Family Life Fun Arts & Crafts Kid Crafts 8 Creative Egg Carton Crafts for Kids Don't throw out your leftover egg cartons! Your kids can transform them into homemade decorations, games, and more. They'll learn valuable lessons about recycling, exercise their creativity, and gain fine motor skills. By Sarah Lipoff Updated on November 20, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Hello I'm Nik/Unsplash If you're looking for fun, easy projects to help keep your children busy then you'll love this collection of egg carton art activities. The supplies are simple—and likely already on hand—so no worries about expensive trips to the craft store. These projects are quick and easy and will help your little one to work on those developing fine motor skills not to mention the life lesson about the importance of reusing and recycling. After all, as the old saying goes, one person's trash is another person's treasure. Read on to check out these eight clever egg carton art projects. 01 of 08 Egg Carton Flowers Sarah Lipoff Decorate a room with beautiful flowers that will never wilt. What You'll Need 1 egg carton; scissorsTempera paint (red, yellow, orange, purple)PaintbrushesScrap paperHot glue gunPompomsCraft needle or pushpinGreen pipe cleanersVase or ribbon (optional) Make It Cut off the top half of the egg carton, leaving just the bottom. Cut and separate one individual egg cup and trim the outside edges; they can be rounded and smooth or pointed and jagged. Select a paint color and coat the entire cup, inside and out. Once the paint has dried, use a craft needle or a pushpin to create a hole at the base of the egg cup. Thread a green pipe cleaner through the flower and bend it inside the cup to secure it. Use a hot glue gun to cover the center of the flower with a pompom. Continue cutting and painting egg cup flowers (as many as you want) to create a beautiful bouquet you can place in a vase or tie it together with a ribbon. 17 Fun Learning Activities for Kids 02 of 08 Color Match Game Sarah Lipoff Color theory doesn't have to be boring with this egg carton craft! What You'll Need 1 egg cartonScissorsTempera paint (red, yellow, orange, blue, green, purple, black)Paintbrushes Make It Cut off the top half of the egg carton, leaving just the bottom. Select one color for each cup and paint the inside of each egg cup until there are 12 different colors, or repeat a few favorite hues. While the egg tray is drying, have a scavenger hunt around the house and let your child search for and collect small items of various colors. Then match each item with an egg cup of the same color and place the items inside. Have a race to see how quickly your child can place the correct item with its coordinating cup! 30+ Easy Paper Crafts for Kids Got A Messy Crafter? Keep a set of your child's old clothes that are OK to get stained up by little creative hands. Or try making a "smock" by using an old adult-sized shirt. Use a clothespin to gather the back of the shirt enough so that it creates a snug fit. 03 of 08 Penny Dish Sarah Lipoff These simple bowls keep your spare change from being lost in the car or the washing machine. What You'll Need 1 egg cartonScissorsTempera paint (two colors)PaintbrushesScrap paper Make It Cut off the top half of the egg carton, leaving just the bottom with the cups. Separate an individual egg cup. Paint the inside and outside of the cup with two different colors, or paint the entire cup one color. Once the paint has dried, place the dish in the perfect spot, like a hallway table or dresser top, for collecting pennies and other loose change. When the egg cup is full, your child can add up the change and see how much has been collected! 9 Easy Educational Crafts for Toddlers To Do At Home 04 of 08 Egg Carton Bugs Sarah Lipoff Kids will love the critters in this egg carton craft, including cute caterpillars and lovely ladybugs. What You'll Need 1 egg cartonTempera paint (red, green, black)PaintbrushesGlueGoogly eyesPipe cleaners (black and brown)White tissue paperCraft needle or push pinScissorsMarkersHot glue gunTissue paper (optional) Make It Bugs can be made from one egg cup or several cups cut in a row. Cut off the top of the carton, leaving just the bottom. Separate individual egg cups or cut two or three egg cups in a row. Paint the outside of the cups with solid colors. Paint a few individual egg cups red to create single ladybugs, paint two cups black to create beetles, or paint three cups green to make a caterpillar. Once the paint has dried, use markers to add details (like dots and lines). Then glue two googly eyes to the front of an egg cup of each color for the head, and cut different lengths of pipe cleaners to use for legs or antennae. Use a craft needle or a pushpin to punch holes in the cups where you want to insert the pipe cleaners. Thread the pipe cleaners and secure the ends by bending or twisting them inside the cup. You can cut wings out of