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Instead of tossing your used toilet paper rolls, save them for an fun upcycled craft! This craft is great for toddlers, preschool, kindergarten, and young school aged children. It is a fun homeschool activity too! Teach the kids all about recycling as they use their fine motor skills to cut paper and shapes out of construction paper to create these cute minion (hello Despicable Me - part 4 just came out!), Olaf from the Disney movie Frozen, spring flowers, and a ladybug, all decorated over a toilet paper roll!
Toddlers and even older kids enjoy these easy, movie-themed kid’s crafts! They get a lot of satisfaction out of bringing paper and toilet paper rolls to life with crafts! You can even create butterflies, bees, dragonflies, and other bugs, on these upcycled toilet paper rolls. The possibilities are endless with the number of animals and insects kids could create on the toilet paper rolls! If you like easy and cheap preschool and kindergarten fine motor crafts, then you'll love my Fall Potato Stamp Leaf Tree – Easy Toddler Craft and Fall Leaf Paintings craft!
Fine motor skills are imperative in life and toddlers should be constantly practicing fine motor skills daily to prepare them to do things later in life such as buttoning a button, tying their shoes, and writing their name. Fine motor skills enable children to develop their independence as they learn how to eat, speak, create, and are able to do many more things as these skills improve.
According to Early Impact Learning’s article, hand-eye coordination is another fine motor skill that develops from when we are babies into adulthood. When kids interact with fine motor activities, they are continually improving the link between what their eyes see and what they are trying to hold or touch.
One of the biggest reasons fine motor skills are so important is that they allow us to be independent. When kids have good fine motor skills, their self esteem improves as they are proud after building a tall tower of blocks by using the small muscles in their hands and fingers to make beautiful masterpieces they can take pride in.
Painting, cutting, sewing, threading, and weaving are fantastic ways for kids to use their fine motor skills. Many art and craft activities involve fine motor skills which allows toddlers and kids to express their creativity as they practice doing things independently.
Toilet paper roll. Upcycle a used toilet paper roll to make this craft.
Cardstock or construction paper. Depending on which toilet paper roll upcycled craft you make, you’ll need cardstock or construction paper.
Pom poms. The spring flower toilet paper roll craft calls for pom poms.
Black pen. Find a black pen. These are my favorite black pens!
School glue. School glue is stronger than a glue stick and is needed to make this craft.
Black marker. A black Sharpie marker or other similar black marker works best.
Glue stick. Use a glue stick to make this craft. When it comes to gluing paper to paper, I always use a glue stick as they're plenty strong for gluing paper.
Scissors. If kids are cutting, make sure to use kid friendly toddler scissors.
Pencil. A pencil is needed to make this.
Googly eyes. If you're making the Ladybug Toilet Paper Roll Upcycled Craft, then you'll need googly eyes.
STEP 1: To make this craft, you’ll need an upcycled toilet paper roll and construction paper (black, blue, yellow, and white). First, place a toilet paper roll on a piece of yellow construction paper and use a ruler and pencil to draw an even line long enough to fully wrap and slightly overlap the toilet paper roll. Use school glue to glue it around the toilet paper roll. Make sure the top 2/3 of the toilet paper roll is covered in yellow paper.
STEP 2: Next, use a pencil to draw the blue overalls. Refer to the post for a visual idea of what it should look like. Use scissors to cut the blue overalls out. Use a glue stick to glue the overalls onto the toilet paper roll. Using a black pen, draw a pocket on the front, if desired.
STEP 3: Next, trace a small circular object over white paper. Use scissors to cut the circles out. These will be the minion’s eyes. Place the white eyes over a piece of cream-colored paper, drawing a ¼-inch line around them. Cut them out with scissors. Use a glue stick to glue the smaller white portion of the eyes you just cut onto the center of the cream-colored paper. Using a black marker, draw small black circles in the center of each eye (one black circle per eyeball).
STEP 4: Cut a ½-inch piece of black construction paper and use a glue stick to place it about ½-inch down from the top of the minion’s head, wrapping all the way around the back. Glue the eyes over the black strip of glued paper.
STEP 5: Use your hands to glue the eyes (one or two eyes, depending on how many you want to use) over the top of the toilet paper roll as shown in the post. Use a black pen to draw a smile on the face.
STEP 6: Cut small hands out of black paper and use a glue stick to glue them onto the top of the blue overalls.
