Updated March 2024

To celebrate Earth Day next week, our team gathered together a list of 30 Earth Day activities for kids.

Through art, there exists a great opportunity to teach children to be good stewards.  Children learn to reuse lids, caps and milk cartons. To turn a cardboard box into a castle, fort, or robot. To recycle cardboard tubes and create sculptures.

The possibility to assemble and make new things while recycling or upcycling the old sparks children’s imagination as they explore these non-traditional materials.

And a short walk outside with my son allows us the opportunity to breathe deep, soak in the sunshine and fresh air. We gather pinecones and sticks, some rocks and more sticks. Then to head home with our new treasures.

As we collect recyclables, save cardboard and consider how to give something old a new purpose, our kids are watching and learning this skill themselves. Below are some ideas that will hopefully inspire and put some of that recycling bin to creative use.

Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day Activities for Kids

7 Recycled Art Projects Using Reusable Materials

1. Make a Cardboard Loom for Kids

Learn a simple weaving activity for kids with cardboard looms and recycled fabric scraps. Then create a beautiful piece of art to hang in your home!

2. Self-Portrait Collages Using Recycle Bin Materials

Learn how to create a self-portrait collage with simple recycle bin materials. A fun and educational activity for kids that helps them explore self-identity.

3. Make DIY Costumes from Recycled Materials

Here are a few simple techniques for making fabulous DIY kids costumes with a variety of recycled materials.

4. The BEST Toddler Art Activities

Paint a nature wall, create a collaborative recycled wall, reuse plastic caps and lids for sensory bins & use sticks, leaves and the like for set-ups!

5. Milk Carton Sailboat

Perfect for the sailboat loving kid in your life–use a recycled milk carton to create an amazing little sailboat (from Art Camp Studio).

6. Simple Flower Crowns from Paper Bags

Kids can feel like royalty with this awesome craft using recycled paper bags. 

7. Painted Wood Blocks Sculptures

An easy sculpture project using wood scraps that’s fun to make for kids of all ages. 

14 Recycled Art Projects Using Cardboard

1. Mixed Media Collage Portraits for Kids

These adorable collage portraits are a great way to reuse a cardboard box and are SO cute. 

2. Make Cardboard Robot Puppets that Move

These robot puppets are friendly on the Earth and SO fun to play with and create. 

3. Create Monochrome Art Collages

Gather collage materials and cardboard to make these vibrant little collages.

4. Make DIY Valentines for Kids

Make adorable valentine hearts that are great for Valentine’s Day, or any day really!

5. Make Miro-Inspired Magic Animal Masks

Create wild and colorful animal masks with cardboard, paint, and a few other materials. 

6. Make a Rainbow Cardboard Sculpture

Create a colorful stacked rainbow sculpture using painted cardboard rainbows.

7. Drip Painting

Create a DIY cardboard easel and explore gravity in art with drip painting that results in unique artworks every time.

8. Make Colorful Cardboard Tree Sculptures

These cheerful cardboard sculptures look like trees and are super easy and fun to make.

9. Make Cardboard Masks for Kids

Create vibrant cardboard masks perfect for imaginative play!

10. Giant Cardboard Donuts

Just looking at these giant cardboard donuts is sure to bring a smile to your face (from Art Bar Blog).

11. Make a Cardboard Castle for Hours of Pretend Play

Need we say more? 

12. Make DIY Stamps with Cardboard

Design and create your very own stamps to print with.

13. Make Cardboard Building Discs

Kids can create their own building material by transforming a box into cardboard building discs. Stack the discs to make these awesome sculptures!

14. Create a Cardboard Art Forest

Create an amazing magic forest with this easy cardboard art project for kids. Makes a fun creative play setup for kids.

8 Nature Art Projects for Earth Day

1. Nature Art Ideas for Kids

Try one of these fun nature art activities for young children: paint with mud, print with leaves, create a nature weaving or petal playdough!

2. Make a Nature Mobile for Kids

A beautiful craft to showcase your child’s nature treasures. 

3. Make a Magical 3D Nature Suncatcher

Use a cardboard box to create a unique and fun way to experiment with light, color, and natural materials.

4. Nature Drawing: How to Draw Feathers

Kids can make their own feather art with this great opportunity to explore some of nature’s patterns, shapes, and lines. 

5. Make a Nature Diorama

Gather pinecones, leaves and seed pods on a nature walk. Then paint and assemble these materials with this fun nature diorama project for kids.

6. Make a Flower Suncatcher

A simple and beautiful project using light and color. 

7. Try Flower Pounding

Flower pounding is such a fun process art activity! Make prints on fabric with the pigment of flowers. Then turn the flower prints into beautiful flags.

8. Or Flower Printing!

Start by gathering flowers and leaves from your garden or backyard. Then you can use just about any kind of paint you have to make gorgeous flower prints!

Which of these Earth Day activities will you try with your family?

More Spring Activities for Kids

• 30 Spring Activities for Kids
• Nature and Garden Crafts for Kids
• 12 Ideas for Spring Crafts for Kids
• 13 Nature Walk Activities for Kids
• 7 Children’s Books About Spring
• 20 Spring Crafts for Kids

Want even more creative ideas?

Check out our Spring Creativity pack!

Let creativity blossom with this fun bundle of art activities perfect for Spring!! This 40-page printable eBook is full of coloring pages, drawing prompts, games, and more!

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Updated April 2024

Watercolors are easily one of our top favorite art materials for little kids! We use liquid watercolors and watercolor palettes. We also love these tempera paint pods that act like a watercolor (they’re pricey but the pods are large and last forever!).

See also: The Best Paints for Kids

For paper, we like watercolor paper, which is thick and doesn’t warp with the watercolors. If you want to get fancy, try this circular pad of watercolor paper! You can also use mat board remnants from frame shops (free!) or the matte side of poster board (super cheap).

See also: The BEST Paper for Kids Art

Here are some of our very favorite watercolor craft ideas for kids! We hope you try them all!

Watercolor Ideas for Kids

1. Geometric Watercolor Art

Geometric watercolor art is beautiful and easy to make with this saran wrap technique. Simply paint with watercolors, then scrunch saran wrap up on top of wet paint. Let dry and see your unique geometric designs!

2. Paint Watercolor Planets with Rubbing Alcohol

Learn how to use paints and rubbing alcohol to make beautiful watercolor planets. Create your own mini universe with this fun art activity!

3. Painting Lace

Learn how to paint lace with kids using liquid watercolors. Then turn the colorful lace into a beautiful wall hanging!

4. Paint a Watercolor Geode

Learn how to paint a watercolor geode in 5 easy steps! A wonderful watercolor painting activity to pair with learning about geodes and rocks.

5. Make Flowers with Paper Plates

Create 3D watercolor flowers using paper plates with a few things you likely have at home right now. Find out how to cut and paint giant flowers for a fun and relaxing watercolor art activity for kids.

6. Try Watercolor Painting with Salt

Get a starry night sky effect by painting with watercolors and salt. This easy watercolor technique produces a beautiful star-studded sky.

7. Make These Amazing Yayoi Kusama Inspired Dot Paintings

Create amazing and colorful dot paintings inspired by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. You can use a variety of art materials with this project, including watercolors.

8. Watercolor Crayon Resist on Canvas

We love wax resist painting and this one is especially fun! Watch crayons melt on a heated canvas for a vibrant piece of artwork.

9. Paint Butterflies with Liquid Watercolors

How to paint butterflies with liquid watercolors using the rubbing alcohol technique for the decorations on the butterfly wings. This is a fun art idea for kids of all ages, and adults, too!

10. Draw Abstract Self Portraits

Learn how to draw abstract self-portraits for kids in 6 simple steps! Then paint with watercolors to make the portraits pop!

11. DIY Paper Twirlers

These colorful paper twirlers are easy to make and mesmerizing to watch! Make and decorate your own beautiful paper twirlers using the watercolor resist painting technique.