tissue paper and hot glue them to the finished bugs. 23 Fun STEAM and STEM Activities for Kids 05 of 08 Building Blocks Sarah Lipoff Encourage your child to create five building blocks from two egg cartons. What You'll Need 2 egg cartonsTempera paint (any five colors)Paintbrushes5 small containersWaterScrap paperScissorsHot glue gun Make It Brainstorm different ways to come up with five blocks. (Hint: One way is to cut one of the egg cartons in half and the other in thirds.) Secure the lids with hot glue. Place one of the blocks on the sheet of scrap paper. Add about two tablespoons of one color of paint to one small container and then add a splash of water to thin the paint; do the same with the other colors of tempera paint and containers. Paint the outsides of each egg carton with one solid color. Set the egg cartons aside to dry. Once all the blocks have dried, see how many ways they can be arranged and balanced before falling down. 10 Easy At-Home Science Experiments for Kids Create A DIY Art Gallery Create a DIY art gallery by decorating the fridge, a window cill, or even a bookshelf with your child's crafts. Have your little Picasso "sign" their works, and help them make title cards for each piece. You can even host an "opening" by making some snacks and asking your child to talk about all the neat things they made. 06 of 08 Musical Shakers Sarah Lipoff Learn about rhythm with these vibrant musical instruments made from egg cartons. What You'll Need 1 egg cartonScissorsTempera paint (any four colors)PaintbrushesScrap paperRiceHot glue gun Make It Cut off the top half of the egg carton. Separate four individual egg cups from the bottom. Paint the outside of each cup with different colors to mix and match them. When the cups are dry, flip two of them over. Measure out 1/2 tsp. of dried rice and pour it into one cup; do the same for another. Hot glue the two remaining egg cups onto the ones filled with rice, recreating an egg-shaped shaker. When the glue has set, try out the egg cup shakers by turning on some music and shaking to the beat! 07 of 08 Plant Pots Sarah Lipoff See how outdoor plants grow by bringing nature indoors with this clever egg carton craft. What You'll Need 1 egg cartonScissorsBlack markerPotting soilFour seed packetsSpoonPlateWater Make It Cut off the top of the egg carton, leaving just the bottom. Separate four egg cups from the carton to create a pot collection, and use scissors to trim the edges, so they are even and smooth. Write the name of each plant on one side of each of the egg cups and fill each with a few scoops of potting soil. Place a few seeds of one plant in the appropriately labeled pot. Place all the pots on a large plate and position the plate near a sunny window. Water the plants according to the instructions on each package. When the plants get too big for the pots, transfer them to a bigger pot or a garden outside. There's no need to remove the plants from the egg cups when planting in the garden; they will decompose into the soil! Simple Wood Crafts 08 of 08 Floral Wreath Sarah Lipoff No matter the season, your kids can create a special wreath to greet guests at the front door. What You'll Need 2 egg cartonsScissors8-color set of watercolor paints PaintbrushesSmall containerScrap paperPaper plateGlueLength of ribbon or wreath hanger Make It Cut off the two top halves of each egg carton, leaving just the bottoms. Save one top for later. Separate each of the 24 egg cups from the cartons; use scissors to trim and smooth the edges. Pick a color scheme for the wreath that correlates with the season (pastel colors for spring, foliage colors for fall, etc.) Or choose a color scheme that matches your mood; the choices are endless! Fill the small container with water. Place the cups on the scrap paper and paint the inside and outside with the watercolor paints, diluting the paints in water when necessary. Next, paint the inside of the egg carton top with big dabs of the same colors used to create the egg cup flowers. While the egg cups and the lid are drying, cut away the inner circle of the paper plate, leaving the outer rim, which will be the base of your wreath. Paint the base one solid color and set it aside to dry. Once the cups are dry, cut three to four evenly spaced vertical slits down the sides. Start at the outside edge of the cup and cut downward, but don't cut through the bottom of each cup. These slits form separate petals that can be gently flattened like individual flowers. Arrange each flower along the paper plate rim and then hot glue each cup onto the plate until it is covered. Then, cut 24 small circles from the painted carton lid and glue each one to the centers of each flower cup. Loop a length of ribbon through the center of the wreath and secure it with a knot, or use a metal wreath hook to hang the finished wreath on the front door. 5 Fall Nature Crafts for Kids Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit