Hands On As We Grow®

Hands on kids activities for hands on moms. Focusing on kids activities perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

30 Oct

36 Upcycled Kids Crafts & Activities to Make!

CraftsAll Ages
24 Comments

Reduce, reuse and recycle with these 36 creative ides for upcycled kids crafts!

I don’t think it’s possible to be a hands-on mom without saving anything and everything imaginable. Ever since I started doing crafts and activities with Henry, we’ve been hoarding recyclables. 

Henry actually has his own “recycling center” now. I love seeing him take ownership of recycling and upcycling!

Now, whenever he adds something to his stash, he’ll tell me what he’d like to do with it later. So cool!

Turn cardboard boxes into DIY board games!

So, what is worth saving? Because, let’s face it, not everything is worth saving.

36 Upcycled Kids Crafts & Activities to Make!

What can be upcycled and put to good use for the kids?

Always check your recycled items for danger and really gross dirtiness before you start crafting. Cans with roughed up edges, jars with cracks in them, or really gross paper products can all safely stay in your recycling bin.

DIY birthday cards by upcycling balloons!

We took a good look at our recycling bin – and checked with some of our favorite bloggers – for items that are usually in there. And we found tons of things that can be turned into 36 recycled kids crafts and activities!

What are you and your family going to upcycle first?

It’s not just limited to these! I’m collecting more and more ways to create upcycled kids crafts on Pinterest. It’s neverending!

Get more cool ideas with the complete Hands On As We Grow upcycled kids crafts and activities collection!

What are your favorite ways to re-use recyclable items with your kids? We’d love to try your creative ideas!

More Hands on Kids Activities to Try

Reader Interactions

24 Comments

  3. Rubbish into fun says

    So many green, fun projects, can’t decide which one is my favourite! It is with such creative activities and initiatives that we should raise our kids into respecting the environment and not taking it for granted.

    reply to this comment

  5. Patricia Bends says

    Kids really love upcycled items, be it a toy or a lamp. My observation shows that upcycling educates children in the right time on questions like fighting waste and preserving new resources. Recently I found another big list filled with upcycling ideas and projects, you can give it a try, it might inspire you for another upcycling goodie!
    http://rubbishbegone.co.uk/blog/28-fun-trash-to-treasure-ideas-for-creative-art-a-fun-way-of-looking-at-serious-crafts/

    reply to this comment

  7. Jessica says

    I like the layout you set up. Way more user-friendly than the many lists I’ve come across where all of the images are massed together with a long list of links below..making it hard to tell what goes with what. Please keep this improved format and tell your fellow Bloggers about it!

    reply to this comment

  10. Kathy @ MerrimentDesign.com says

    Thanks for including my oatmeal container activity! Also for introducing me to your blog because it's new to me – am now following on twitter and pinterest :)

    reply to this comment

  15. Jamie @ hands on : as we grow says

    Dorothy! — that is one brilliant idea you have! I'm so saving my milk jugs for that! I think the Sunny D jugs would be the best – they're square and seem sturdier. Love that idea. Really really do!

    reply to this comment

  16. Melissa @ The Chocolate Muffin Tree says

    Thanks for the feature of our CD hovercraft! We had so much fun with that and need to revisit it again soon! Thanks for the great round up—-as always!

    reply to this comment

  18. Dorothy says

    This was great! I'd like to add- I like to take two milk/juice cartons and cut the tops off. I jam one inside the other open end to open end to make a closed block. After a while you amass a large enough collection for a set of building blocks. If you are really ambitious I suppose you could decopage or contact paper them.

    reply to this comment

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