egg carton crafts for kids

Here are more than thirty of the coolest egg carton crafts for kids!

If you like digging through the recycling box for the cheapest and most environmentally friendly craft supplies around then today’s your lucky day, because we have an amazing collection of creative things you can make using egg cartons.

This round up includes ideas from our own archives as well as from some of my favourite craft bloggers from around the world.

You might also like these paper roll crafts for kids

If you were walking past our house on any given day you might hear a conversation like this come floating out the window… 

Me (noticing a new carton of eggs has been opened): What did you do with the egg carton?
My husband: Come on, you have a whole pile of them already. You need to stop hoarding junk.
Me: It. Is. Not. Junk. I need it!

If you’re anything like my husband and believe egg cartons belong in the recycling bin then you have no imagination. Recycling is good, but upcycling is better – and an egg carton is one of the most fun and versatile things to upcycle around.

Without doing anything to them at all, they make handy art palettes, collection boxes or seedling trays. Add creativity, a pair of scissors and a coat of paint and you can turn them into a myriad of DIY toys, decorative crafts and adorable animals. 

Here are more than 30 ideas to inspire you to upcycle your egg cartons. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg, the sky is the limit to what you can make.

30+ egg carton crafts for kids

Vehicles

• Kids will adore making – and then playing with – these mini egg carton helicopters
• An egg carton makes a fantastic fire truck, just add a paper roll and shoelace hose and some bottle top wheels
• We made these egg carton trains when my kids were in pre school – they were a favourite toy until they completely fell apart from all the love (which was around one year later)

Flowers

• How gorgeous are these egg carton flower pins by Pink Stripey Socks?
• We shared this pretty posy of egg carton flowers last week, including daffodils, roses, regular flowers, tulips and bell flowers
• These plastic egg carton flowers look so sweet in their paper cup vase, by Artsy Momma
• This simple bunch of egg carton flowers by The Best Ideas For Kids would be a fun craft for preschoolers

• I love these layered egg carton and cupcake liner flowers by Artsy Craftsy Mom
• Egg cartons make the cutest mushrooms, kids would love incorporating these into small worlds and imaginary play. By Artsy Craftsy Mom
• These egg carton cherry blossoms by Crafts by Amanda would make a gorgeous Spring decorating idea

Insect crafts

• Isn’t this egg carton and yarn bee the cutest? By Buggy and Buddy
• Kids would adore making these egg carton Spring bugs! by Fun With Mama
• Make a lovely lady bug on a handprint leaf, by Fun Handprint Art Blog
• This egg carton firefly craft looks so simple, by J Daniel 4’s Mom for Rainy Dy Mum

Egg carton animal crafts

• Create a party of penguins with their own egg carton iceberg, by Jumbletree
• Make a friendly egg carton goldfish with bulging pom pom eyes and tissue paper fins
• This has to be the happiest egg carton whale I’ve ever seen, by I Heart Crafty Things
• You’ll find the tutorial for this adorable egg carton frog over at Crafts By Amanda

• These egg carton dinosaurs are so cute I can’t stand it! By Our Kid Things
• An egg carton can become a black cat costume for Halloween, or for dress up play any time
• The girls loved playing with these bouncy egg carton spider puppets
• Egg cartons make the best dragons, like this one from I Heart Crafty Things

• Create a colourful egg carton owl like this one by Pink Stripey Socks
• “Squeak squeak!”, how sweet are these egg carton mice in their little cheese house? by Jumbletree
• This egg carton sugar glider can  stretch his arms and legs to flatten himself out like a real sugar glider
• Check out the prettiest egg carton bird masks, over at Picklebums

Easter crafts

• Love this egg carton rooster egg cup by Red Ted Art
• Make some super cute egg carton bunnies like these ones by The Best ideas for Kids
• Upcycle an egg carton into an easter egg hunting basket, by Fun a day
• Here are some sweet little egg carton lambs by Rainy Day Mum

More egg carton craft ideas

• Get creative with some egg carton faces like these ones by Mini Mad Things
• Make some mini monster treat holders – so fun! 
• The girls had so much fun designing their own egg carton jewellery boxes – perfect for storing that crazy huge collection of kid-jewellery they accumulate
• Red Ted Art has come up with a clever egg carton treasure chest, a fun idea for pirate fans

Fun ways to learn about recycling