STEP 7: If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
STEP 1: To make this craft, you’ll need an upcycled toilet paper roll, construction paper, and a black pen. Use scissors to cut ¼-inch x 4-inch strips of brown construction paper, making sure they’re about two inches higher than the toilet paper roll.
STEP 2: Place the toilet paper roll on a piece of white paper. Using a ruler and pencil, draw an even line where the top of the toilet paper is, long enough to fully wrap around and slightly overlap the toilet paper roll. Cut the piece of white paper and use school glue to glue the white paper around the roll, overlapping it slightly before it ends.
STEP 3: On an orange piece of construction paper, trace a small circular object such as a quarter or the top of a small cup. Use scissors to cut the circle out. Fold it and cut it, forming a half moon shape. You’ll only need one half of the orange circle to form the nose. Use a red marker to draw lines across the nose.
STEP 4: Use a black marker and draw eyes about 1/3 of the way down. Fill in the centers of the eyes with smaller black circles, as shown in the post. Draw a mouth, tooth, and eyebrows.
STEP 5: Use school glue to stick the orange nose so it’s covering the bottoms of both eyes slightly. Use school glue to glue the brown paper hair in the inside of the toilet paper roll, making sure to glue 1-1.5 inches below the top.
STEP 5: If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
STEP 1: To make this craft, you’ll need an upcycled toilet paper roll, black and red construction paper, googly eyes, school glue, and a black marker. Use scissors to cut a piece of black construction paper to cover the roll.
STEP 2: Place the used toilet paper roll on a piece of black construction paper. Using a ruler and pencil, draw a line on the paper at the same height as the toilet paper roll and make sure it’s long enough to wrap around the toilet paper roll. Cut the piece of black paper and use school glue to glue the paper around the roll, overlapping it slightly before it ends.
STEP 3: Use a pencil to draw two 2-inch by ½-inch pieces of black construction paper. Cut them out. Use school glue to glue them about halfway down, inside the toilet paper roll. These are the two antennae.
STEP 4: Using a pencil, draw an oblong circle on red construction paper. Cut it out. Fold it in half widthwise and then use scissors to cut it on the crease.
STEP 5: Using a black marker, make varying sizes of black circles, filled in with black ink. These are the spots.
STEP 6: Use school glue to glue the two red pieces of paper about ½-inch down from the antennae. Only glue about 1-inch of the red paper. Gently fold the two red wings out to fan them out a bit.
STEP 7: Dot school glue right beneath the antennae for the 2 googly eyes. Stick the googly eyes on the top of the roll. Let the glue dry.
STEP 4: If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
STEP 1: To make this craft, you’ll need an upcycled toilet paper roll, construction paper, cardstock, a yellow pom pom, and school glue.
STEP 2: Place the used toilet paper roll on a piece of light green cardstock. Using a ruler and pencil, draw a line on the cardstock at the same height as the toilet paper roll and make sure it’s long enough to wrap around the toilet paper roll. Cut the piece of cardstock and use school glue to glue the cardstock around the roll, overlapping it slightly before it ends.
STEP 3: To make the leaves, use a pencil to draw two teardrop or leaf shapes on dark green cardstock. Draw smaller teardrop shapes on light green cardstock to fit inside the dark green cardstock. Use scissors to cut the cardstock out. Use school glue to glue the light green teardrops in the center of the dark green teardrop shapes. Apply school glue to the bottom of the roll and glue the leaves on the bottom.
STEP 4: To make the tulip, use a pencil to draw a 3-inch tall tulip shape on a piece of yellow cardstock or construction paper. Place the tulip on top of the toilet paper roll and use a pencil to draw two ½ inch slits to allow the tulip to rest over the roll. Use scissors to cut the slits.
To make the pink flower, first use a pencil to draw a flower shape on a piece of pink cardstock or construction paper. Cut the shape out. Use school glue to stick a yellow pom pom in the center of the flower. Place the flower on top of the toilet paper roll and use a pencil to draw two ½ inch slits to allow the tulip to rest over the roll. Use scissors to cut the slits.
STEP 5: If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
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Finally, if you make this Toilet Paper Rolls Craft, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this craft a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this craft and always do my best to respond to all comments.
If you do make this craft, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your craft photos!
St. Patrick’s Day is known as an Irish holiday celebrated on March 17th annually. The iconic shamrock is the symbol of the lucky day and we are here to show you how to create a shamrock out of paper. It’s surprisingly easy and cheap! This is such a fine motor activity/spring kid's craft, suitable for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, and even older kids. It is a wonderful homeschool, daycare, and kid spring activity that involves minimal supplies that many can afford. I easy and cheap dollar store, paper crafts like these.
