Recycled crafts turn clean packaging, such as cardboard tubes, egg boxes, bottles, jars and tins, into toys, art and useful objects. You need very little: clean materials, glue or tape, and some paint. This guide gives you ideas sorted by material, what suits each age, how to prepare materials safely and how to keep the finished piece recyclable.

TL;DR

• Start with clean, dry packaging: cardboard, egg boxes, toilet rolls, plastic bottles, jars and tins.
• Match the project to the age. Three-year-olds paint and stick. Older children plan, cut and build.
• Adults handle thick cardboard, plastic, glass, hot glue and sharp tin edges.
• Wash and dry containers, remove labels and staples, and bin anything cracked, rusty or sharp.
• Let children design their own piece. It teaches more than copying a finished example.

Table of Contents

• What counts as a recycled craft
• Materials and tools to collect
• Prepare reused materials safely
• Which crafts suit which age
• Easy recycled crafts from cardboard and paper
• Recycled art ideas with plastic, tins and jars
• Keep the finished craft recyclable
• Let children design, not copy
• Our perspective
• From craft table to garden
• A simple plan for a first session
• FAQ
• Sources

What counts as a recycled craft

Most recycled crafts are really reuse projects. The object is used again, not melted down or pulped into new material. That is a good thing. Reducing and reusing come before recycling in the waste hierarchy, as ArtsyCraftsyMom explains.

The idea is also a useful lesson for children. DiscoverE teaches the circular economy to children in simple terms: like nature, nothing should be wasted, and materials can be used again and again.

At The Zoofamily we like this link between making and nature. We design our products with animals in mind to spark interest in the outdoors, and a craft afternoon with a cereal box does the same job for free.

Materials and tools to collect

Keep a box or drawer for craft materials. Good things to save:

• Cereal boxes, shoe boxes and other thin cardboard
• Toilet-roll and kitchen-roll tubes
• Cardboard egg boxes
• Plastic bottles and bottle tops
• Clean jam jars and tins
• Paper bags, old newspaper and wrapping paper
• Fabric scraps, string, ribbon and thread
• Old CDs

For joining pieces, DiscoverE lists string, ribbon, thread, glue and gummed paper tape. Add child-safe scissors, washable paint, felt-tip pens and a tray or old tablecloth.

If you craft with a group, give each child a tray with their own materials. It cuts down on arguments and mess, a tip from ArtsyCraftsyMom.

Prepare reused materials safely

This step takes five minutes and matters most.

1. Wash and dry food containers.
2. Peel off labels and remove staples.
3. Throw away anything cracked, rusty or sharp.
4. Never reuse packaging that held raw meat, medicines, pesticides or household chemicals.
5. Keep small parts away from young children and supervise them closely.

These steps come from the ArtsyCraftsyMom guide. Official bodies add more points:

• Health Canada’s play-time advice says to supervise actively at all times, check labels and instructions, use non-toxic water-based paints, keep the room ventilated, allow no food or drink while crafting, and wash hands afterwards.
• The US Consumer Product Safety Commission advises avoiding solvents, old or unlabelled supplies and airborne dust. It also says adults should mix powdered materials and that low-temperature hot-glue guns are safer than high-temperature ones.
• Health Canada’s guidance for art teachers says children do not fully understand chemical hazards. Use products labelled for children, and avoid fast-acting superglues and solvent-based adhesives.

In practice: use white school glue or paper tape, and keep hot glue for the adult’s turn.

Which crafts suit which age

Children’s hand skills change quickly between 3 and 8. At age 3, children are building the muscle control and focus for precise hand and finger movements, and they like trying scissors, paint, paper and clay, according to HealthyChildren.org.

The split between what children and adults do is based on the ArtsyCraftsyMom guide. For toddlers and preschoolers, HealthyChildren.org suggests touch-based play such as finger painting with mud or stamping with leaves. At about age 3 you can add safety scissors to cut leaves.

One example of an age rating: Crayola’s tin-can planter is rated for ages 8 and up, and an adult needs to help with uneven can edges. For very young children, replace fragile or small parts with sturdier cardboard and avoid choking hazards, as DIY.org advises.

If your child is still at the squishing, sorting and stamping stage, a guide to sensory play and child development explains why that exploration matters.

Easy recycled crafts from cardboard and paper

Cardboard is the easiest material to start with. It is free, it is easy to paint and it holds its shape.

Cardboard boxes

PBS KIDS suggests using cereal and other boxes to make:

• cityscapes
• puppet theatres
• cardboard houses
• castles
• dollhouses

A shoe box also works as a stage. Cut the front off, paint the inside and add paper puppets on lolly sticks.

Toilet-roll tubes

Tubes become animals, binoculars, rockets and maracas. Stick two tubes together for a pair of pretend binoculars, add a string to hang them round the neck and decorate. For ages 2 and up, an adult can pre-cut ears and tails, and the child sticks them on. That tip comes from a family craft guide.

For older children, try the suspension bridge project. It uses 8 toilet-paper rolls, 2 kitchen-roll tubes, 4 to 5 used CDs and string. The slits for the CDs need careful cutting, so an adult should help.

Egg boxes

PBS KIDS lists egg-box flower garlands, turtles, seedling pots and maracas. The same family guide rates egg-box flowers for ages 3 and up, with an adult cutting and shaping the cups for younger children.

Paper bags

For a paper bag house, cut a roof shape into the bag, paint it and weigh it down with pebbles or toys, following PBS KIDS. Make a whole street and let the children draw doors and windows.

We have also collected more ideas in our post 8 creative recycled art projects.

