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40 Earth Day Crafts for Kids That Celebrate Our Planet

From activities even your toddler can do to more advanced creations

earth day crafts: a painting of the earth.
Dusan Stankovic/Getty Images

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


earth-day-crafts: a watercolor painted earth.
The Best Ideas for Kids

1. Earth Day Watercolor Art

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.

earth-day-crafts: planet earth crafted out of newspaper.
I Heart Crafty Things

2. Newspaper Earth Day Craft

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.)

earth-day-crafts: three windsocks.
I Heart Crafty Things

3. Earth Day Windsocks

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.

earth-day-crafts: a paper plate crafted into planet earth.
Kids Craft Room

4. Paper Plate Earth Day Craft

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.

earth-day-crafts: a slime ball shaped like planet earth.
Little Bins for Little Hands

5. Earth Day Slime

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?

earth day crafts animal shadow drawing
Emma Owl

6. Animal Shadow Drawing

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.

earth-day-crafts: a painted planet earth.
Sunshine Whispers

7. Earth Day Puffy Paint Craft

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.

earth-day-crafts: vases made out of egg cartons with plants in them.
The House That Lars Built

8. Recycled Egg Carton Vases

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.

earth-day-crafts: suncatchers shaped like a star and moon.
Pink Stripey Socks

9. Moon and Star Dried Flower Suncatchers

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.

earth-day-crafts: felt flowers.
A Beautiful Mess

10. DIY Felt Flower Mobile

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.

earth-day-crafts: playdoh shaped like planet earth.
Happiness is Homemade

11. Earth Day Playdough

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.)

earth-day-crafts: a painted cupcake liner.
I Heart Crafty Things

12. Cupcake Liner Earth Day Craft

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.

earth-day-crafts: a mosaic of planet earth.
Crafts by Amanda

13. Mosaic Earth Craft

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.

earth day crafts balloon stamping
i heart arts n crafts

14. Balloon Stamping Earth Day Craft

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.

earth-day-crafts: a sun made out of cardboard.
The House That Lars Built

15. Recycled Cardboard Sun

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).

earth-day-crafts: a 3d planet earth.
Crafts by Amanda

16. Textured Globe

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.

earth-day-crafts: a suncatcher
The Best Ideas for Kids

17. Earth Suncatcher Craft

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.

earth-day-crafts: a textured paper with seeds.
Happiness is Homemade

18. Recycled Plantable Seed Paper

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.

earth-day-crafts: lunch bags.
The House That Lars Built

19. DIY Reusable Lunch Sacks

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.

earth-day-crafts: a card of popup paper flowers.
A Beautiful Mess

20. Flower Pop-up Card

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.

earth-day-crafts: ornaments made out of bird seed.
Crafts by Amanda

21. Bird Seed Ornaments

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.

earth-day-crafts: a birdhouse made out of a milk carton.
Happiness is Homemade

22. Milk Carton Birdhouse Craft

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.

earth-day-crafts: ladybug magnets.
Crafts by Amanda

23. Plastic Lid Ladybug Magnets

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.)

earth-day-crafts: chia plants in an egg shell.
Pink Stripey Socks

24. Chia Egg Heads

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.

earth-day-crafts-mosaic-square
Kids Craft Room

25. Mosaic Handprint Earth Day Craft

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.

earth-day-crafts: cacti made out of cardboard.
The House That Lars Built

26. DIY Cardboard Cactus Craft

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).

earth-day-crafts: planet earth made out of tissue paper.
Sunshine Whispers

27. Tissue Paper Planet Earth

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.

earth-day-crafts: crayons shaped like planet earth.
Emma Owl

28. DIY Earth Day Crayons

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.

earth-day-crafts: flowers crafted out of old water bottles.
Kid Friendly Things to Do

29. Recycled Water Bottle Flower Craft

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.

earth-day-crafts: a blue and green borax crystal.
Carrots Are Orange

30. Earth Day Borax Crystal

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.

earth-day-crafts: different bottles of materials.
Little Bins for Little Hands

31. Earth Day Discovery Bottles

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.

earth-day-crafts: bookends with birds painted on them.
Design Improvised

32. Bird Bookends

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.

earth-day-crafts: a candle holder with tissue paper.
Emma Owl

33. Earth Day Tissue Paper Candle Holder

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.

earth-day-crafts: a colorful wind spinner.
Crafts by Amanda

34. Recycled Plastic Bottle Wind Spinner

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.

earth-day-crafts: a tree made out of paper and cardboard.
I Heart Crafty Things

35. Earth Day-Inspired Tree Craft

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.

earth-day-crafts: crystallized leaved and pine cones.
Pink Stripey Socks

36. Borax Crystal Nature Craft

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.

earth-day-crafts: earth mosaic crafted out of paint chips.
Little Bins for Little Hands

37. Earth Day Paint Chip Craft

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.

earth-day-crafts: a painted craft tree.
Crayon Box Chronicles

38. Tree Cork and Utensil Painting

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.)

earth-day-crafts: planet earth made out of torn paper.
Carrots Are Orange

39. Torn Paper Art Earth Day Collage

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.

earth-day-crafts: a terrarium of dirt, plants and rocks.
Alpha Mom

40. Terrarium Craft Project

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.



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Freelance PureWow Editor

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