Cool Recycled Crafts That Double As Homemade Toys

I have collected some cool recycle crafts to help you teach your kids (or yourself) how fun recycling can be! Both of these homemade toys are made out of things you can find laying around your house, and things you usually put in your trash can. Before you throw out your water bottles and empty Kleenex boxes, check these recycle craft ideas out and let your kids get busy! It is also a great time to talk with your child about reuse and recycling and why these things are important.

5 DIY Crafts Using Recycled Materials

Recycled crafts are a creative and eco-friendly way to give new life to old or unwanted items. By reusing materials like cardboard, fabric scraps, glass jars, and plastic containers, we reduce waste and lessen the demand for new resources. This not only helps protect the environment by cutting down on landfill buildup and conserving raw materials, but it also encourages creativity, resourcefulness, and sustainability. Crafting with recycled materials can save money, spark innovation, and teach important lessons about mindful consumption. Plus, turning everyday objects into something beautiful or useful brings a special sense of satisfaction and pride.

First, I will share full tutorials for two fun recycle crafts for water bottle snow globes and tissue box guitars. Your kids will have fun doing simple crafts and feel empowered to create. Then they can decorate their homemade toys with paint and/or stickers. Following the two full DIY toy recycled crafts, I will share several other recycle craft ideas and provide a link to their blogs for the full tutorial on those.

Water Bottle Snow Globes Recycle Craft

Water Bottle Snow Globe Craft Supplies:

• 1 old water bottle, refilled from your sink
• glitter

How To Make A Water Bottle Snow Globe:

Pour your favorite glitter into the water bottle until it looks right (and then shake it up!)  Toddles love to play with these homemade toys.  Allowing the glitter to settle and re-shaking it and watching the glitter glisten is a great way to pass the time for small children- especially when they are riding in the car.

Tissue Box Guitar Craft

Tissue box guitar materials:

• 1 empty Kleenex box
• 3 rubber bands

How to make tissue box guitar:

Stretch rubber bands over the hole on the top of the box and start making music!  It is that simple to make a homemade tissue box guitar and your toddler will love making something themselves.

Here are some more easy ideas for new ways to make recycled crafts.

DIY Postcard Block Puzzle

This is a really lovely idea for upcycling old postcards into a DIY block puzzle. I had those wooden block puzzles when I was a kid and I remember how much fun they were to do and flip over and do the other patterns too. You can get the full tutorial over at compostandcava.com

Simple Sock Craft

This is a great project for helping children learn to sew. Take an old sock and turn it into a wiggly snake toy! I love recycle craft ideas like this one that encourage children to reuse things, be creative, and reward them with a cool homemade toy! Get the full tutorial over at sumoftheirstories.com

Tunnel Race Toilet Paper Roll Craft

I absolutely love how this toilet paper roll craft makes use of things you have around the house to use creativity and craft a game that the kids can play. So cute and clever! Get the tutorial over at besttoys4toddlers.com

Ideas For Recycled Craft Materials

Here’s a list of fun and versatile ideas for recycled craft materials:

• Cardboard boxes (cereal boxes, shipping boxes) – great for building, painting, and cutting into shapes
• Toilet paper and paper towel rolls – perfect for sculptures, animals, or organizing tools
• Old magazines and newspapers – good for collages, papier-mâché, or homemade beads
• Glass jars and bottles – can be painted, turned into lanterns, or used for storage
• Plastic containers and lids – useful for planters, organizers, or even toys
• Fabric scraps and old clothes – ideal for sewing projects, patchwork, or making stuffed animals
• Bottle caps – fun for mosaics, jewelry, or game pieces
• Cans (soup, coffee) – can be decorated and used as pencil holders, planters, or wind chimes
• Broken jewelry – can be reimagined into new pieces or decorative art
• Egg cartons – great for making flowers, animals, or paint palettes
• Buttons – perfect for embellishments, art pieces, or creating custom cards
• Old CDs and DVDs – can be turned into shiny mosaics, ornaments, or wall art
• Scrap paper – for origami, homemade cards, or art journaling
• Worn-out books – can be used for altered book projects, paper flowers, or framed art
• Empty egg cartons – use sections to make caterpillars, turtles, spiders, or bugs with a little paint and googly eyes
• Construction paper – scraps can be used to make mosaics.
• Wine corks – can be used to make heart wall art.

Conclusion

Crafting with recycled materials is a rewarding way to blend creativity with environmental responsibility. It allows us to see the hidden potential in everyday items, turning what might have been waste into something meaningful and lasting. By choosing to reuse, we not only reduce our environmental footprint but also inspire others to think differently about consumption and waste. Recycled crafts prove that with a little imagination, we can make a positive impact on the world around us—one project at a time.

These easy crafts using recycled materials from your recycling bin are a fun, inexpensive way to engage your children with craft projects. It feels great to give new life to something through a simple project. Have you tried making recycle crafts before? Do you have a clever way to reuse everyday items? What other crafts have you made from recycled products?

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