To make my easy St. Patrick's day preschool craft, you'll need two different shades of green cardstock, scissors, a ruler, hot glue and a hot glue gun, and string or jute twine. It doesn't take too much talent and if you can fold paper, then you can easily make this spring craft.
St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, has gained a lot of popularity in the United States and the three-leaf clover, a type of trefoil plant, has been considered the unofficial flower of Ireland for centuries as shamrocks grow wild all over the beautiful green country. According to Time’s article, Irish legend says that Saint Patrick used the shamrock as an educational symbol to explain the Holy Trinity to nonbelievers as he converted the Irish to Christianity in the fourth century. In case you’re wondering if a shamrock has three of four leaves, there’s your answer! The trinity indicates three leaves. A four-leaf clover is a rare gem and if you are fortunate enough to find one, you should consider yourself quite lucky!
This folklore solidified in the public conscience in the centuries following St. Patrick’s death, which is presumed to have occurred on March 17. Around the 17th century, Mike Cronin, a historian, professor, and academic director of Boston College’s program in Dublin, reported that the shamrock’s importance began to converge with the religious celebration of the saint’s feast day: Those living in poverty still wanted to look nice at church, and luckily for them, an appropriate adornment was growing on the ground outside their homes. Eventually, the tradition of sporting a shamrock continued to catch on.
Moreover, Irish botanist and cleric Caleb Threlkeld wrote a treatise on Ireland’s native plants in 1726 that described the shamrock as the country’s national symbol, and explained its significance in the holiday. Threlkeld wrote: “This Plant is worn by the People in their Hats upon the 17. Day of March yearly, (which is called St. Patrick’s Day).” Further, he explained that, “It being a Current Tradition, that by this Three Leafed Grass, he emblematically set forth to them the Mystery of the Holy Trinity.” (The author continues to describe the “debauchery” and “excess in liquor” that was partaken in on that sacred day.)
I’ve never been to Ireland, but I have Irish roots and both my parents are about half Irish, making me about half Irish. In fact, I did an ancestry test and most of my heritage comes from northern Europe and Ireland. Ireland looks absolutely beautiful and green, with large rock cliffs, and gorgeous countrysides. One day, I’ll have to go explore my roots by traveling over there. For now, I’ll wear green on March 17 and make as many shamrock crafts as I possibly can!
STEP 1: Cut four 1.5-inch x 12-inch strips of green cardstock. One strip will be the stem.
STEP 2: Use scissors to cut three 1.5-inch x 8-inch strips of the other green cardstock. These will be the smaller inner pieces of each shamrock leaf.
STEP 3: Fold the three longer and three inner pieces in half. Use your fingers to fold the ends together, forming a heart shape. Place hot glue where the two ends meet and be very careful not to burn your fingers. If your hot glue gun uses a low and high setting, use the low setting as it’s just paper. You can also use school glue if you’re making these with kids, or in a classroom setting. Refer to the post for photo references.
STEP 4: Once all the pieces are glued together to form heart shapes, glue the smaller inner pieces to the inside of the larger outer pieces as shown in the post.
STEP 5: Bend the top of the stem, about 3 inches from the top so that the top shamrock leaf can easily rest on top. Glue the other two leaves upside down, directly touching the bottom of the top leaf. Use string, green yarn, or jute twine to hang the paper shamrock, or leave as is.
STEP 6: If you make this craft, don't forget to leave a rating and comment!
Leprechaun Kid – Easy St. Patrick’s Day Craft
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Easy Toddler and Kid Easter Crafts
Finally, if you make this Folded Paper Shamrock craft, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this craft a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this craft and always try my best to respond to all comments.
If you do make this paper shamrock craft, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your craft photos!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
These adorable spring Easter toddler, preschooler, kindergartener, and kid’s craft is loved by kids of all ages! When we made this two years ago, my three-year-old enjoyed every moment of painting her own bunny mask, adorned with ears and all! It’s the perfect preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, or third grade spring Easter craft! I love these spring Easter crafts as they are cheap dollar store crafts that most people can make. Dollar Tree and Amazon sell small canvases.
Painting is a fantastic fine motor skills activity for toddlers and young children. Even older kids and adults benefit from painting as it’s calming and creative. Kids learn how to mix colors while they paint a cute bunny mask! After the mask is painted, let the kids cut bunny ears out of white and pink construction paper. Use a glue stick to glue the pink inner ears onto the white larger ears. I always use glue sticks for paper-to-paper crafts as it holds paper together well.
