Create Craft
24 Easy Recycled Craft Ideas for Kids … Using Things you’d Usually Throw Away
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These straightforward kid-friendly craft ideas reuse common home items like plastic bottles, used newspapers, and denim jeans. Therefore, there is no need to spend a fortune on art supplies.
These quick and simple kid-friendly craft projects are ideal for rainy days, school breaks, and creative weekends and a fantastic way to reuse items you might otherwise toss away.
Kids will enjoy upcycling common household objects into creative art projects, including plastic bottles, egg cartons, and old CDs.
Additionally, students will learn all about recycling while having fun.
It’s time to dig through the trash and get creative!
Recycled kids’ crafts using plastic bottles
Old plastic bottles can be used to create hundreds of fun craft projects, from bottle top art to plastic bottle plant pots.
If you cut them down they make great paint and paint brush holders, too.
1. Recycled kitten planters
These adorable kitten planters are incredibly easy to build and are perfect for keeping your favourite cactus or kitchen herbs.
Make sure to leave higher points for ears when cutting a plastic bottle to size. Then, kids can add faces and embellish with paint, glue, and buttons.
Their gorgeous creation won’t smudge whether they use oil paint or even just a simple permanent marker. You need this convenient multi-pack of 18 coloured Sharpie fine-tip markers. They are inexpensively available from Amazon for £10.12.
Why not try tigers, monsters, and other creatures instead of sticking to kittens?
2. Recycled bottle top pictures
Bright bottle caps are excellent art supplies.
They can be adhered to cards to make fascinating 3D images. They make fantastic flower centres, fish bodies, and car wheels for kids to use. their imagination is the only restriction!
These self-adhesive ‘googly eyes’ are ideal for creative projects! Use them to transform bottle tops or any other object into lifelike people or animals.
3. Recycled plastic bottle top ladybirds
It’s SOOO simple to make these ladybirds from the Love & Lollipops blog.
All you need are some stick-on googly eyes and some marker pens. Kids can paint on eyeballs if you don’t want to use googly eyes.
Additionally, try building bumblebees.
4. Recycled bottle print flowers
Why hadn’t we spotted this earlier?
The base of many plastic bottles is shaped like a flower. As in this inventive suggestion from site Crafty Morning, dip bottles in paint to make a pretty painting. Create an entire garden by using bottles of various sizes and hues.
We strongly advise making an investment in a complete paint kit that will inspire your child to spend time on enjoyable and imaginative activities like this one. With three useful brushes included, this 24-piece collection of acrylic paint tubes can be used on just about any surface.
5. Recycled plastic bottle piggy bank
Create this turtle money box using the bottom of a plastic bottle and a sponge cloth.
Attach the turtle-shaped sponge to the base of an old plastic bottle by cutting it to size. If you’re making with younger children, it’s better if an adult completes this step. Otherwise, use strong glue.
Create a slit on the sponge cloth’s bottom so you can put pennies in the piggy bank.
6. Recycled sci-fi rocket fuelled jet pack
Doodle Craft
Zoom! Although it appears complex, this Doodle Craft rocket jet pack is quite simple to construct.
Two sizable plastic bottles should be painted in a suitable cosmic colour. Straps can be created by attaching to a piece of card and using webbing, ribbons, or string.
The exciting part is the flames. They are easy for kids to make out of felt, used t-shirts, crepe paper or painted recycled newspaper.
Recycled kids’ crafts using card
Take those used cereal boxes, toilet paper rolls, cardboard boxes, and egg cartons out of the recycle bin and give the youngsters some creative freedom.
7. Recycled toilet roll monsters
Get ready to get alarmed! Kids will enjoy making these toilet paper monsters for hours.
They have so many options from which to choose. You can decorate with any old objects you have lying around the house, such bottle tops and buttons.
8. Recycled egg carton caterpillars
Creative Green Living
It’s very simple to make these adorable caterpillars from Creative Green Living. Let the youngsters loose with the paint, biodegradable glitter, and handicraft materials.
Check out these adorable recycled egg box flowers and simple egg box ladybirds for additional egg box inspiration.
To make the distinctive antennae, pipe cleaners are required. You may use this practical pack of 100 multicoloured ones for countless craft projects, and it will last you for ages.
9. Recycled art wall
Art Bar blog
This concept from the Art Bar blog is fantastic. Unfold a sizable cardboard box. Collect a lot of items that would otherwise be discarded around the house, such as egg boxes, lollipops, and bottle tops.
Then let children to utilise their creativity to make a sizable recycled art wall.
10.Recycled shoebox theatre
Handmade Charlotte
Kids will enjoy building a makeshift theatre out of an old shoe box and performing plays with homemade puppets.
