stems to make a bouquet.
You need: egg carton cups, paint, flat buttons, green pipe cleaners, glue
The child paints a cardboard tube yellow, adds black stripes, paper wings, eyes and pipe cleaner antennae.
You need: 1 toilet paper roll, yellow and black paint, white paper, 2 googly eyes, 1 black pipe cleaner, black marker, glue
The child paints a tube for the body and glues on paper or coloured coffee filter wings and pipe cleaner antennae.
You need: 1 toilet paper roll, blue paint, orange construction paper, purple paint, 2 googly eyes, 2 short yellow pipe cleaner pieces, glue
The child paints or wraps a cardboard tube white, then glues on paper ears, a face and a cotton ball tail.
You need: 1 toilet paper roll, white paint, white and pink construction paper, 2 googly eyes, 1 white cotton ball, black marker, glue
The child paints a strip of egg carton cups, then pokes in pipe cleaner antennae and adds eyes.
You need: 1 strip of 5 joined egg carton cups, green paint, 2 googly eyes, 2 short red pipe cleaner pieces, glue
The child fills a row of eggshell halves in a carton with soil and cress or grass seed, adds a face, and watches the caterpillar grow green hair.
You need: a strip of egg carton cups, eggshell halves, potting soil, cress seed, 2 googly eyes, 1 green pipe cleaner
The child paints a tube green and adds eyes on top, a mouth and folded paper legs.
You need: 1 toilet paper roll, green paint, green paper, 2 googly eyes, black marker, glue
The child paints egg carton cups red and green and adds stems and leaves.
You need: Single egg carton cups, red and green paint, short brown pipe cleaner pieces, green paper, glue
Nothing matches that filter. Clear it and try again.
Cut the egg cartons and tubes ahead of time. Egg carton cardboard is tough, and the cutting for egg carton flowers and the egg carton caterpillar is adult work. Once the pieces are cut, the painting is all the child's.
A tube rolls away when you paint it. Stand it on a piece of tape, or slide it over a finger or a wooden spoon handle. Let the paint dry fully before the toilet paper roll bunny gets its ears and the frog gets its legs.
Start a box of washed tubes, cartons and cereal boxes now, and the next craft is ready to go. Egg carton apples and the bee take one tube or one carton row each.
The eggshell caterpillar garden is the one to keep on the windowsill. Water it a little, and within a week or so the green hair comes up. The rest can stand on a shelf as a small zoo, or go to school for a recycling week.
Free · 30 questions · about 4 minutes Before you go: see where your child is for kindergarten A report with every area at a glance, what to focus on first, and things to do at home. Get my child's free report →13 toilet paper roll crafts for preschoolers, each with a picture and simple steps. Easy ideas for ages 3 to 5 using paper, paint and glue.
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