Every parent knows that egg cartons can be used for crafting, but you may not have known just how many crafts your kiddos can create with a simple egg carton. If you are looking for more and unique ways to use your leftover egg cartons, we will give you some fun ideas!
At Yellow Brick Road Early Childhood Development Center, we know how beneficial and fun crafts can be for kids! Plus, crafts can keep your children busy and entertained while you do whatever task you need to get done around the house. While our child care programs allow your kiddos to engage in a number of different tasks, we figured we could give you some more ideas that you can do at home.
Read on for fun and unique egg carton craft ideas to try with your kiddos! Be sure to check out our programs and contact Yellow Brick Road with any questions you may have.
Egg Carton Critters
One of the most common egg carton crafts that you can make is the egg carton caterpillar! But there are so many other fun critters you can make with egg cartons. For this craft, let your child pick their favorite animal or a critter they want to make and make sure you have all of the necessary supplies.
For this example, we are going to make a bumblebee, but you can make snails, turtles, ladybugs, whales, chickens, and just about any other critter! If your child chooses a different one, simply look up instructions on the internet!
For this project, you will need:
- An egg carton
- Scissors
- Paint and brushes
- Googly eyes
- Pipe cleaners
- Hot glue gun
Get started by cutting out two cups from the egg carton, these cups should be attached (many other critter crafts only need one cup). These cups will be the bee’s head and body. Have your kiddo paint the outside of the egg carton yellow. Once that dries, have them add some black stripes!
Once the paint is dry, help your kiddo poke two holes at the top of one of the cups. This is where the antennas will go! Help your child cut the pipe cleaner to create the legs, antenna, and wings! The legs and antenna should be done with a black pipe cleaner and each should be about an inch long. Make sure you cut out six legs!
For the wings, take a silver or black pipe cleaner and create a figure eight. You can use the entire pipe cleaner and have your child curve in each side so they meet in the middle.
Help your child hot glue the six legs onto their little bumblebee. Glue them to the inside of the cups, three on each side. Have your kiddo stick the antenna in the holes you poked earlier and add hot glue on the inside so that they stick! For the wings, add a dot of hot glue in the center of the two cups and press the center of the wings into place.
Finally, add some googly eyes to the front of one of the cups! If your kiddo wants, you can also add a little stinger to the other end. Your child can display their cute project in their room or on the fireplace mantel for all to see!