15 easy junk modelling ideas for kids
Charlotte Thomas
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Recycling toilet rolls and egg boxes is a great – and cheap – way to do some easy crafts with your kids. Here are some simple junk modelling ideas that your children will love.
1. Egg box ladybirds
Make these super-cute ladybirds using egg boxes. A quick and easy craft for kids of all ages.
Why not make a whole ladybird family? Or perhaps you can make other bugs or animals out of your egg boxes too?
Follow our easy step-by-step instructions to make egg box ladybirds.
2. Jolly jellyfish
These fun jellyfish look great and are so simple to make.
Cut the end off an old paper plate and punch holes along the edge (depending on the age of the child, you might want to do the hole punching).
Paint the paper plate body and thread scraps of wool and thread and strips of old ribbon and bubble wrap through the holes to make colourful legs.
3. Paper plate owl
This wise old owl takes minutes to make – all you need is a paper plate, felt pens, scissors and glue.
You can buy paper plates more cheaply in bulk – see more details here at Amazon.
Follow our easy step-by-step instructions to make a paper plate owl.
4. Crafty collage
Don't throw those magazines, comics and papers away, they're great for collages.
Kids can cut out pictures and sections of colour and use them to create their own unique artworks.
5. Bottle top animals
Save up your bottle tops and turn them into an array of cute creatures. All you need are some Sharpies, some googly eyes and a few bits of card or paper.
Bottle tops can be a choking hazard so this craft is best for children older than three.
6. Juice box houses
Transform an old juice carton into a cheery house. In fact, why not make a whole row of houses and shops?
Follow our easy step-by-step instructions to make your own juice box houses.
7. Recycled rainbow
Cut up any old cardboard boxes from deliveries to make a rainbow shape.
Kids can use scraps of old magazines, cardboard boxes, bottle tops, fabric and craft supplies to make a beautiful rainbow.
8. Pretty flower wind chimes
Brighten up your garden with these flowery wind chimes. Some bits are fiddly so little ones will need a bit of help. This is also a great craft for older kids.
You can buy packs of bells quite cheaply – see more details here at Amazon.
Follow our easy step-by-step instructions to make pretty flower wind chimes.
9. Kitten plant pots
These planters are made from old soft drinks bottles. Cut out to leave triangles for ears and then decorate with marker pens to make a cat's face.
If you want to paint your bottles, acrylic craft paint works best on plastic.
10. Cheery spring blooms
Inject a bit of colour into your home with these cheery and colourful blooms. They are simply made using egg boxes and buttons and would make a lovely card or special picture to give as a gift too.
Follow our easy step-by-step instructions to make your own cheery spring blooms.
11. Bottle top pictures
If you have enough bottle tops saved, turn them into a pretty picture by sticking them to card.
Alternatively, use them to add texture to a painting – they make great suns!
12. Ollie the octopus toilet roll
In minutes you can turn a boring old toilet roll tube into a cheery octopus. Such a quick and easy craft that kids will love.
Follow our easy step-by-step instructions to make Ollie the octopus.
You can find more simple toilet roll crafts here.
13. Sock puppets
Old socks can soon become your child's best friends. Just sew on some buttons for eyes and old scraps of material for ears and you've got a great dog puppet.
Find more easy puppet-making ideas here.
14. Little owls
We love these little owls. They're quick to make and you just need some toilet rolls, a lick of paint and a few recycled scraps to decorate.
You can buy packs of assorted buttons to use as eye – see more details here at Amazon.
Follow our easy step-by-step instructions to make these cute little owls.
15. Superhero cuffs
Every superhero needs a bracelet or cuff with special powers ... and here's a super-quick way to make them.
Follow our easy step-by-step instructions to make cool superhero cuffs.
Easy, and perfect for dressing up for some imaginative play. And why not make a no-sew superhero cape to complete their outfit?
More crafting ideas
Looking for more crafty inspiration? We've got hundreds of ideas on our kids' art and crafts pages. Try:
– Homemade gifts that kids can make
What is junk modelling?
Junk modelling simply means creating arts and crafts projects from the rubbish lying around your home.
From loo rolls, egg cartons and cardboard boxes, to old CDs, clothes and books – anything you were going to throw away is fair game for a junk modelling makeover!
What are the benefits of junk modelling?
Crafting isn't just a great way to keep the kids occupied – it also nurtures their creative side, helping them learn new ways of thinking and improving hand-eye coordination. Oh, and did we mention it's brilliant fun, too?
Just thinking of different ways to use the objects helps kids learn to think about their environment in new ways. And playing with different materials to see what they can do is a great grounding in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) skills.
Kids will also get a great sense of achievement from seeing their finished creations. Be sure to give them plenty of praise, even if it just looks like a bunch of junk with a few blobs of paint!
If you don't have much space (or would just prefer not to have your home covered in toddler 'art'), at least keep each creation for a little while to show that you value it, and take a picture before getting rid of it altogether.
Traditional arts and crafts can be very expensive (we can't be the only ones who never dreamed we'd spend this much on felt?!). Junk modelling lets your kids get crafty with minimal expense.
It's good for the planet, too! Instead of contributing to landfill, old odds and ends can get a new lease of life as artistic creations.
More junk modelling ideas
As if the above weren't inspo enough, why not try letting your kids' imaginations run wild? The following common rubbish items work brilliantly for crafting:
- toilet rolls
- egg cartons
- cardboard boxes
- plastic bottles
- glass jars
- yoghurt pots
- bubble wrap
- newspapers and magazines
- old clothes
- rubber bands
- shells and pebbles
- leaves and twigs
- cans and tins
- CDs and DVDs
- books
- recyclable straws
You don't always have to have an end goal in mind. Just empty the recycling out, provide some tape, glue, paints and biodegradable glitter, and let your kids rummage around and see what they come up with. This is known as 'non-directed play', and is great for developing your child's independence.
From epic castles to sci-fi rockets and cute animals, you'll be amazed by what their imaginations can create!
Try these quick and easy craft ideas to turn old boxes and cartons into mini masterpieces.
Have you got any kids craft ideas that are cheap to make? Why not join the chat in our forum. Or get more inspo from our articles below.
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