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6 unique egg carton crafts your six year old can make

Sarah Prager
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Don’t recycle those egg cartons — you just bought a craft supply along with your dozen eggs! Egg carton crafts for kids are so popular because the packaging for your morning breakfast is actually a versatile box that can be cut and painted into endless possibilities. After reading about these six unique egg carton crafts, you’ll never wonder what to do with egg cartons again.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Egg carton bugs

If you cut out each individual hole for holding each egg, you are left with a “cup” that can be made into countless animals and insects. Paint the exterior, stick on two googly eyes, and maybe add pipe cleaner legs, and you’ll have a little character.

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You can make a bee by combining two of these cups along with pipe cleaner wings using this tutorial. Get a pom-pom head to make this easy ladybug or use eight pieces of pipe cleaner for this spider craft. The possibilities are really endless.

Egg carton turkeys

This Thanksgiving craft can make a cute centerpiece for family dinner. Glue two cups together to form the turkey body and paint it brown. Then take construction paper of various fall colors and cut them out in the shape of feathers. Glue all of the tips of the feathers onto a construction paper circle that you can glue to the back of the turkey body. For the face, use red construction paper for the snood (the red but that hangs off of a turkey’s face), cut and fold up an orange paper beak, and finish it with two googly eyes. With just glue, scissors, paper, paint, eyes, and an egg carton, you can make a whole little flock in any colors you like.

Egg carton birdfeeder

Cut off the top of your 12- or 18-egg carton and string some twine through the four corners to make a DIY bird feeder. This is great if you have plastic egg cartons or if you have a dry spot in a tree to hang it from. While other crafts are usually for decoration or a gift or just for something to do, your 6-year-old will love the idea of making something practical that is going to help the birds. They can fill it up with birdseed themselves and choose the spot to hang it. Then sit back to birdwatch and see if anyone takes advantage of the new buffet!

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Egg carton flowers

This craft is perfect for springtime, Easter, or to give a faux bouquet to a parent or grandparent for their birthday. Cut out four cups together by just cutting a one-dozen egg carton into three equal pieces. Paint the flowers however you want (this is always the fun part!) and glue painted-green popsicle sticks to the flowers as stems.

Egg carton snowman

This winter craft uses three cups cut out together as one to make the three balls of snow that make up the snowman. If you have white styrofoam cartons this is ideal, but otherwise, you can paint the trio of cups white. Lie them dome side up and start designing the outfit, face, and body. Put googly eyes on the top cup along with an orange triangle of construction paper for the carrot nose. In the middle cup, stick pipe cleaner stick arms out of the sides and draw three black dots for buttons. You can also make a red felt scarf and other accessories.

Egg carton train

This craft is the most complex of the six ideas, but 6-year-olds are certainly capable of doing it. If you’re looking for something longer and more free-form, a train could be the best egg carton craft for you. Use a toilet paper roll for the lead engine of your train and then take two-cup sections cut out of the egg carton and string them together behind the engine as the cars. Paint and decorate the engine and cars however you want and glue paper wheels onto the sides of the cars. Best of all, this creates a toy they can put little figurines in and drag around the table playing train with a toy they made themselves. Find the full tutorial here.

There is one of these eco-friendly crafts for every season and every interest, so get out the scissors and have fun. Kids can’t resist doing arts and crafts, plus, it’s such a great way to encourage them to be creative and move away from screen time. As a bonus, you’ll be teaching them the importance of reusing and repurposing household items. Egg carton crafts are a win-win all around.

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Sarah Prager
Sarah Prager
Contributor
Sarah is a writer and mom who lives in Massachusetts. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, National…
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