40 Earth Day Crafts for Kids That Celebrate Our Planet
If you’re looking forward to spring, you’re not alone. But it’s not just Easter and Mother’s Day that you might want to pencil in on your calendar—Earth Day falls on April 22 this year and given the current state of environmental affairs, it’s certainly worthy of everyone’s attention. For this reason, we rounded up a wide range of Earth Day crafts that will excite and occupy kids of all ages, whilst helping the younger generation understand that caring for our planet is of the utmost importance. Read on and get ready to bust out the craft supplies for some meaningful creative time. (Psst: Don’t toss that egg carton away! Since it is Earth Day and all, may we suggest choosing as many recyclable and sustainable materials as possible for the below crafts?)
30 Fun and Easy Summer Crafts for Kids
1. Earth Day Watercolor Art
The Best Ideas for Kids
Set your kid up with a black crayon (or sharpie) and a watercolor set to create this abstract and decidedly cool geometric representation of planet Earth. If you’re looking for a process art project that a grade schooler can nail and even a preschooler can achieve, this one fits the bill.
2. Newspaper Earth Day Craft
I Heart Crafty Things
Liquid watercolors and upcycled newspaper combine to make a very aesthetically pleasing planet Earth in this simple trace-and-paint craft for kids of all ages. (Just be sure to monitor the youngest ones, lest they run off with the permanent marker and turn your whole home into their canvas.)
3. Earth Day Windsocks
I Heart Crafty Things
We love a good windsock (who doesn’t?) and this Earth Day variation of the classic little kid craft is just right for the pre-K crowd. Best of all, you only need a few basic craft supplies—card stock, crepe paper, acrylic paint and pom poms—to help your tot pull it off.
4. Paper Plate Earth Day Craft
Kids Craft Room
If you don’t already have paper plates, definitely don’t go out and buy them. (It would kind of undermine the spirit of Earth Day.) Instead, just use a cereal box or any cardboard you have in the recycling bin and set your preschooler or grade schooler up with this easy mixed media craft, which requires little more than paper scraps and colored pencils to create a remarkably cheerful planet Earth.
5. Earth Day Slime
Little Bins for Little Hands
Here, a recipe for homemade glitter glue that yields sparkly green and blue slime that can be mixed and molded into a representation of Earth. And who isn’t in favor of honoring the holiday with a hands-on craft that promises hours of sensory play?
6. Animal Shadow Drawing
Emma Owl
This neat shadow drawing project is a fun and novel way to make art that can be accomplished pretty much anywhere—though, in the spirit of Earth Day, we recommend setting it up outdoors so your kid can appreciate the sunshine and fresh air while they sketch and color their zoological-themed masterpiece.
7. Earth Day Puffy Paint Craft
Sunshine Whispers
Any preschooler will tell you that puffy paint is the bee’s knees. Have your kid put some to use making a two-dimensional planet Earth replica with this foolproof craft. The process promises plenty of sensory fun—and with only two colors in the mix, the finished product shouldn’t be half bad either.
8. Recycled Egg Carton Vases
The House That Lars Built
This eco-friendly DIY project turns recycled egg cartons into Pinterest-worthy vases that boast a fresh and colorful aesthetic. The process is simple enough, but it’s worth noting that it does require some materials (think: hot glue gun and box cutter) that are best handled by a teenage crafter or adult.
9. Moon and Star Dried Flower Suncatchers
Pink Stripey Socks
Your child will need a little patience to make the dried and pressed flowers that adorn these paper moon and star cut-outs, but the end result—a tribute to both our planet and the heavens—is well worth the wait. Just be sure not to skimp on the sequins if you want to achieve the full suncatcher effect.
10. DIY Felt Flower Mobile
A Beautiful Mess
This beginner sewing project is an excellent way for tweens and teens to learn a new skill, and the straightforward crafting process produces a nature-inspired mobile that will look oh-so pretty wherever it’s hung.
11. Earth Day Playdough
Happiness is Homemade
Some kitchen staples and a few drops of food coloring are all you need for this homemade playdough recipe, which yields three lumps of kid-friendly putty that can be molded into a model of our beloved planet. (Note: If you’re invested in the finished product, be sure to make sure the little hands don’t get too overzealous and completely mix the colors.)
12. Cupcake Liner Earth Day Craft
I Heart Crafty Things
Score some blue cupcake liners and raid the craft drawer for black cardstock, paint and pom poms so your child can craft this mixed media representation of Earth suspended in space. The completed project is sure to inspire both awe and pride.