What do you think? Which of these fun watercolor ideas will you try?

More Watercolor Ideas for Kids

• 12 Watercolor Art Ideas for Kids (with a Printable Guide!)
• 6 Easy Watercolor Ideas Using Resist Techniques
• 7 Watercolor Techniques for Kids
• How to Paint Watercolor Flowers for Kids
• How to Paint Watercolor with Markers
• How to Make Pointillism Art with Cotton Swabs

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Updated April 2024

Have you used air dry clay? This stuff is awesome for kids’ arts & crafts! It feels a lot like regular potter’s clay, but it’s not as messy. And it dries hard without needing to be fired.

Is it unbreakable? No. But neither is fired pottery. And it is quite strong.

We use and love Crayola Air Dry Clay and have for years. The quality is good, the price is reasonable, and there’s just so much that can be done with it!

You can get Crayola Air Dry Clay at most big box stores, craft stores, or online.

For more of our recommended kids’ arts and crafts supplies, be sure to check out our post featuring the Best Tools & Art Supplies for Kids.

Here is a list of our favorite clay projects for kids. We hope you get inspired and try a few!

Clay Projects for Kids

1. Clay birds + pinch pot nests

Create sweet birds and pinch pot nests. This is a perfect springtime clay activity!

2. Nature prints in clay with flowers & leaves

This easy nature craft project is fun for kids to experiment making prints in clay.

3. Create hand dishes

These clay dishes are easy & fun to create and decorate! Use them to hold small trinkets, for display, or to gift to others.

4. Make a coil pot

Learn how to make a simple or more elaborate version of clay coil pots.

5. Create beaded heart ornaments

Create heart shapes with cookie cutters & decorate the clay hearts with beads.

6. Creative small world play for kids

Your child can explore whatever their current interest is by creating their own figures for a small world or diorama. This is a fun open-ended clay activity for kids.

7. Experiment with textures in clay

Use doilies or lace to create unique textures in clay. Then cut into hearts or other shapes to use as ornaments or magnets.

8. Create a clay coral reef

Use air dry clay and clay tools to create a 3D, textured coral reef. You can even use glow in the dark paint so that it really shines!

9. Dyed pasta mosaic in clay

These colorful flower mosaics are the perfect projects for spring!

10. Painted mosaic pinch pots

These easy painted pinch pots are great for kids to put their little treasures in.

11. Mosaic Clay Pinch Pots

Dig into the recycling bin for materials to upcycle and create some amazing mosaic art for kids.

12. Create A Fairy House

Learn how to make a fairy house using air dry clay, beans, & found nature items. Kids love creating these little houses & they encourage hours of imaginative play. 

13. Make a Nature Mobile for Kids

Go for a nature walk and gather natural materials to use for this beautiful nature mobile. Painted air dry clay beads add the finishing touch!

14. Create Colorful Clay Relief Tiles

Create gorgeous decorative tiles with air drying clay and a surprising method for adding color. This is a fool-proof project for novice potters.

15. Clay Coil Hearts

These clay coil hearts are super easy to make and suitable for all ages from 4 years and up. I’ve made them with little kids and adults and they never fail!

More Clay Projects for Kids

• Clay & Playdough Play for Kids
• Why We Love Faber-Castell’s Kids Pottery Wheel
• How to Make Starry Night Scene by Painting with Clay
• The Artful Parent Clay & Playdough page
• Use World Colors modeling clay to make clay faces
• Fun Playdough Activities for Kids with Ideas to Play & Learn

Want even more Sensory Exploration fun?

Check out our Sensory Creativity Pack!

This 30-page printable eBook is stuffed full of sensory play fun! An ultimate guide to sensory play, complete with our favorite recipes and tips for success!

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Updated April 2024

I love the visual representation of things happening above and below the ground. And it’s especially interesting to draw what’s happening underground, where one can’t normally see.

These representations reveal the mystery of the underground along with the little creatures that may be living there.