Draw puppets on card, then attach them to wooden sticks or used pencils to make puppets. Try this light-up arctic theatre from the craft blog Handmade Charlotte if you want to go all out.
11. Recycled toilet roll mobile
By glueing strips of coloured tissue paper or old magazines inside, you may transform discarded toilet paper rolls into vibrant mobiles. When you hang them close to a window, they will sway like vibrant fish.
You will need tissue paper in a variety of colours. On Amazon, you may get a wide range of colours and sizes, but we advise choosing this basic set with 40 pieces in a variety of colours.
12. Recycled toilet roll octopus
A toilet paper roll can be painted any colour you like. Once it has dried, draw on a face and make eight leg slits at the bottom.
Looking for other toilet paper reuse ideas? Look at these simple toilet paper roll crafts.
Recycled kids’ crafts using cans
These fantastic kid-friendly craft ideas use cleaned-out old cans. Simply check to see if the cans you’re using have any jagged edges first.
13.Recycled tin can drums
These simple tin can bongos are great for kids. But it might not be your ears.
Old tin cans, balloons, and elastic bands are all you need.
14.Recycled tin can stilts
Did you also have some of these as a child?
Use a nail, hammer, or drill to make two holes in each side of two large tin cans (this step is for adults only). Through the holes, thread a string. Set the youngsters free in the garden at this point.
Recycled kids’ crafts using CDs
All those used CDs and DVDs you’ve been wanting to donate to the charity store will get a new lease on life thanks to these fascinating crafts.
15. Recycled CD fish
Draw scales on an old CD with a marker pen. Add fins with folded card.
Kids can create a whole school of fish and paint a seascape to stick them to.
16. Recycled CD windspinners
Happy Hooligans
CDs are beautiful because they are so shiny and beautiful.
Grab any decorative craft supplies you might have on hand, such as ribbons, chocolate coin wrappers, buttons, jewels, and biodegradable glitter. Then allow your children to customise the CDs whatever they like.
Beautiful floral and stone jewels in this 750-piece collection add a sparkly finishing touch that children (AND adults) will adore. Additionally, it has a useful organiser of its own. It costs £3.44 on Amazon.com.
The windspinner CDs can then be hung by a window or in the garden, where they will spin and reflect light. They work well at deterring birds from your plants as well.
Recycled kids’ crafts using paper
With these easy craft projects for kids, you can recycle used books, magazines, wrapping paper, printer paper, and even newspapers.
17. Recycled folded paper bracelets
Picklebums
Kids who are a little older will enjoy making them and gifting them to their friends. You can use any old paper, including copies of the children’s artwork, books, magazines, and newspapers. Picklebums provides detailed directions.
18. Recycled paper mache bowls
The effects of paper mache (papier-mâché) are worth the mess. These paper mache bowls may be made using flour, water, and old newspaper. A balloon or an old bowl coated in foil can be used to shape the bowls into the desired shape.
19. Recycled newspaper or book leaf garland
Red Ted Art
You may still make out the words when using watercolours or thin paints to cover newspaper or pages from old books, creating a wonderful textured look.
Make gorgeous garlands like this autumnal leaf garland from Red Ted Art by painting various colours and cutting out shapes. There are also a tonne more kid-friendly autumn craft ideas here.
20. Recycled magazine craft collage
For handicraft, used magazines and comic books are fantastic. Children can use cutout images and coloured pieces to make greeting cards and other artwork.
Recycled kids’ crafts using denim and old clothes
Utilise these simple DIY craft ideas to recycle worn-out clothing.
21. Recycled glove monsters
Craftaholics Anonymous
Do you have any single gloves lying around? Create these easy-to-make yet potent monsters from Craftaholics Anonymous. For smaller children, you will need to sew, but they will love adding fabric and buttons to make faces.
22. Recycled kids’ sock puppets
Sock puppets are a classic project, and youngsters can make plays with them in which to act later. Use an old cardboard box recycled to create the stage.
You may add more characters by using these simple kid-friendly puppet-making techniques.
23. Recycled tie-dye kids’ t-shirt
An outdated t-shirt may be made fun again with tie-dye. On YouTube, there are a tonne of courses and methods to try.
Just remember to use rubber gloves and cover surfaces with protective sheeting because tie-dying can be messy, especially with younger children.
24. Recycled denim photo frame
Crafts by Amanda
Cover a plain picture frame, like this one from Crafts by Amanda, with old jeans. The frame can then be embellished by children using additional fabric scraps before being filled with their favourite photograph.
Do you have any wonderful recycled craft suggestions? In the discussion below, express your ideas to other parents.