Creating crafts and art pieces together is a fun family activity. But what if I told you there was a way to create wonderful crafts from waste materials? In this article, we bring to you 10 recycled craft ideas for your kids. These crafts made out of recycled materials for kids will help you reduce waste and teach them a bit about recycling!
1. Pencil shaving art
I’m pretty sure I throw out at least one garbage bag full of pencil shavings every month. But did you know you could make wonderful art with the shavings instead of throwing them away? Here is a way to turn simple pencil shaving into a frame-worthy art piece!
What you’ll need:
- Pencil shavings
- A pencil and sketch pens/paint
- Glue
- Fine art paper
How to:
- Draw an outline for your picture using a pencil on a fine art paper.
- Use the pencil shavings to decorate the simple outline using glue.
- You can choose to use the shavings by itself or colour it to suit the picture.
- Ta-da! Your recycled picture art is ready! You can either display it on your fridge or frame it and put it up in your kid’s room.
2. Plastic bottle piggy bank
We all know how terrible plastic is for the environment. But yet, shoved away in some dark corner, we all have a pile of plastic bottles just lying around. Here is a fun DIY piggy bank project for your kids using plastic bottles. Not only will this project help recycle a plastic bottle but also inculcate the habit of saving money.
What you’ll need:
- Plastic bottle
- Paint
- Googly eyes
- Waste paper
- Knife/Blade
- Glue
How to:
- Rinse the plastic bottle so it’s completely clean on the inside.
- Let your child paint the bottle in their favourite colour.
- While the paint dries, cut the waste paper in the shape of pig ears. You can also use waste visiting cards instead of paper.
- Once the paint is dry, paste the ears a little below the mouth of the bottle and the googly eyes ahead of it.
- Make a slit big enough to put in coins in the middle of the bottle using a knife. It’s highly advisable that you do not let your kid do this part as they might end up hurting themselves with the knife.
- Mark the bottle cap with two nostrils and your piggy bank is ready!
3. Jewellery stand
Your little girl is sure to love this DIY jewellery stand made out of plastic. It’s easy to make, practical, and recycled!
What you’ll need:
- Plastic bottles
- Paint
- Knife
- Threaded rod
- Nuts and washers of the same size
- Drill
How to:
- Cut out the bottom part of 4 plastic bottles for the stands. (Choose bottles with petal bottoms).
- Drill a hole through the middle of the stands.
- Paint the stands and let them dry.
- Now it’s time to thread the stands.
- Thread the rod through the stands and use the nuts and washers to secure the stand.
- Ensure the stand at the bottom is flipped upside down to offer stability.
- You daughter can now keep her jewellery in this petal stand!
4. Tin can chime
Instead of buying a new wind chime for my daughter’s room, we decided to make one ourselves using empty tin cans! Not only did it turn out beautiful, but we also have more space in our attic now.
What you’ll need:
- Empty tin cans
- Yarn
- Washers
- Drill
- Paint
How to:
- Rinse the tins to make sure they are clean.
- Remove the lids and keep them separately.
- Drill a hole through the bottom of the tin cans.
- Paint the tin cans in bright colours.
- Pass the yarn through the hole in the tin can.
- Tie two washers to the yarn. One to hold the tin can in place and one at the end of the yarn for that beautiful chime when they hit the can.
- Tie the tin cans together and suspend them off of a flat surface.
- You now have a beautiful and melodious tin can chime ready!
5. Popsicle pen stand
If your kids are anything like mine, you’ll be throwing out a lot of popsicle sticks every week. Popsicles are a staple in my house regardless of the weather. Here is a fun way to turn those plain popsicle sticks into a fun pen stand!
What you’ll need:
- Popsicle sticks
- Empty cardboard box
- Glue
- Sketch pen/paint
- Decoration motifs
How to:
- Cut the empty cardboard box to the desired size for the pen stand.
- Paint the popsicle sticks. Alternatively, you can also draw on the popsicle sticks with sketch pens.
- Using glue stick the popsicles on the box so that it covers all the sides.
- Once the glue dries down, you can adorn the pen stand further with animal motifs or any other embellishment of your choice.
6. Sock puppets
It’s about time we accept that we will never figure out the case of single missing socks. Instead of throwing away all the single socks that come from the dryer, here is a fun activity for you and your kids.
What you’ll need:
- Old socks or single socks
- Yarn
- Felt paper
- Googly eyes or buttons
- Fabric glue
- Creative imagination
How to:
- Turn the sock into your kid’s favourite character. Use the yarn for hair, and the felt paper for ears. If you do not have googly eyes, you can just use buttons for eyes.
- You can even fancy clothes out of the felt paper and stick them to the sock with fabric glue.
7. Plastic spoon mirror decor
Picture credit: Youtube
I had no idea that plastic spoons could look so chic! This plastic spoon framed mirror looks elegant and is the perfect addition to your kid’s bedroom or bathroom.
What you’ll need:
- Plastic spoons
- Spray paint or regular paint
- Cardboard sheet (Cut into a round shape)
- Hot glue
- Scissors
- Mirror
How to:
- Trace the outline of your mirror on the cardboard sheet. We suggest using small round mirrors.
- Cut the plastic spoons and keep only the ‘scoop’ parts. We will be using these as the petals.
- Spray paint the plastic spoons. You can choose a single colour or go for an ombre effect.
- Start glueing the spoons around the traced mirror part using a hot glue gun.
- Once you are done glueing all the ‘plastic petals’, let it dry.
- Glue the mirror to the cardboard.
- Ta-da! Your pretty and recycled flower mirror frame is ready!
8. Bottle Cap fridge magnet
This DIY project will help you make something fun out of simple bottle caps.
What you’ll need:
- Bottle caps
- Paint
- Hot glue
- Small magnets
- Nuts
How to:
- Paint the top side of the magnet (Let your kids pick what to paint).
- Glue the nut to the magnet using hot glue.
- Once the paint on the cap has dried, glue the nut with the magnet to the underside of the cap in such a way that the magnet is facing up.
- Your fridge magnet is ready!
*You can glue the magnet without the nut, but due to the shape of the cap, the magnet might have trouble adhering to the fridge.
9. CD coasters
Picture credit: Youtube
Here is a fun and useful DIY for all those old CDs you have lying around the house.
What you’ll need:
- Old CDs
- Paint
- Twine
- Hot Glue
- Regular glue
- Cardboard paper
How to:
- Cover the hole in the middle of the CD with a cardboard paper cut to the size of the hole. You can layer two sheets of paper for this and use regular glue.
- Paint the CD in bright colours. You can use primer paint before regular paint for a clean look.
- Once the paint has dried down, attach a string of twine around the CD using hot glue. This adds the finishing touch to your CD coaster.
10. Leaf confetti
Picture credit: Pinterest
While this might not exactly include any waste materials, it’s definitely a better alternative for paper confetti. It also gives you the chance to teach your kids about sustainability.
What you’ll need:
- Dry leaves
- Paper punch
- Paint (Optional)
How to:
- Gather your dry leaves and start punching holes away with the paper puncher.
- If you want confetti of a specific colour, you can just paint the leaf confetti.
This eco-friendly confetti can be replaced with regular confetti for all sorts of occasions and craft/art projects!
So which one of these crafts made out of recycled materials are you planning on trying first? Let us know if you have any ideas for recycled craft projects!