A really fun way to try this is to try drawing vegetables above and below the ground. It encourages kids to work on their observational skills – looking closely and drawing what they see. And it gives them the opportunity to draw, paint, and collage.

This drawing activity is featured in my book, Drawing Workshop for Kids, and provides a great way to talk to children about composition because the artwork is separated into two sections.

Drawing Vegetables

MATERIALS

• Root vegetables – radishes, beets, carrots, turnips, etc.
• Pencils
• Watercolor paper about 9”x12”
• Watercolor pencils
• Thin paintbrush
• White glue (I put glue in small cups along with brushes for easier spreading. Glue sticks work, too.)
• Scissors
• Drawing paper (90lbs) 9”x12”
• Magnifying glass (optional)
• Charcoal (black) or Conte Crayon (brown)
• Drawing paper 80lbs or thinner (both newsprint and copy paper will work fine)

More Drawing Activities for Kids

• Nature Drawing for Kids: How to Make Feather Art in a Box
• Try These Two Beautiful Nature Inspired Art Activities for Kids
• How to Play a Fun Family Drawing Game!
• Observational Drawing for Kids
• How to Encourage Creativity, Skills and Confidence for Kids Drawing
• How to Draw Shadow Art for Kids

Does your child want to explore the world of drawing and expand their skills? Check out our three-part Drawing Skills Master Class for kids! Your child can learn to draw at home with 3 unique modules: Line & Shape, Light & Shadow, and Perspective. With at-home video lessons and easy-to-follow printable workbooks, your child will build skills and confidence as they learn to draw!

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Have you joined the friendship bracelet club? Whether you’re a Swiftie or not, friendship bracelets are enjoying a vibrant comeback right now with their nostalgic charm and customizable designs.

Friendship bracelets are a blast for kids to make. They combine creativity and manual dexterity, allowing kids to design unique accessories that they can keep or give to friends. Plus, the hands-on process of threading colorful beads onto string or cords fosters fine motor skills.

We make lots of friendship bracelets at our house, and it usually ends up that the entire family is gathered around the table, stringing beads on in all kinds of patterns.

And if you’ve got little ones at home, they can be included in the fun! We’ve got lots of fun bead bracelet ideas for little kids!

How to Make Friendship Bracelets

MATERIALS

• Elastic cord
• Beads
• Scissors
• Clipboard or tray
• Tape

Now you can wear your bracelet! Or give it to a friend! And get ready to make your next one, because we find that we can never make just one!

More Bead Crafts for Kids

• Bead Bracelet Ideas for Little Kids
• How to Make DIY Bubble Wands with Beads
• How to Make Taylor Swift Valentines
• How to Do Simple Stitching for Kids
• 18 Fun Arts and Crafts for Tweens

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Updated February 2024

Gelatin printmaking is a form of monoprinting, meaning each print you pull is unique. No two prints are the same. The emphasis is on the process of creating and experimenting rather than the final outcome.

The process is fairly easy, and so much fun. Trust us, if you haven’t tried gelatin printmaking yet, it is addicting!

We really love to use Gelli Arts gel printing plates, but you can also make your own.

Here’s a video tutorial showing how to make your own gelatin plate.

Easy Gelatin Printmaking for Kids

MATERIALS

• Gelatin printing plate (make your own or buy one)
• Washable paint*
• Brayer
• Paintbrush
• Sturdy white paper

*Easy Clean Up Tip: Acrylic paint is recommended for gelatin printmaking but in our experience, washable paint worked just fine and made clean up much easier when printmaking with children.

Usually, you can pull more than one print at a time. Try placing an additional piece of paper to create a second or third print.

What we like most about gelatin printmaking is layering the different techniques on top of each other. Try layering the first and second technique on one piece of paper.

More Printmaking Ideas for Kids

• Foam Printmaking with Kids for Easter
• How to Do Printmaking for Kids
• How to Make Handmade Cards with Styrofoam Printing
• How to Do Mandala Printmaking for Kids
• How to Create Bubble Prints for Kids
• Painting with Bubble Wrap for Kids

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Updated February 2024

Cardboard is the best art material out there! It’s free, versatile and readily available. And it can be shaped into countless art projects.

