cereal box Easter baskets

Get the kids busy making a recycled cereal box Easter basket. These baskets are the perfect size for gathering eggs and with a few basic craft supplies can be decorated however you like.

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It’s a family tradition in our house for the girls to make their own Easter baskets for their Easter hunt. Recycled tissue boxes are their favourite to craft from, but you can use any box you have on hand. This year we had two empty tissue boxes but the girls claimed them so I had to make do with extra-large cereal boxes.

If you have no empty cereal or tissue boxes on hand improvise with something else. Any kind of cardboard or plastic container can turned into an Easter basket with a few decorations and a little imagination. In the past we’ve made them from yoghurt tubs, paper rolls and paper cups. You could also try paper bowls, shoe boxes or ice cream containers.

How to make a cereal box Easter basket

You will need

A large cereal box
Acrylic paint and paint brushes
Construction paper
Double sided tape
A Q-tip for making polkadots
Lace or ribbon
A black marker
tissue paper to line the basket
Glue stick
Double sided tape

How to make a chick basket

Cut the cereal box in half and paint it a warm yellow. Cut out two wing shapes from the scrap cardboard and paint them a warm yellow too. You may need to do a second coat to completely cover the packaging.

Use a ruler to measure and cut two strips of construction paper (we’ve used card stock) around 3cm (1″) wide and glue or stick them together with double sided tape.

Cut out a folded beak shape from construction paper in orange, then a slightly smaller beak shape in pink. Glue the pink shape inside the orange shape.

Cut out two circles of pink for the cheeks, and draw two eyes in black marker on white paper and cut them out.

Glue the facial features on. Bend the wings slightly so that they poke out a bit and attach them with double sided tape. Attach the handle with double sided tape.

Line the box with tissue wrap to finish.

How to make a polkadot basket

Paint the half cereal box in a colour of your choice. If needed, add a second coat of paint.

Use a Q-tip (or cotton bud) to cover it in polkadots. Allow to dry.

Use a ruler to measure and cut two strips of construction paper (we’ve used card stock) around 3cm (1″) wide and glue or stick them together with double sided tape.

Cut an additional two strips around 5cm (2″) wide.

Glue the two wide strips around the basket. Place some double sided tape onto the underside of your ribbon or lace and wrap it around the box, tying in a bow.

Use double sided tape to attach another strip of ribbon or lace to the paper handle. Use double sided tape to stick the handle in place.