STEP 1: Use scissors to cut a hole in the middle of a paper plate. Make the hole large enough to fit a kid’s face through.
STEP 2: Cut egg shaped pieces out of the green, lavender, pink, and yellow cardstock. Cut two eggs per color.
STEP 3: Use the glue stick to glue the eggs on the paper plate.
STEP 4: Cut two large ears out of the white construction paper. Follow up by cutting two smaller, inner pink paper ears. Use a glue stick to stick the pink inner ears on the white larger ears. Apply glue to stick the ears to the back of the paper plate.
STEP 1: Use scissors to cut a hole in the middle of a paper plate. Make the hole large enough to fit a kid’s face through.
STEP 2: With paint brushes and paint, have the kids paint the cut paper plate. Let it dry.
STEP 3: Cut two large ears out of the white construction paper. Follow up by cutting two smaller, inner pink paper ears. Use a glue stick to stick the pink inner ears on the white larger ears.
STEP 4: Using a stapler, staple the ears to the painted paper plate. Let the kids have fun using their new painted bunny masks!
STEP 1: Feel free to paint the canvas. We painted ours with this purple acrylic paint. Let it dry.
STEP 2: Stamp a child’s painted foot on the canvas and let it dry.
STEP 3: For the handprint, paint ears and a face.
STEP 4: For the footprint painting, flip it upside down and paint two ears. Stick a white pom pom on the wet paint as its cottontail.
Easy Brown Bag Easter Bunny Craft
Finally, if you make these Paper Plate Bunny Masks & Bunny Handprint and Footprint Easter Crafts, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this DIY craft a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this craft and always try my best to respond to all comments.
If you do make this craft, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your craft photos!
I love all the rainbows associated with St. Patrick’s Day! Sometimes when I’m developing a craft, it can be tricky and unforeseen problems occur. This craft, however, was REALLY easy. I enjoy being surprised when crafts are awfully easy! Plus, I thoroughly enjoy painting as it’s a kind of therapy for me, so I really liked making this. Spring is around the corner and all things St. Patrick's Day are popping up at stores and in my Pinterest feed!
To make this fun kid's craft, you will paint a paper plate with these acrylic or non-toxic kid's paint. The rest is even easier! If you’re making this for a class such as preschool, kindergarten, homeschool or homeschool preschool, daycare, etc., you may want to draw the black pot and yellow “coins” before having the kids start on this activity so that when they do start, they can just cut, paint, and glue everything. This is one superb fine motor activity for the kids that they surely enjoy!
Let the kids’ imagination run wild as they paint a rainbow on a paper plate. They’ll be using their fine motor skills to paint, cut, and staple this craft, and it’s so much fun! Kids love rainbows, holidays, and crafts, so this is perfect for them to hone their fine motor skills by painting and cutting.
Paper plate. A paper plate is needed to make this spring craft.
Acrylic paint. Acrylic paint or non-toxic kid-friendly paint is best for this kid’s craft. We love this acrylic paint best.
Paint brushes. Grab a few different paint brushes and let the kids get to work.
Black and yellow construction paper. You’ll need black and yellow construction paper to make this craft. If you have white paper and paint, you can paint a piece of paper black and a piece yellow.
Glue stick. A glue stick is needed to stick paper to paper. I always use glue sticks when sticking paper to paper as they work just fine.
Scissors. You’ll need scissors. If the kids are cutting the paper, make sure to use kid-friendly scissors.
Stapler. Any type of stapler will work to staple the paper plate to the pot.
STEP 1: Use acrylic paints to paint a paper plate in rainbow colors, alternating red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, until the plate is fully painted. Let dry.
STEP 2: On a black piece of construction paper, use a pencil to draw a large pot and then cut it.
STEP 3: Draw five or six different sized “coins” on the yellow construction paper, and cut them out or have the kids cut them out. Draw a bubbly shaped top for the pot using the yellow construction paper.
STEP 4: Use a glue stick to glue the coins and bubbly top onto the pot.
STEP 5: Use scissors to cut a spiral shape on the paper plate.
STEP 6: Use a stapler to staple the pot to the cut spiral.
STEP 7: If you make this craft, don't forget to leave a rating and comment!
St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Sensory Bin
Leprechaun Kid – Easy St. Patrick’s Day Craft
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Finally, if you make this Rainbow Pot O’ Gold – Easy St. Patrick’s Day Kid’s Craft, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this craft a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this craft and always try my best to respond to all comments.