I’ve turned into a bit of a “connoisseur of cardboard” over the years. Because of this I recommend IKEA for cardboard that’s strong and possible for little hands to cut through. Also, LEGO and NESPRESSO pod boxes provide cardboard that is super versatile for art making.

For these rainbow cardboard sculptures, we slot the shapes together loosely (inspiration from Eames’ House of cards). It’s the sort of connecting technique that can be used to make many different sculptures.

This is a technique I’ve often used to make groovy cardboard dinosaurs. Today I’m going to show you how to make our ever-popular cardboard rainbow sculptures! Everyone loves rainbows, right?

3D Rainbow Cardboard Sculptures for Kids

MATERIALS

• hoarded cardboard (please don’t go buying any, there’s no need!)
• large sharp scissors
• pencil
• ANY sort of paint or drawing supplies you have available or ALL of them: watercolors, acrylic, tempera, markers, oil pastels, crayons, etc.

I hope you make your own rainbow cardboard sculpture!

More Sculpture Activities for Kids

• How to Make Colorful Cardboard Tree Sculptures
• Magnetic Cardboard Sculptures
• Build with Cardboard Disc Sculptures
• Recycled Sculptures with Styrofoam
• Toothpick Sculptures Ideas for Kids
• 3D Art & Sculpture page on The Artful Parent

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Updated October 2023

Enjoy the beauty of nature at the dinner table with these leaf-print napkins. These make a lovely gift for someone special and can also be used during the holidays to add a beautiful touch to any table setting.

This leaf-print activity comes from Jean’s book, The Artful Year: Celebrating the Seasons & Holidays with Crafts & Recipes.

How to Print with Leaves

MATERIALS

• Newspaper or an art mat and scrap paper
• Spoon
• Fabric Paint
• Large plate or acrylic box frame, for rolling out the ink
• Mini paint roller
• Leaves and ferns
• Plain white or light-colored cloth napkins, or make your own
• Brayer (hard rubber roller) or rolling pin
• Iron
• Ironing board

More Thanksgiving Activities for Kids

• 30 Thanksgiving Activities for Kids (Plus a Printable List!)
• 13 Thanksgiving Arts & Crafts for Family Connection
• 15 Thanksgiving Children’s Books
• How to Make a Thanksgiving Garland for Kids
• How to Make a Gratitude Tree for Thanksgiving
• How to Make a Playdough Turkey

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From The Artful Year, by Jean Van’t Hul, © 2015 by Jean Van’t Hul. Reprinted by arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications Inc., Boulder, CO.

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Updated August 2023

One of the things we have come to really enjoy lately is our creative family sessions. Sitting down around a table, and just creating; sometimes with specific prompts, but mainly through fun games and open ended exploration of materials.

Those who know me, know I love a good ol’ art family game, and we’ve done quite a few, but today I want to share one of our family favorites.

This is sometimes called the exquisite corpse game, or the combination man game, but whatever you call it, it is a blast for kids and adults of all ages!

A Fun Family Drawing Game

MATERIALS

• Black Sharpies
• Paper (we used 12×18 white cardstock)
• Watercolors (or you can use markers, tempera, crayons, pastels, or any medium of your preference)
• Brushes and cup with water (if using watercolors)

We really enjoyed this activity. It was a fun unwinding session where we got to laugh and create at the same time. I hope you give it a try, and if you do, please share your creations with me as I would love to see them!

More Drawing Games for Kids

• 12 Kids Art Games for Fun and Creativity
• The Scribble Drawing Game
• Double Doodle Art for Kids
• The Combination Man Drawing Game
• How to Use Donuts to Teach Kids Observational Drawing
• Explore Identity with Amazing Frida Portraits for Kids

Does your child want to explore the world of drawing and expand their skills? Check out our three-part Drawing Skills Master Class for kids! Your child can learn to draw at home with 3 unique modules: Line & Shape, Light & Shadow, and Perspective. With at-home video lessons and easy-to-follow printable workbooks, your child will build skills and confidence as they learn to draw!

