15 Preschool Crafts Using Recycled Materials
Before you throw it away, look at it again. Toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, milk jugs, cardboard boxes.
Your recycling bin is a craft supply store. Free materials that become toddler art projects with a little imagination.
These preschool crafts use what you already have. Preschool arts and crafts that cost nothing but time.
Why Recycled Crafts Work
Kids don't know the difference between expensive craft supplies and a cardboard tube. They see potential in everything.
Using recycled materials teaches creativity and resourcefulness. These daycare crafts work at home too.
1. Toilet Paper Roll Animals
Owls, bees, butterflies, caterpillars. Paint them, add googly eyes, create a whole zoo. Toddler arts and crafts staple.
2. Egg Carton Caterpillars
Cut the carton into strips, paint each cup a different color, add pipe cleaner antennae. Classic recycled craft.
3. Cardboard Box Houses
Big boxes become playhouses, small boxes become dollhouses. Cut windows, add doors, decorate walls. Preschool art activities that last.
4. Milk Jug Planters
Cut the top off, decorate the outside, fill with soil and seeds. Functional art they can watch grow.
5. Magazine Collages
Cut pictures from old magazines, glue into new creations. Scissors practice plus creativity. Great for fine motor development.
6. Bottle Cap Mosaics
Collect bottle caps over time, glue them into patterns or pictures on cardboard. Fall preschool activities for collecting.
7. Newspaper Hats
Fold newspaper into hats, crowns, boats. Origami basics using free paper.
8. Cereal Box Puzzles
Cut the front of cereal boxes into puzzle pieces. Custom puzzles from breakfast.
9. Plastic Bottle Bowling
Fill empty bottles with a little water or sand. Homemade bowling set. Fall arts and crafts meets game time.
10. Paper Bag Puppets
Brown bags become characters. Draw faces, add paper features, put on shows.
11. CD Ornaments
Old CDs decorated with paint, stickers, or glued items. Shiny, sparkly, special.
12. Sock Puppets
Mismatched or worn out socks become puppet friends. Add buttons, yarn, felt. Toddler art projects with personality.
13. Cardboard Stamps
Cut shapes from cardboard, glue to bottle caps or corks. Custom stamps for paint or ink.
14. Tin Can Drums
Clean cans with lids removed (edges taped safe). Decorate, stretch balloons over top, drum away.
15. Egg Carton Flowers
Cut cups into flower shapes, paint bright colors, attach to green straws or sticks. Bouquets that last forever.
After Craft Time
When the glue dries, keep creating with the Smart Sketch Workbook.
The PlayBright Visuals continue the creative mood. The ScreenFree SkillGrooves channel craft energy into pre-writing skills. And unlike recycled crafts that pile up, the EverWrite Surface stays contained. Preschool arts and crafts that build toward learning.
The Bottom Line
Crafts don't require a shopping trip. They require seeing possibilities in what you already have.
Kids learn that creating comes from imagination, not from buying things.