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Kids love to do crafts. Using recycled materials to make crafts is a fun way to teach kids about the benefits of recycling. We’ve created a list of some really creative ways to use recycled items. Your kids will enjoy making these cute art projects and creating colourful decorations for the winter season:
1. Toilet Paper Roll Snowflakes
Do you use a lot of toilet paper and paper towels in your household? If so… you’ve probably got a lot of cardboard tubes lying around waiting to be recycled. Why not put them to better use and turn them into beautiful snowflakes instead?
https://onelittleproject.com/paper-roll-snowflakes/
2. Plastic Bottle Snowman
This craft may require non-recyclable materials to get the results you want, but if you’d like to challenge your kids… make it a game to see how many recyclable materials they can use to dress up their snowman!
https://earlylearningideas.com/snowman-fine-motor-activity/
3. Snowman Paper Plate Masks
Want to steal Frosty the snowman’s look? This sustainable recycling project is quick and easy if you don’t have much time on your hands.
https://meaningfulmama.com/snowman-paper-plate-masks.html
4. Cardboard Gingerbread Playhouse
A cardboard box can be anything if you use your imagination. Your kids will love helping you build and decorate this festive fort. Bonus points if you use other recyclable materials like paper plates and plastic bottles!
https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/holidays/diy-cardboard-gingerbread-playhouse
5. Egg Carton Reindeer
Much like cardboard boxes, egg cartons are a very versatile craft-friendly recyclable material. Cut out individual sections to create mini reindeer, or keep the whole thing intact if your kids prefer to make a reindeer sleigh. The possibilities are (almost) endless!
https://www.craftymorning.com/egg-carton-reindeer-craft-kids/
6. Recycled Newspaper Penguin
This super cute skiing penguin is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon with the kids after you’re finished reading the local weekend newspaper.
https://incredibusy.com/newspaper-crafts-spirals-penguin-on-a-sledge/
7. Popsicle Stick Sled
While popsicle sticks are recyclable, they’re not as common to be kept around in large quantities (unless you’re a big fan of fudgesicles!). You might need to buy the popsicle sticks from an arts and crafts store to make this one.
https://www.firefliesandmudpies.com/wooden-sled-ornament/
8. Tin Can Lanterns
Tin cans are a common recyclable that can be upcycled into what we like to call tin ‘canterns’. The look on your kids’ faces when you light these at night will be worth the effort!
https://kidscraftroom.com/homemade-gifts-tin-can-lanterns/
9. Plastic Snowboarding Halfpipe
If you’ve ever caught your kids pretending their fingers are a skateboard or snowboard in the past, now you can give them a practical toy to play with.
https://jdaniel4smom.com/2018/01/winter-olympic-sports-stem-snowboarding-halfpipe.html
10. Milk Jug Igloo
This recycling project is ideal for schools. Mostly because households don’t have access to commercial recycling bins that would be able to collect the amount of milk jugs required to build this. A community recycling project like this is guaranteed to get kids excited about recycling!
https://diyprojects.ideas2live4.com/2016/01/09/how-to-build-a-milk-jug-igloo/
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Looking for more recycling projects for kids? Check out these other blogs:
- 9 Easy Recycling Art Projects For Kids
- 4 Simple Ways To Get Your Kids To Recycle
- How To Motivate Elementary, High School, and University Students To Recycle
CleanRiver Recycling provides a variety of innovative, flexible, and customizable recycling solutions. To determine the right solution to meet your needs, use the CleanRiver product selector.
If you have additional questions that weren’t answered in this blog post please call us at 1-866-479-4038 or email solutions@cleanriver.com.