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Updated August 2023

After my children were born, I started experimenting with all kinds of activities and invitations to distract them, engage them, and secretly buy myself some time to do other things around the house, or maybe just drink a cup of tea in peace.

I would often try to set up simple invitations to create or explore. And I found that not only did they really enjoy them, but it was a fun and playful way to work on certain skills. 

Basically, an invitation to create is both an opportunity to entice a child to make art as well as an opportunity to introduce a new material, technique, or activity. 

Here are a few simple after school art invitations for school aged kids that are on my favorite list. These are ones my kids have loved, and I hope yours will too.

Keep in mind that you can make these after-school art invitations as simple or complex as you wish; you can always add more materials or work around what you have at home to make it easy to set up in less than 5 minutes.

After School Art Invitations

MATERIALS (These are all the materials needed for these 5 activities)

• white paper
• white sticker paper
• markers
• liquid watercolors or watercolor palette
• stamp pads
• string
• oil pastels
• playdough
• air dry clay

1. Sticker Making

This is one of our all-time favorites! We’ve been making stickers for years and the boys still love it.

All you need is white sticker paper (or white sticky labels) and markers.  I’ve collected stamps over the years, so we’ll use those for extra fun.  But you don’t really need these.

They can start by drawing on the white side of the paper or label (make sure they are not drawing on the sticky side). Another fun option is to stamp and color their stamp outlines and then cut out their own sticker creations. I guarantee you at least an hour or more of fun!

2. Make Your Own Gift Tags

This is another favorite as kids love the idea of working on a smaller format.

I pre-cut a bunch of small squares and rectangles (about 3×4 or 4x4in) out of sturdy white paper and set it out on the table next to markers and/or watercolors and let them go to town. If you have stickers, you can set those out, too.

My kids have been making and giving these for years and they enjoy it so much. I often join in the process as I find it to be relaxing and fun.

3. Watercolors & Oil Pastels

Don’t be afraid to bring some paint into the game! Watercolors are washable and easy to clean up. And once you mix them with oil pastels the effect is super cool because the oil pastels resist the paint, and the colors pop out really nicely. You can do this with nice watercolor paper or just white cardboard.

This is a relaxing activity, perfect to wind down after a hectic school day. 

4. Observational Drawings

I know the name sounds fancy, but I promise this is really fun and easy to set up. I’ve done it with lots of different things.

Sometimes I use simple stuff I have around the house, like flowers, toys or fruits. When I’m feeling inspired, I bring in something more fun like cupcakes or donuts and set them right in the middle of the table next to paper, markers, or any kind of paint you have.

And then I ask the boys try and focus on the objects (or food) on the table and draw/paint them from observation. 

5. Playdough or Clay Creations

Almost every household has some playdough lying around so this is an easy one to set up. My kids (age 7 & 9) prefer clay over playdough, so I will also do this with air dry clay.

Set out either the playdough or the clay next to some tools (you can use things you have at home like old toothbrushes, knives, toothpicks, rollers, scissors, etc.). Add in some pasta, or other loose parts (things such as lids, buttons, sticks, nails, small rocks, etc.) and let them do the rest!

Your kids will come up with some pretty creative pieces, I promise!

I hope you give these invitations a try! Like I said, you can make them as easy or “fancy” as you desire! But I suggest keeping it simple so it’s something you feel comfortable doing often.

I usually try to set up before the kids get home from school and that way, they can go right to it while they have a snack and unwind from their day.  These are just a few ideas, but as you start doing it, you will come up with your very own, based on the things you have at home.

More Art Invitations for Kids

• How to Set Up Creative Invitations for Kids
• Why I Like Morning Invitations with My Kids
• 10 Open-Ended Art Invitations that Bring Out Kids’ Creativity
• 5 Low Mess Creative Activities for Kids
• The Art of Strewing
• 11 Creative Activities for Kids

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