If you do make this craft, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your craft photos!
St. Patrick’s Day is the next upcoming holiday and to celebrate it, we made this fun leprechaun kid with my daughter’s photo. What is a leprechaun? According to CBC Kids' article, a leprechaun is a type of fairy known in Irish folklore to stand as tall as a three-year-old kid. Typically, leprechauns are described as bearded men who wear green suits and hats. Legend has it that there are no female leprechauns—only male; however, that didn’t stop me from turning MY three-year-old girl into one for this craft.
Stories tell about leprechauns being shoemakers and spending a lot of time making and repairing shoes. Some people believe that when a leprechaun is near, you can hear the tapping of his tiny hammer as he hits nails into the shoes. These little guys are known to be mischievous (just like a three-year-old!) and they have been known to enjoy playing tricks on people.
Leprechauns are thought to be mythical creatures, but old Irish tales report that the first leprechaun siting occurred back in the 700s.
It has been told that leprechauns have pots of gold that are hidden in the Irish countryside. If someone catches a leprechaun, the story is that he must give his pot of gold away to the capturer. Leprechauns are known to be sneaky, just like three year olds. Hmm... I’m starting to see a pattern between leprechauns on toddlers!
STEP 1: On the backside of the glitter green cardstock, trace the bottom of a coffee cup or draw a circle and then cut it. Do the same for the hat.
STEP 2: Cut two ½-inch strips of black construction paper. These will be for the belt and the strap on the hat.
STEP 3: On the backside of the glitter gold cardstock, draw two buckles—one for the belt which is slightly larger, and one for the hat which will be smaller. You want them to overlap the black strip. Use a utility knife to carefully cut out square holes in the center of each.
STEP 4: Cut two one-inch strips of green construction paper. You’ll need two long strips for the legs and two shorter ones for the arms. Accordian fold the cut green strips as shown in the post.
STEP 5: Use a pencil to draw one shoe on the black paper. Cut it out. Trace the shoe with a pencil on another piece of black paper and cut it out to create two shoes.
STEP 6: Use a pencil or pen to draw one hand on the brown paper. Cut it out and then trace around it to form an equal-sized second hand.
STEP 7: Use a glue stick to glue the black straps to the body and hat. Glue the gold buckles on top. Next, use a hot glue gun to glue your kid’s photo to the top of the body. Hot glue the hat on top of the head. Use the glue stick to glue the arms and legs. Use a glue stick to glue the shoes on the bottom of the legs and the mittens on the arms.
STEP 8: If you make this craft, don't forget to leave a rating and comment!
Rainbow Pot O' Gold - Easy St. Patricks' Day Kid's Craft
Easy Brown Bag Easter Bunny Craft
Finally, if you make this Leprechaun Kid – Easy St. Patrick’s Day Craft, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this craft a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this craft and always try my best to respond to all comments.
If you do make this craft, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your craft photos!
Cheap and easy kid’s crafts are one of my favorite! Spring is around the corner and this Easy Paper Shamrock Craft is the best fine motor spring craft for your preschoolers, kindergarteners, even older kids! This craft is similar to the Dancing Paper Heart Craft I made for Valentine’s Day a few weeks back. If you have toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, or younger kids around, this is a fun way to engage their fine motor skills as they cut the shamrocks out of the green construction paper. This is such a popular St. Patrick's Day craft for toddlers and grade school children.
Because every kid needs a smiling shamrock in the month of March, that’s why! This is guaranteed to make your kid smile! If you homeschool your kid, this is a fun way to tap into their fine motor skill activities. Most people have paper lying around and if you don’t have googly eyes, you can just draw eyes with the black marker. If you don't have green paper, but have white paper and green paint, let the kids paint the paper green. Let your imagination run wild, like a child’s.
STEP 1: Use a pen to draw a large shamrock on a piece of green construction paper. If you don’t have green paper, you can always have the kids paint a piece of paper green. Either way works.
STEP 2: Use scissors to cut two one-inch-thick pieces of white paper along the length of the white paper (the long side). These are the legs. Then, cut two smaller one-inch pieces of the white paper for the two arms.
STEP 3: Fold a smaller piece of green paper in half and draw a shamrock. Cut it out and you will have two equal sized shamrocks for the hands. Repeat for the feet.
STEP 4: Use a glue stick to glue the two white arms on the back side of the shamrock body. Repeat for the legs. Glue the hands and feet.
STEP 5: Glue the green googly eyes on the face. Use a black marker to draw a nose and smile.
