Recycled Crafts Projects for Kids Gallery

Make new crafts out of old things and kids will see how fun recycling can be.

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Can-Do Robots

These friendly robots are more than just good-looking; magnets hold their features in place, making the 'bots' the metallic equivalent of a Mr. Potato Head.
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Antarctic Auditions: Penguin Craft

Transform used soda or water bottles and your child's lone socks into playful penguins -- and turn your lawn into an eye-catching, laugh-inducing winter display.
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Springy Spoonfolk

Turn plastic ware and construction paper into colorful puppets.
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Cardboard Kitchen

With just a few empty boxes and other recyclables, you can cook up a clever playset for the young culinary wizards in your household.
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Message Center

Recycle a cookie sheet into a stylish message center to hang on the wall.
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Magazine Bead Bracelet

Recycle old catalogs and magazines into stretchy, swanky bracelets that cost next to nothing to make.
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Cool Creatures

Don't just throw away those take-out tubs you get at the deli or supermarket. Instead, let your kids use them as canvases for reverse painting, a style that calls for painting in layers -- from the details out -- on the inside of a clear container.
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A Flock of Baby Socks

Give used baby socks new life in this easy-to-make mobile.
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Recycled Tote

Fuse a stack of plastic shopping bags into a durable, water-resistant carryall, great for toting sleepover gear, wet bathing suits, or sandy beach treasures.
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Bottle-cap Tambourines

Make and shake instruments that are popular in Brazil and Africa.
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Glossy Paper Flowers

You don't need a green thumb to make these colorful paper flower crafts. Just a pair of scissors and a pile of old magazines and your glossy paper flower garden will soon be blooming.
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Cosmic Crafts: Two-Liter Transporter

It's the fastest way to travel this side of the universe. Just give the Two-liter Transporter a quick turn, and the Trash Master or robot inside "disappears" behind a trick piece of silvery paper.
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Can Do!

Here's a creative alternative to wrapping up a Mother's Day present for Grandma this year. Instead of using gift wrap, have your child turn an empty canister into a decorative, reusable gift holder.
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Carton Wallet

Recycle a milk or orange juice carton into a clever carrying case for change, trading cards, and more.
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Soda-Bottle Tractor

Thanks to its jumbo rear wheels made from cardboard disks and old CDs, this green machine is surprisingly speedy.
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Build a Portable Golf Course

It's hard to resist the appeal of putt-ering around the yard on a weekend afternoon. All it takes to get a quick game underway is a few plastic practice golf balls and the following easy-to-make props.
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Bulletin Bar

This handy bulletin board bar is easy to make and will help organize and display your children's art and important school memos.
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No-Sew Pillowcase Skirt

Trendsetters won't be able to resist the creative trick of transforming a pillowcase into a sassy skirt (or beach cover-up).
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Go, Tube Racer, Go!

This rainy day craft turns a toilet paper tube into a great-looking race car.
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Cereal Box Sandals

Froot Loops flip-flops, Cheerios slippers, Kix sandals. Really now, who can resist this footwear of champions? Have your child cut or rip open an empty cereal box, stand on it, and draw around each shoe.
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Jug Heads

To liven up the laundry room, mount a menagerie of plastic-jug trophy heads using this fun recycling craft.
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Cereal Box Tote Bag

No one will ever guess that this fashionable and totally functional tote bag used to reside in the kitchen cupboard.
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Treasure-Keeper Frog

What tadpole wouldn't love to fill this case with marbles, coins, or trinkets?
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Changeable Carryall Tins

Make a personalized, changeable tin, just right for holding lunch money, notes and other small important items.
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Candy Stick Vase

This simple craft makes a colorful centerpiece for your holiday table or an easy gift your child can create for someone special on her list.
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3 Things to Do With Jars

Creative ways to reuse old jars.
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Cardboard Petal Picture Frame

This fanciful frame gets its flair from snips of painted cardboard tubes.
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Drumroll, Please

Help your toddler participate in the joyful noise of music.
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Cook Up Some Musical Sounds

As intriguing to look at as it is to listen to, this wind chime is a breeze to make.
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Box Buildings

Build a few structures or a whole town from household boxes and found objects.
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Easy-Weave Newsprint Basket

You won't be-weave how fast this newspaper basket comes together.
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Cosmic Crafts: Satellite Recycler

Drive the sturdy, smooth-riding Satellite Recycler around the neighborhood on regular collection days, or park beneath the Waste Shooter for a quick fill.
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Matchbox Locket

Fill this treasure box with trinkets, photos, or anything else your child wants to keep near (and dear!) to her heart.
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Tropical Bottle Fish

Recycle plastic bottles into these tropical beauties, which make great decor indoors or out.
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Discovery Bottles

Toddlers will find these simple little shakers mesmerizing.
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Bobbing Bird

These pint-sized penguins, made with a bit of foam and little more, are sure to waddle right into your child's heart.
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Cosmic Crafts: Trash Tram

Kids can haul loads up and down in this berry basket elevator.
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Found-Object Collage

Almost like a first scrapbook page, this collage project is a great way to create a simple but appealing keepsake from a collection of everyday things -- whether they're found during a walk in the woods or on a hunt around the house.
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Recycled Piggy Bank

Turn a 2-liter bottle into the cutest economic recovery package you'll ever see with this adorable, easy-to-make piggy bank.
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Snack Bag Chain Bracelet

A classic chain-folding technique lets you reuse and recycle with real style -- by turning a colorful chip bag into bracelets.
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