13. Mosaic Earth Craft
Crafts by Amanda
The free printable template and some construction paper or recycled magazines are practically all you need for this mosaic craft—a cut and paste project for kids of all ages that promises to put scissor skills and spatial reasoning abilities to the test.
14. Balloon Stamping Earth Day Craft
i heart arts n crafts
We’re big fans of new and novel ways to work with paint, and we suspect most children are, too. Enter, balloon painting—a relatively mess free technique that produces excellent results and might just be the best thing since sliced bread.
15. Recycled Cardboard Sun
The House That Lars Built
With some help from a printable template you and your child can easily transform a cardboard box into a personified sun. The painting and face-making aspects of the process are the best and most kid-friendly part, and feel free to pair the project with a conversation about how the sun is responsible for making life on Earth possible (but maybe omit the part about it eventually incinerating our planet).
16. Textured Globe
Crafts by Amanda
A paper mache globe ornament can be transformed into a miniature version of our planet with little more than acrylic paint, craft glue and some sand for texture. Obviously that last material is the most fun for kids to work with, but you might want to consider setting the crafting station up outside.
17. Earth Suncatcher Craft
The Best Ideas for Kids
With a little extra effort, this cute and visually appealing suncatcher craft can be accomplished using only recycled materials. (You’ll need to start saving birthday party tissue paper and find a flat piece of plastic to do so.) Regardless, it’s a simple cut and paste tribute to planet earth that even the littlest ones can get in on.
18. Recycled Plantable Seed Paper
Happiness is Homemade
Presenting an ingenious way to get your kid to part with that ever-growing pile of completed art work. This craft involves using a blender and a healthy amount of shredded paper—you’ll need to pick and choose to get the colors right—to create pulp that your child can sprinkle with seeds and press into recycled paper, which can then be planted in the ground. The hands-on process is rewarding enough, but the resulting flower garden is pretty darn neat, too.
19. DIY Reusable Lunch Sacks
The House That Lars Built
Another beginner-friendly sewing project that slightly older grade schoolers can accomplish with a little guidance—these reusable lunch bags are a cute, colorful and eco-friendly replacement for the standard brown paper bag.
20. Flower Pop-up Card
A Beautiful Mess
This simple and very pretty pop-up card is a worthy craft for any occasion, but the botanical theme is an undeniably good fit for Earth Day. Our suggestion? Make one with your kid for a calming and creative activity, and then have your child send the card as an invitation to a friend for a day hike, camping trip or some other time spent in nature.
21. Bird Seed Ornaments
Crafts by Amanda
This Audubon Society-approved bird seed craft can be made using a recycled cereal box and the result is an extra eco-friendly treat for the avian life in your area. It’s also a perfect way to celebrate Earth Day, which falls during the spring season and coincides with a large migration of birds looking for nesting and breeding grounds.
22. Milk Carton Birdhouse Craft
Happiness is Homemade
Another one for the birds (but not in a bad way) and this time it’s a milk carton, not a cereal box, that you will need at your disposal. The fun part, though, is the decorating, which can be easily accomplished by kids of all ages with a selection of colorful tissue paper squares and a little glue.
23. Plastic Lid Ladybug Magnets
Crafts by Amanda
You don’t need any fancy materials to pull off this recycled craft, which involves painting plastic bottle caps and has spring written all over it. (Feel free to adapt the project to honor a wide range of pollinators, like bees and butterflies as well.)
24. Chia Egg Heads
Pink Stripey Socks
Next time you make an omelet, crack your eggs with care and hold onto those shells; with a handful of colorful sharpies they will become a canvas for one of the coolest, kid-friendly Earth Day crafts on the list. Once the artwork is complete, you and your child can watch in amazement as they turn into chia seed planters that sprout and thrive in just a matter of days.
25. Mosaic Handprint Earth Day Craft
Kids Craft Room
The materials required to create this sweet mosaic craft are very flexible…cereal boxes, cardboard, used paper plates, old artwork, magazines—really anything goes so long as it’s recycled (you know, to stay on message). Just use whatever you have on hand and your little one will be rewarded with an engaging project that encourages creativity and hones fine motor skills, too.
26. DIY Cardboard Cactus Craft
The House That Lars Built
Succulents are famously low-maintenance, but those of us who really don’t have a green thumb can attest to the fact that they are not actually indestructible. Fortunately, there’s a craft that can solve pretty much every problem, and this attractive number is so easy to complete that even a tween can do it with a sharp pair of scissors and some acrylic paint (and perhaps a little grown-up instruction).