STEP 6: If you make this craft, don’t forget to leave a rating and comment!
Leprechaun Kid - Easy St. Patrick's Day Craft
Rainbow Pot O' Gold - Easy St. Patrick's Day Kid's Craft
Easy Brown Bag Easter Bunny Craft
Finally, if you make this Easy Paper Shamrock Craft, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this craft a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this craft and always try my best to respond to all comments.
If you do make this shamrock craft, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your craft photos!
Make your little bunny happy with this entertaining Spring Easter Egg Sensory Bin! Kids love animals, especially the bunnies and chicks surrounding springtime. Easter is a fun holiday for my toddler as she loves nothing more than opening plastic eggs after a long and arduous hunt to gather them all and to find chocolate, colorful jelly beans, and small toys inside! If you like easy DIY spring sensory bins, then you'll adore my DIY Spring Easter Grass Sensory Bin and my St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Sensory Bin!
The anticipation during the entire Easter egg hunt has finally paid off as she gets to reveal her surprises! I think that’s probably every toddler, preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school aged kid, right? The best part of the Easter egg hunt is ALWAYS quickly opening each Easter egg that was gathered to see the goods! At least, that was me when I was younger and is probably most children.
Sensory bins don’t need to be complex. Simple works and is completely fine. This sensory bin activity is a wonderful Montessori activity, is perfect for daycare, preschool homeschool, kindergarten, and older kids. I found these play carrots and tray of eggs at my local Dollar Tree and if they don’t have plastic or toy carrots, you can surely substitute with other Easter-themed toys or adding more plastic eggs. Kids LOVE plastic Easter eggs!
Rice. White rice works best when dying rice into colors. We like this rice the best.
White vinegar. White vinegar helps preserve the rice and prevents it from molding. I've dyed rice countless times to make sensory bins and even 2-3 years later, my rice is still good to go and use in my sensory bins.
Food coloring. You’ll need blue, yellow, and orange food coloring to make this.
Plastic carrots. Amazon sells these cute plastic toy carrots.
Plastic eggs. Use plastic Easter eggs or other Easter-themed toys for your sensory bin.
According to Infantino’s article, sensory play helps build nerve connections in the brain. Learning about the world through their different senses helps to develop pathways between neurons. The more experience your little one has with one type of experience, the stronger that pathway becomes. Unfortunately, if a pathway is not used often enough, it can completely disappear.
Sensory play and language development work together in tandem. Because sensory play helps support early development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem-solving skills, and social development, it can help with language development. Kids learn about the big world around them through sensory play. If they get the opportunity to observe how their peers play, they learn and therefore grow socially.
STEP 1: To dye the rice, place the rice in 3 separate large ziptop freezer bags. Add 1 teaspoon white vinegar and a few drops of blue, yellow, and orange food coloring in each bag, making sure to keep the colors separated by freezer bag. Mix well and pour onto foil-lined baking sheets, separated by color. Let dry for about 1 hour.
STEP 2: Place the blue dyed rice on the far left of your sensory bin, pushing it as far as it will go toward the left. Carefully dump the yellow rice into the bin. Use your hand to further align it to the left. Carefully place the orange rice on the right. Try to keep the columns as neat as possible.
STEP 3: Place your Easter toys in the bin. If you can't find toy carrots at a cheap dollar store, Amazon sells these adorable plastic carrots. Kids love plastic Easter eggs and get to use their fine motor skills as part of this play-based learning activity.
Easy Toddler and Kid Easter Crafts
St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Sensory Bin
Easy Brown Bag Easter Bunny Craft
Finally, if you make this Spring Easter Egg Sensory Bin, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this DIY sensory bin a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this sensory bin and always try my best to respond to all comments.
If you do make this sensory bin, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your sensory bin photos!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
If you’re short on cash and need some cute Easter baskets, you can make your own homemade DIY Easter baskets using upcycled egg cartons, tissue boxes, and paint. I love this easy spring Easter craft because it costs next to nothing and most people can afford to make them. You probably already have paint, paint brushes, and ribbon and can easily and quickly make these with the younger kids.
Tap into your toddler’s or young child’s fine motor skills by handing them paint brushes, cut sponge strips—even chopped vegetables such as potatoes and celery will suffice. We have painted with celery and potatoes and both are fun ways to show your children that you don’t have to stick with paint brushes while painting. If you’re a stay-at-home mom with young toddlers and preschoolers, you’re likely always pursuing easy and fun kid’s activities.