Recycled art ideas with plastic, tins and jars

Plastic bottles

Bottles are light and waterproof, so they suit outdoor projects. PBS KIDS mentions fireflies, fish, bowling pins, glitter jars, bird feeders, flowers and a pretend jet pack.

For a windsock, cut a ring from a bottle, attach 1-inch strips of plastic bags and hang it from string. Children can watch the wind move it. An adult cuts the ring.

Cartons

A 2-litre juice carton makes a mini herb garden. Tape the top end, cut away one long side, add drainage holes and fill with potting mix, as in the Planet Ark instructions. This one links crafts to growing food, a good fit for spring.

Bottle tops and tins

Bottle-top magnets are rated for ages 5 and up, and tin-can wind chimes for ages 6 and up, in the family craft guide. Adults punch the holes in tins and supervise any hot glue or strong adhesive. Cover or smooth metal edges before a child touches a can.

An Australian reuse-arts guide also lists bottle-cap mandalas, desk tidies, papier-mâché globes, recycled cards and home-made instruments, with projects for both preschool and primary-school children.

Keep the finished craft recyclable

A craft you can recycle later is neater. Some points:

• Clean cardboard is usually accepted in kerbside recycling. Cardboard stained with food, grease or paint is contaminated and belongs in general waste, according to RecycleRight, a Merseyside council-backed service. Check your own council’s rules, as they differ by area.
• Use pencils, felt-tips or watercolours if you want the paper to stay recyclable. An Australian guide says items decorated with oil-based paint go in general waste.
• The same guide says tiny cut-outs smaller than a credit card should go in the general bin, so they do not contaminate the recycling.

Note that the last two rules come from Australia. UK councils set their own rules, so look up your local one.

Let children design, not copy

A craft from a picture is fine. A craft the child planned is better. DIY.org suggests this order:

1. Ask the child to brainstorm what to make.
2. Sketch a simple plan.
3. Build it.
4. Test it and change it.

Testing and adjusting teaches cause and effect, a basic engineering idea. Praising the attempts, not only the result, builds resilience.

Try a prompt such as: “Make a vehicle for a toy mouse using only this box and two tubes.” Then step back.

Our perspective

We make cameras, walkie-talkies and binoculars for children aged 3 and up, and we design them with animals to draw children toward nature. For every camera sold, we plant one tree. Recycled crafts fit the same idea.

Here is what we suggest:

• Make the craft, then take it outside. A cardboard-tube pair of binoculars is more fun on a walk.
• Photograph the finished piece. Children like to keep a record of what they built.
• Keep the project small. One box, one hour, one idea.
• Keep the adult job clear: cutting, heat, glass, metal edges.

Crafts made from waste show children that objects have a second life. That is a good first lesson in caring for the planet.

— ALAIN

From craft table to garden

Once the craft is finished, children often want to use it outside. Our Zoo animals accessories include sleeves at €9.95 and bags at €19.95 to carry a camera, and our kids’ cameras let them photograph their work and the nature they find. Prices as published on our site:

See the full range on our shop.

A simple plan for a first session

If you have never done this, start small.

1. Pick one material. Egg boxes or toilet rolls are the easiest.
2. Prepare it the day before: wash, dry, peel labels, remove staples.
3. Put out one tray per child with glue, paint and a few decorations.
4. Decide who does what. Adults cut, children stick and paint.
5. Let the paint dry, then use the piece in play.
6. Recycle what is left, if it is clean.

A session of 30 to 45 minutes is enough for ages 3 to 5. Older children may work for an hour or more if they planned the project themselves.

FAQ

What are the easiest recycled crafts for young children?

Toilet-roll animals, egg-box flowers and painted paper bag houses are easy starting points. A family craft guide rates toilet-roll animals for ages 2 and up and egg-box flowers for ages 3 and up. Adults should pre-cut the pieces for the youngest children.

Is it safe to reuse food containers for crafts?

Yes, if you prepare them properly. Wash and dry them, remove labels and staples, and throw away anything cracked, rusty or sharp. Never reuse packaging that held raw meat, medicines, pesticides or household chemicals.

Which glue should I use with children?

Use glue labelled for children, such as white school glue, or paper tape. Health Canada advises avoiding fast-acting superglues and solvent-based adhesives. Keep hot glue for adults, and use a low-temperature gun if you must.

Can I put finished crafts in the recycling bin?

Only if they are clean and made of a single recyclable material. Paint, food stains and mixed materials can make cardboard unrecyclable. Check your local council’s guidance for your area.

Sources

• DIY Upcycling Activities, PBS KIDS for Parents
• The Suspension Bridge Engineering Project, PBS KIDS
• Observe Wind With a DIY Windsock, PBS KIDS
• Paper Bag Houses, PBS KIDS
• Repurpose Your Trash, DiscoverE
• Reuse mini herb garden, Planet Ark
• Reuse Arts and Crafts Guide 2025
• 100+ Easy Recycled Crafts for Kids, ArtsyCraftsyMom
• Recycled Crafts from Household Items for Families
• Create something new out of junk, DIY.org
• Tin Can Planter, Crayola
• Hand and Finger Skills of Your Preschooler, HealthyChildren.org
• Nature Art, HealthyChildren.org
• Is Your Child Safe? Play Time, Health Canada
• Chemical Safety for Art Class Teachers, Health Canada
• Art and Craft Safety Guide, US CPSC
• Egg boxes (cardboard), RecycleRight

Recommended

• 8 Creative Recycled Art Projects for Kids’ Fun