27. Tissue Paper Planet Earth
Sunshine Whispers
Even a toddler can get in on this basic craft project, which harnesses the ecstatic joy your kid derives from ripping paper to shreds for the creation of something that celebrates the Earth and totally deserves a spot on the fridge.
28. DIY Earth Day Crayons
Emma Owl
If you can get your child to organize their art supplies and sort out all the (presumably numerous) broken crayons from their collection, you might have the makings for this simple and very cool craft project, which involves shaving said broken crayons and melting them in silicone trays to create an Earth-inspired crayon disk. Of course, the broken crayon bits will need to be mined for blues and greens exclusively, and an adult may need to handle the vegetable peeler, but it’s a worthy project nevertheless.
29. Recycled Water Bottle Flower Craft
Kid Friendly Things to Do
Recycled plastic water bottles, pipe cleaners, paint and pom poms combine to create an adorable flower display that won’t wilt. There’s a hot glue gun involved in the process, but only a low temperature is required, so slightly older kids can safely complete this whole craft from start to finish, while those on the younger side will thoroughly enjoy the painting step and can practice their scissor skills by cutting the paper leaves.
30. Earth Day Borax Crystal
Carrots Are Orange
Mix science with a little appreciation for the planet and you get one seriously cool Borax crystal craft that kids of all ages can pull off with a little adult supervision. The end result is such a sparkly and pristine representation of Earth that it might inspire conversations about environmentalism and will most certainly be worthy of display.
31. Earth Day Discovery Bottles
Little Bins for Little Hands
This one is more of a science activity than a craft, but it still fits the bill because these super cool and educational discovery bottles are easy enough to assemble that even young kids can help with the set up. What comes after is a whole lot of sensory exploration that lends itself well to conversations about ocean science and nature.
32. Bird Bookends
Design Improvised
This ode to avian life is a craft best reserved for tweens and teens, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to accomplish with little more than a cut-out bird image and a coat of mod-podge. Best of all, the end result is an eye-pleasing DIY that could actually attract quite a bit of interest on Etsy.
33. Earth Day Tissue Paper Candle Holder
Emma Owl
It turns out that all you need to upcycle a snoozy glass candle holder is some colorful tissue paper and transparent glue. It’s so easy a toddler could do it and if you limit the color palette to blue, white and green you will have a lovely Earth-inspired luminary as a centerpiece.
34. Recycled Plastic Bottle Wind Spinner
Crafts by Amanda
A boxcutter is required to turn a plastic bottle into this piece of colorful eye candy for the porch or backyard garden, but the decorating part is a breeze (pun intended) and can be done by kids of any age with just a few rolls of colorful duct tape.
35. Earth Day-Inspired Tree Craft
I Heart Crafty Things
Toilet paper tubes are a staple of recycled crafts but this one takes the cake when it comes to kid-friendly art projects that you actually want to keep—and the best part is that it can be accomplished (with varying degrees of visual appeal) by toddlers and teens alike. Suggest this one to a child of any age for an Earth Day celebration of trees that doesn’t miss the mark.
36. Borax Crystal Nature Craft
Pink Stripey Socks
Start with a scavenger hunt that allows your little one to learn about their environment while foraging for natural treasures and finish the activity with some Borax and a cool science experiment that will literally crystallize the experience.
37. Earth Day Paint Chip Craft
Little Bins for Little Hands
Take a family trip to Home Depot, score some free paint chips and you’ve got almost everything you need for a day of kid-friendly crafting. This easy collage comes together with some help from a free printable template and allows kids to experiment with different shades while learning about the Earth in a way that’s both flexible and fun.
38. Tree Cork and Utensil Painting
Crayon Box Chronicles
Celebrate our planet by pouring yourself a glass of wine (natural, of course) and then hand your kid the cork and a few other recycled materials so they can craft a butcher paper and paint masterpiece that pays tribute to trees. (They do color our world and give us air to breathe, after all.)
39. Torn Paper Art Earth Day Collage
Carrots Are Orange
This torn paper art project comes together in the blink of an eye with just a pair of small (destructive) hands and a glue stick. Plus, with a little guidance, even a toddler should be able to use said materials to craft something that sort of resembles our planet.
40. Terrarium Craft Project
Alpha Mom
What better way to celebrate the occasion than by helping your child put together a homemade terrarium? The project is simple enough for kids of all ages to get involved in, the process is hands-on and engaging, and the finished product is one that will (hopefully) continue to thrive and delight for quite some time.