We opted for paintbrushes for this activity. Three-year-old Keira loved every moment of painting. It’s such a beneficial fine motor skill for toddlers too.
Think outside the box and get creative, using things us wasteful humans would typically recycle or throw away in the trash, to create your own spring Easter baskets. It’s such a wonderful and inexpensive preschool, kindergarten, daycare, and homeschool activity that all children enjoy. If you like spring crafts, you'll love my Easy Paper Shamrock Craft which is a fantastic St. Patrick's Day fine motor activity for toddlers and preschoolers.
Fine motor skills are important as they help young kids develop precision and dexterity as they move the small muscles in their hands and fingers. Toddlers should be practicing fine motor skills daily to enable them to get dressed on their own, helps with brain development including speech, and helps them to explore and create.
Toys and Games Best SellersMy Cleveland Clinic’s article states that fine motor skills involve the complex coordination of muscles, joints, and nerves. Further, fine motor control is a process that involves awareness, coordination, muscle strength, and precision. Examples of fine motor activities include drawing or writing, using scissors, folding clothes, typing, fastening a button, tying shoes, and zipping up a zipper. All of these critical skills are imperative to support independence later in life.
Empty egg cartons or tissue boxes. Upcycle used egg cartons and tissue boxes.
Paint. You can use acrylic or washable paint. We like these Apple Barrel paints.
Paint brushes. You’ll need paint brushes of different sizes to paint your Easter baskets.
Palette. A paint palette or a plastic lid works great.
Craft mat or newspaper. We use old newspaper ads to paint on. You can also use a craft mat.
Ribbon. Pick any color or type of ribbon to hold the baskets with.
Scissors. You’ll need adult and or toddler scissors to cut the ribbon.
STEP 1: Lay out newspaper or a craft mat and use the paint brushes to paint the empty egg cartons or tissue boxes.
STEP 2: Allow them to dry. Hole punch or poke holes in two opposite sides of the tissue box and push ribbon through them. Tie the ribbon.
Easy Brown Bag Easter Bunny Craft
Easy Toddler and Kid Easter Crafts
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Finally, if you make these Upcycled Easter Baskets crafts, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this craft a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this craft and always try my best to respond to all comments.
If you do make this craft, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your craft photos!
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This adorable and partially edible Easy Marshmallow Bunny Craft is such a fun spring and Easter craft for children. All you need is pink construction paper, mini marshmallows, school glue such as Elmer’s, pom poms, a black marker, and a pen. If you like easy and cheap Easter and spring kid’s crafts, then you’ll love my Easy Toddler and Kid Easter Crafts, Easy Brown Bag Easter Bunny Craft, Spring Easter Egg Sensory Bin, DIY Spring Easter Grass Sensory Bin, Easy Paper Shamrock Craft, Folded Paper Shamrock, and Upcycled Easter Baskets!
We all know that toddlers love marshmallow bunny crafts (not to mention ALL holiday crafts and activities) like this one for Easter! My five-year-old daughter’s favorite part of helping me make marshmallow crafts is eating all the marshmallows! What a surprise, right?!
This one is fun because toddlers and preschoolers are using their fine motor skills to place each marshmallow on the glue, and at the end, the rows of glued marshmallows form a bunny! How much fun is that?!
It’s a wonderful spring craft for toddlers, kindergarteners, and even older kids in elementary school. It’s a popular and cheap carft at preschool, daycare, and for homeschool.If you’re worried about the level of craftiness needed by you – the parent or teacher – don’t fret as it’s SUPER EASY and simple to do, and does not involve an extensive level of talent or craftiness. The uncraftiest person can easily make this!
All you need to do is grab a pencil or pen and draw a bunny head on a piece of paper. Then, line the bunny outline with school glue, placing marshmallows on top. When the glue dries, glue on the pom pom eyes and nose. Let those dry and then use a black marker to draw whiskers and a mouth. So easy!
Kitchen Best SellersIf you’re feeling craft and want to save money on a spring wreath, then you need to check out my DIY Spring Easter Egg Wreath! It includes a step-by-step tutorial and will save you at least $40 USD on an Easter wreath or tablescape!
Construction paper. Grab some pink construction paper.
Mini marshmallows. You’ll need quite a few mini marshmallows to make this.
School glue. Because this craft involves gluing marshmallows and pom poms, school glue is needed.
Pom poms. We used two purple and one white pom pom for the eyes and nose. Feel free to use any color pom poms you like. Alternatively, you can use a marker or mini marshmallows to make the eyes and nose.
