40 Simple Earth Day Crafts for Kids and Adults
Celebrate Mother Nature with these easy and unique projects, including recycled DIY ideas.
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April 22 is Earth Day, an annual celebration that advocates for environmental conservation — and the perfect opportunity to teach children about all that our planet provides. From easy paper crafts to creative upcycling ideas, these Earth Day crafts will give little ones a chance to appreciate the world around them and think about what they can do to help protect the environment.
If you're hunting for Earth Day activities for preschoolers or kindergarteners, we've included simple projects like paper plate suns, glittery earth slime and an E is for Earth craft. Encourage older kids to flex their creativity by decorating cardboard and cardstock to create milk carton birdhouses, craft stick flower pots and papier-mâché fish. What's more, adult crafters will get a kick out of creating pine cone wreaths and terrarium pillows — both of which make the most of recycled materials.
Whether you're searching for an Earth Day project of your own or one for an aspiring crafter in your life, these playful crafts represent that even the smallest acts can effect change.
Earth Watercolor Art
Use various shades of green and blue watercolor paint to create a dimensional earth. You'll only need a few supplies, plus this blogger shares a free template!
Handprint Craft
Not only will this adorable craft help little ones practice fine motor skills, but it'll teach them the world is in their hands. Start with construction paper and kid-friendly scissors, plus watercolor paints for the earth.
Pine Cone Wreath
Celebrate the beauty of nature by turning pine cones into home decor! Let kids gather a few dozen pine cones, then coat the tips with acrylic paint, plus sprinkle a few with gold and copper glitter for dimension. Once the pinecones are dry, wrap an 18" length of floral wire around the base of each pine cone and then secure them to a wreath form.
Mr. Earth Plushie
Kids will love carrying around this friendly Earth stuffed toy — and you don't need to be an experienced sewer to give it a try. Added bonus: You can use your felt scraps as the stuffing!
Earth Day Flowers
Made from construction paper, paper straws and cupcake liners, these adorable Earth Day flowers are fun for students of all ages. There's a printable Earth template for the flower's center, so kids can practice tracing.
Watercolor Terrarium Pillow
Teach your kids how to paint and appreciate Mother Nature by having them DIY a watercolor terrarium pillow. It'll make a great display for the living room couch or their bedroom (and a reminder of the Earth Day activities).
Swirled Stamped Earth
Squirt blue and green paint onto a paper plate, then let kids use a leftover balloon or small rubber ball to stamp the paint onto the paper. It's an easy craft without the mess!
Bird Bookends
Earth is home to millions of living things — birds included. Invite your kids join in on making bird bookends to store their favorite novels or journals.
Pressed Flowers
For this craft, let your kids gather wilted flowers around the house to create a framed piece of art to hang in your home. It's a simple way to teach them the beauty of nature.
Craft Stick Flower Pots
These flower pots make for a colorful spring project and gift for a loved one. The only materials you'll need are colored craft sticks, rubber bands, clean tin cans and ribbon. Don't forget the soil and flowers.
Pebble Art
For this unique project, collecting the materials is half the fun! Once you've gathered an assortment of pebbles, a picture frame, white card stock and a twig, sketch out your idea. Then use Krazy Glue to attach the pebbles to the card stock.
Earth Day Garland
Show kids how to DIY a colorful paper garland that represents the beauty of Earth itself. Use colorful cardstock for your human and earth shapes, along with string or yarn for hanging.
Floral Pop-Up Card
Pop-up cards are fun to make, especially when you have extra hands to help you! This floral design is the perfect craft for spring and an easy way to celebrate Earth's beauty.
Tissue Paper Earth
This tissue paper earth is easy to make and only requires blue tissue paper, green construction paper (or cardstock), a paper plate, Elmer’s Glue and a printable map template.
Unicorn Planters
Let kids' imaginations soar with these unicorn planters. Purchase tiny white pots to decorate. Then, use a black marker to draw on the eyes and have them adorn their creations with glitter gold paper, colorful felt and paper rainbows.
Faux Greenery Spring Wreath
Celebrate Earth Day and the beauty of spring with a faux greenery wreath. Let kids choose their favorite flowers and faux plants to turn a basic wreath into a striking display.
Floral Painted Globe
Purchase a globe (mini or large) and transform it into a floral masterpiece. Bright blue paint and floral patterns are all it takes.
Milk Carton Birdhouse
Blogger Heidi and her young sons created these bird feeders out of recycled milk and juice cartons. First, she spray-painted the cartons white to hide the package covering, then let her kids decorate the cartons with tissue paper squares.
Earth Day Slime
What kid doesn't love slime, especially in bright blue and green colors? Give your kids an Earth Day lesson, while helping them make their own slime to play with.
Mosaic Earth
For a lesson on waste, this adorable mosaic Earth can be made out of construction paper or recycled magazines. Use cardboard for your circle shape.
Mariah Thomas (she/her) is an assistant editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers home and lifestyle content. Mariah has more than four years of editorial experience, having written for TLC, Apartment Therapy, Women's Health and Avocado Magazine. She received her master's degree in journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and published her first book, Heart and Soul: Poems of Thoughts and Emotions, in 2019. She's also the founder of RTF Community, a platform for creatives of color to connect, learn and showcase their work.
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