Toys Best SellersBlack marker. I used a black Sharpie marker but any black marker will suffice.
Pen. A pen or pencil is needed to draw on the construction paper.
STEP 1: Use a pen or pencil to draw a bunny-shaped head on a piece of pink construction paper.
STEP 2: Pour school glue along the outline of the bunny’s head. Have the little ones place marshmallows on the glue and let it dry.
STEP 3: Place two dots of glue for the eyes, placing the purple pom poms as the eyes. Place a dot for the nose and place a white pom pom as the nose. Let the glue dry.
STEP 4: Use a black marker to draw whiskers and a mouth.
Finally, if you make this Easy Marshmallow Bunny Craft, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this DIY craft a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this craft and always try my best to respond to all comments.
Fitness and Sports Best SellersIf you do make this craft, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your craft photos.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Spring is around the corner and so is Easter which means lots of bunny crafts! I’m all about easy, fun, and cheap brown paper bag bunny crafts like this one. The bunny transforms into a hand puppet once complete, making it a fun fine motor activity for children two and up. Two-year-old toddlers can also participate with close supervision. My easy step-by-step tutorial walks even the uncraftiest person through the process of creating this fun Easter bunny craft. If you like inexpensive spring and Easter crafts, then you'll love my Easy Toddler and Kid Easter Crafts, Easy Marshmallow Bunny Craft, DIY Spring Easter Grass Sensory Bin, Easy Paper Shamrock Craft, Spring Easter Egg Sensory Bin, and Upcycled Easter Baskets!
Toddlers love cutting so make sure to have a pair of kid-friendly scissors near for their little hands. This craft is easy and can be created at preschool, at daycare, in kindergarten, in elementary school, homeschool, or just around the home when mom and dad are busy and need a little distraction for the kids. If you have older kids and younger ones, let the older ones take the lead by assisting the younger children. This way, parents can easily prepare dinner or take care of other household items. And what better way to entertain the littles than with this easy dollar store craft?!
Adult Easter crafts are fun too, especially when they save money. My DIY Spring Easter Egg Wreath costs about $10 USD and I couldn't find a spring wreath at any store for less than $50 USD! My step-by-step tutorial walks you through how to make your own DIY Spring Easter Egg Wreath!
I always use glue sticks when gluing paper to paper. School glue is not necessary as the glue sticks adhere better in my opinion. The disappearing purple glue sticks are the best!
Kitchen Best SellersOnce the kids are done making these bunnies, they can have their brown bag bunnies perform in a puppet show for mom and dad! Make sure to give them lots of kudos for their beautiful Easter art crafts!
Brown paper bag. You’ll need a brown paper lunch bag to make this easy kid's craft.
Construction paper. Grab white and pink construction paper. We like this construction paper best.
Toys Best SellersPen. A pen or pencil is needed to draw on the construction paper.
Scissors. If you’re making this with toddlers, grab some toddler scissors to let the kids cut the pieces out.
Glue stick. Because this craft involves gluing just paper, a glue stick is sufficient.
Black marker. I used a Sharpie black marker but any black marker will suffice.
STEP 1: Fold a piece of white paper in half. Draw a bunny ear. Cut the ear out and you will have two ears of equal size. Reserve the white paper scraps that you would typically toss out in the trash.
Fitness and Sports Best Sellers
STEP 2: Fold a piece of pink construction paper in half. Draw the inner parts of the bunny ear, making sure it is smaller than the larger white bunny ear. Cut the pink inner ear out and you will have two pink inner ears of equal size. Reserve the pink paper scraps that you would normally throw away.
Use the glue stick to stick the pink inner ears to the white larger ears.
STEP 3: Use a glue stick to glue the bunny ears to the top, backside of the brown bag.
STEP 4: Using the white paper scraps from Step #1, trace the bottom of the glue stick on white paper to create two eyeballs. Cut the eyes out and use the black marker to fill them in, as shown. Glue the eyes on the brown bag.
STEP 5: Use the pink paper scraps to create two small triangles for the nose. Glue the nose on the brown bag.
STEP 6: Use the black marker to draw a mouth and whiskers, as shown in the post.
STEP 7: With a new piece of pink paper, cut two large Easter-egg shaped bellies out. Glue the bellies on the larger portion of the brown bag.
Finally, if you make this Easy Brown Bag Easter Bunny Craft, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this DIY craft a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this craft and always try my best to respond to all comments.
If you do make this craft, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your craft photos!
